Latest / The Craig Way Show / Steve Sarkisian's latest update on Quinn Ewers as Texas prepares for A&M

Transcript

Steve Sarkisian's latest update on Quinn Ewers as Texas prepares for A&M · The Craig Way Show

• 0:11
  Speaker 1: It's the Craigway Show with the voice of the Texas
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Longhorns and Hall of Van broadcasting.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: A Monday afternoon here on Sports Radio AM thirteen under
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: the Zone, A Long Horns Monday. Glad to have you
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: with us, Craigway alongside the producer Cameron Parker. So yeah,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: we're glad to have you with us, and hopefully we'll
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: you know, be able to bring you what you need
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: to hear throughout the course of today and tomorrow and Wednesday.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: We'll be with you the Wednesday course, Thursday and Friday
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: of the holidays, both both Thanksgiving Holiday and then the
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Black Friday Holiday going into the football weekend. So a
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: lot to get to. So let's start off with from
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: our Longhorn Monday's presentation. We brought you the news conference
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: live on here on Sports Radio AM thirteen under the
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: Zone at eleven o'clock this morning. So let's hear more
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: now the opening statement of Longhorn's head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Just to recap a little bit from Saturday. First of all,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I want to thank our fans again. Longhorn Nation was tremendous,
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: great turnout, great way to send our seniors off for
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: for tremendous career that they've had. You know, I think,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you know, we touched on a kind of a couple
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: of little milestones, you know, back to back ten wins
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: seasons for us now, which is a nice little milestone.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: I think we've got you know, ten straight road winds now,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: you know, heading into this this road opportunity that we have,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: which is exciting, you know. But a couple of things
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: from the game that I thought were important, and we
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: talked a lot about playing complimentary football, and it showed
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: up again in this game. When we get the turnover
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: July McDonald's interception, we turned that into seven points to
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: score a touchdown. I think our last seven turnovers that
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: we've created, we've turned five of those into touchdowns and
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: the other two we drove the ball and then ended
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: up taking a knee. And so the fact that we're
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: playing off of each other that way. On the flip side,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: where I thought complimentary football showed up in this game
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: as well, was a couple of the turnovers there in
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: the third quarter that our defense was able to take
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: the field in a sudden change manner and give up
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: no points. You know, they forced the missfield goal, they
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: force a fourth down stop, and that's playing off of
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: one another as well and doing it both ways, and
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: so I thought that that was really encouraging. Naturally. Defensively,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: our ability to get to the quarterback the last couple
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: of weeks has been impressive. I think we have twelve
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: sacks the last two weeks, six in each game, and
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: in each game, five different players getting sacks in those games,
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: and so it's not about relying on one player getting
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: those sacks. A variety of guys are making those plays.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: I really think the presence of Trey Wisner, what he's
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: been able to do the last couple of weeks has
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: really shown up, and really the presence of Jayden Blue.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Those two guys combined have have really created a running
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: game for us that has been physical, that's been downhill.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: That's that's really been important. I think Gunnerhelm continues to
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: play at a high level for us offensively. And you
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: think about that that Kentucky defense coming in and and
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: how difficult they were and people struggled to move the
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: ball on them. I thought we moved the ball really well.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: I thought we got in the red area, the number
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: one red zone defense in our conference. To go four
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: or five for touchdowns in that game was really critical.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: But again, as we all know coming out of that
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: ball game, our ability to hold onto the football has
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: to improve this week if we want to try to
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: get the outcome that we're looking for. So exciting time
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: to to you know, revive the the rivalry with A
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: and M to go to go to college station Saturday
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: with an opportunity to play and that SEC championship game
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: on the line. College game Day being there definitely exciting.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: And they have a very good football team. You know,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: coach Elko has done a great job. Uh in year one.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: You know, they definitely have an elite premier defensive front.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: Uh that that kind of is the strength of that team.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: With all that being said, they're good in a lot
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: of other areas as well. They're excellent third down defense,
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: they get after the quarterback. You know, I think offensively
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: they're very efficient. They control the ball. Uh, they're a
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: very good red zone offensive football team, and when they
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: get there, they score touchdowns. I think the you know,
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: inserting Read at quarterback has provided a real spark for them. Uh.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: They're a big offensive football team. They're a big offensive line,
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: They got big receivers, they got a physical running back.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: Uh.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: So they pose a lot of great challenges for us.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: But these are the games that you look forward to
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: playing in. And uh, with something on the line, you know,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: we're excited about the opportunity, and we gotta gotta prepare
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: really well this week. All right.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: So, with so much conversation about the rivalry itself being
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: restored and everything that's on the line there, Sarcus ask
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: does he want his program, does he want his players
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: to embrace the rivalry and all that that entails, or
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: do you want to take a business as usual kind
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: of approach? And that was the question Sarcus asked about this.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: This is a business trip and you don't get caught
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: up in the rivalry or do you soak in the
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: rivalry and let it help fuel your preparation for this matchup?
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: I don't think that, you know, I definitely acknowledge it.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: And rivalries are great because of the build up, right,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: and because of the excitement and all that. And rivalries
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: are great for like I always jokingly say this, for
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: like about the first quarter or so. But at the
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: end of the day, winning football games it comes down
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: to execution comes down to playing with the right physicality,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: comes down to playing, you know, how you play in
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: the critical moments, the special situations as they present themselves.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: And I think you perform well in those situations through
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: really good preparation. And so as much as we'll acknowledge
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: the rivalry, as much as we'll acknowledge you know, trying
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: to play it to get ourselves in the SEC Championship game,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: we're going to come right back to today and what
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: do we need to do today to put forth a
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: positive performance and so, and that's not new for us,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: you know, that's kind of how we've always kind of
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: gone about it. We acknowledge the game and what the
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: game is about, and then we get right back to
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: what do we need to do.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: To, yeah, to get ready for the next game. All right,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: So next he was asked about quinn yours, about that
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: ankle as we'd learned, you know, we could tell Saturday
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: he was kind of hobbling through. There was a lot
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: of social media speculations to how severe the you know,
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: injury was to the ankle and all that sort of stuff,
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: and how important you know, would it be to have
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: him ready to go? So and and then Sark was
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: also asked if it's an edge that Texas has played
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: in a lot of these big games even as they
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: go into the SEC as in what A and M
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: may have played in some big games in the past.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: I think he's doing okay. You know, we our schedule
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: is a little bit different. We're normally a morning practice team,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: but with this being Thanksgiving week and no school, we're
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: not practicing until this afternoon, so I have a little
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: better understanding when I get to see him really on
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: the field. But he's playing on practicing today, So we'll
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: see how that goes. As far as A and M,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: I don't. I don't. They've been in the SEC now
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: for quite some time. There's a lot of big games
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: that you have to play in this conference, so I'm
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: not you know, they'll be ready to go to I'm sure,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: you know. Coach Olko is a good coach. He's been
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: around the block, he's been in college football playoffs, he's
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: done all that stuff, so they'll be okay.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: If you were watching and we're listening to us call
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: the game on Saturday, you know about that last big
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: offensive drive that Texas had eighty six yards fifteen plays.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: It took eight minutes and twenty two seconds off the clock,
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: eighty six yards fifteen plays in eight twenty two Every
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: one of those fifteen plays was running play, all on
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: the ground, no passes, and Sark was asked about the
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: impact of that or whether it's a you know, a
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: final turning point in the game or where it was
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: with his team.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: I really felt like a week ago at Arkansas was
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: another critical drive. You know, it's two weeks in a
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: row now that we have gotten the ball late, and
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: you can go back to the Florida game and that
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: last drive, but we've gotten the ball late, and it
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: was how many possessions can potentially be left in the game,
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: and then how are we going to shrink this game
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: and then finish this game either with the ball in
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: our possession or scoring a touchdown. And I think that
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: our guys have adopted the mentality and then mentality starts
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: with one execution, but to a level of physicality that
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: you have to play with the runner's mentality of falling forward,
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: offensive lineman straining to finish blocks, getting to the ball,
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: receivers committed to the team and understanding what we're trying
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: to get accomplished and blocking downfield and so all of that,
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: but this one in particular, just because of kind of
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: how herky jerky things got there in the third quarter.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: I thought this was impressive to say, hey, you know what,
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: we're gonna go take this ball. We're gonna take the
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: air out of the ball, we're gonna go run this football,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: and we're gonna lean on our offensive line and tight ends.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: And we were able to do that, and it was
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: a great way to finish it with a fourth down
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: touchdown run by Trey. I thought it was deserving of
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: him for the work that he had put in all
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: day long in that ball game all right.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: Next, Sark asked about his degree of confidence that Texas
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: will get into the college football playoff. I think it's
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: pretty much acknowledged by every buddy that if they win
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Saturday at eleven and one going into Atlanta, they pretty
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: much locked up a spot in the playoffs. Obviously, if
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: they win their next two games, win this Saturday night
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: in College Station, and then win in Atlanta, they get
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: the automatic bid and they get a buy as the
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: SEC champion. What would happen if they were to lose
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: this week, Well, that all got rolled into the question
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: of what is his degree of confidence that Texas will
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: have going into the college football playoffs and or that
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: they'll get into the playoffs, and also his thoughts on
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: the noise factor and the noise level that will be
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: in play at Kyle Field.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't like everybody. I was like you guys,
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: Saturday night. I went home and I turned on the
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: games and watched the games on TV, and you know,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: I watched Auburn A and m I watched OU Alabama.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: I shoot, I'm from Los Angeles, so I watched sc
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: U c l A until God knows what time of
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: night that was at. And everybody's talking right, But I
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: don't really know what the committee thinks and or needs
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: to do. What I do know is our first goal
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: and goal at mind is trying to go win an
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: SEC championship, and and to do that, we have to
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: try to win Saturday. And then when that does settles,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: then I think we'll figure out the CFP and what
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: that looks like. Hey, we all know Kyle Field is
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: a very loud stadium. They've got got a great fan base,
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: and we've seen teams go there and get impacted by
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: the crowd noise. I think one of the keys to
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: that is our poison composure on the road. We've been
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: fortunate with the you know, we've got a veteran group
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: on offense, and we've been fortunate enough to go into
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: Alabama uh and and play a penalty free game from
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: a peak pre snap standpoint in that environment. We're fortunate
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: enough this year to go to the Big House at
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: Michigan in Week two and play a relatively clean game there.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: So I think we've got some players that have been
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: exposed to some of the more difficult environments in the country,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: but Kyle Field is right there at the top, if
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: not at the top, of difficult places to play. All right.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: So there's some comments from longrn's head coach Steve Sarkasian.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: Will hear more next hour, and more as well in
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: the four o'clock hour. Up next a Monday edition of
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: Inconceivable here on sports Radio AM thirteen under the zone
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: of the iHeartRadio app.