Jeff Howe

Above all else, we can't lose sight of this point. The program, as it currently stands, needs a tune-up, but it's not in shambles.

The Cowboys and Raiders getting together reminds me of those joint practices at St. Ed's they used to run back in the day.

I don't always agree with what former players say, but I'll always respect their opinions because they've got a frame of reference I don't have and never will. With that said, you can't absolve one party regarding the discipline issues. From a coaching standpoint, if a firm believer that you're either coaching it or you're allowing it to happen. If you're worried about guys heading to the portal when they need to be corrected for making mistakes that hurt the team, then either they're the wrong type of guy for your program or your culture isn't that good. This team doesn't pay attention to details. That starts at the top, but it's also on the players to hold each other accountable. Texas isn't as talented or experienced as the last two seasons, where it can overcome those mistakes, especially against an opponent like Georgia. Personally, I don't buy that the portal and NIL mean you can't coach a disciplined team. Furthermore, 8.2 penalties per game is the worst in the Power Four — that's flat out unacceptable. Curt Cignetti, for example, has built a roster with a heavy reliance on the portal. Indiana is in the top six in the country in fewest penalties per game and fewest penalty yards per game. This is an ongoing issue for Sark that must be resolved. They can be if he's willing to put the screws to guys and change the program's mindset regarding self-inflicted wounds.

I agree with just about everything you said. Sark’s script was fine, but sloppy, undisciplined teams that don’t pay attention to details make the kind of mistakes Texas made from start to finish last night.

I don’t think it’s a case of going through the motions. To me, it’s bad body language whenever things go wrong and you’re searching for answers. That’s probably too simple of an explanation, but I agree that something is amiss.

Your colon thanks you.

No need to be jerks to each other. Take it somewhere else if that's what you want to do.

For all intents and purposes, the bowl game is the first game of the 2026 season.

That bowl doesn't have an SEC tie-in. Neither does the Alamo Bowl, for those wondering.

Typically, one loss doesn't impact things that much. If things spiral from here, that would be a different story.

That wasn't fun to watch, it was less fun to write about and it's going to be worse to discuss publicly. We'll get through this together.

Texas was positioned to get the ball back with under four minutes to go in the third quarter of Saturday’s 35-10 loss to Georgia. The Bulldogs lined up for a fourth-and-1 from their own 36. With the Longhorns poised to seize momentum, the championship pedigree of Kirby Smart’s program took it back and held onto it en route to a third win over Steve Sarkisian’s club in 13 months. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC) cut the Georgia (9-1, 7-1) lead to four points when Arch Manning found Ryan Wingo in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown with 5:27 left in the third quarter. After Gunner Stockton and Chauncey Bowens connected for a 10-yard gain for the first of two fourth-down conversions on a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, a surprise onside kick recovery and a 9-play, 53-yard march to another Bulldog touchdown, Manning and the offense faced a 28-10 deficit when it got back on the field at the 8:49 mark of the fourth quarter. Whether it was losing the line of scrimmage battle, a failure to execute in critical situations, dealing with one self-inflicted wound after another or Smart’s staff winning the chess match against Sarkisian and his assistant coaches, Georgia was better than Texas, across the board, for the third time in as many meetings as SEC foes. For the Longhorns to ascend to the next level as a program, they’ve got to get through the Bulldogs. With Georgia off the regular-season schedule until 2028, the only way Texas will get another crack at the Bulldogs over the next two years is if it reaches the SEC Championship Game. As the fourth quarter unfolded, one in which Texas was outscored (21-0), outgained (119-64) and outclassed, the preseason promise of the Longhorns competing for the SEC title and a national championship faded with every body blow the Bulldogs landed. As things stand, Texas won’t be back in Atlanta and, unless it benefits from a lot of unforeseen good fortune down the stretch, it won’t make a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. *** One of the reasons why Georgia is a bad matchup for Texas is the athleticism and length the Bulldogs possess up front. Once again, the Bulldogs won the battle at the point of attack in a landslide. Georgia sacked Manning three times, recorded seven tackles for loss and held the Longhorns to just 23 net rushing yards on 17 carries. Even when adjusting rushing yards to exclude sack yardage, 39 yards (2.8 yards per carry) wasn’t close to what Texas needed to achieve much-needed balance on offense. In their three losses to the Bulldogs over the last two seasons, the Longhorns have given up 16 sacks and 32 tackles for loss while mustering just 83 net rushing yards on 72 official attempts (1.15 yards per attempt). Georgia rushed for 128 yards (3.7 yards per attempt), 67 of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs once again owned the line of scrimmage. *** The chatter regarding Sarkisian’s struggles against Smart won’t die down. In fact, after Smart pushed all of the right buttons in the second half while Sarkisian’s offense sputtered and the Texas defense wore down, it’ll be louder than ever. Sarkisian has done a lot of good in his five seasons on the Forty Acres. Nevertheless, his head-to-head win over Nick Saban in 2023 is starting to be overshadowed by Sarkisian’s combined 0-7 record against Smart (0-3), Kalen DeBoer (0-2) and Ryan Day (0-2), which account for his seven losses against top-five opponents while leading the Longhorns (1-7 record). Sarkisian’s success over the last two seasons has raised the bar to a championship standard. With that as the backdrop, Saturday’s loss adds even more importance to the regular-season finale against a Texas A&M team expected to roll into DKR with an unblemished 11-0 record. If Sarkisian’s Texas squad goes 0-3 against top-five opponents in 2025 while the Aggies and Oklahoma advance to the CFP (a realistic outcome after the Sooners’ 23-21 road win over Alabama on Saturday), it’ll be a long offseason with a lot of tough questions to answer throughout 2026. *** For the third consecutive meeting between the Longhorns and Georgia, the Bulldogs’ best players outpaced Texas’ top dogs. Manning wasn’t bad (27-for-43, 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception), but Stockton was better (24-for-29, 229 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown). Although Anthony Hill (six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and an interception) and Colin Simmons (three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack) made plays, they didn’t dominate the game the way they needed to for the Longhorns to win. *** The final score isn’t a direct reflection of how far Texas is from reaching Georgia’s level as a program. Still, until the Longhorns can hold up better in the trenches, avoid shooting themselves in the foot (nine penalties for 58 yards) and play better situational football (a combined 4-for-15 on third and fourth down; the Bulldogs also went 4-for-4 in the red zone with four touchdowns), they’ll likely continue to suffer the same fate in games of this magnitude. View full news story