Steve Sarkisian believes Longhorns have worked out offensive kinks heading into Peach Bowl
Injury updates: RT Cam Williams, WR Isaiah Bond have been practicing but likely game-time decisions
For all the talk about Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo — and he’s done a ton of talking himself — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian still believes the Peach Bowl comes down to his team’s ability to run the football.
At Tuesday’s final pre-game press conference, Sarkisian said he feels the Longhorns (12-2) have smoothed out their offensive kinks and “we’ve been moving the ball pretty efficiently.”
Kickoff is noon Wednesday. The Peach Bowl winner advances to the College Football Playoffs semifinals and will meet the Ohio State-Oregon winner in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
“The SEC championship game was in my opinion a little bit of an anomaly where we got away from it, and it just didn't come to fruition the way we would have liked,” Sarkisian said. “But I feel like the last month and a half of the season, I think our balance is where it needs to be.”
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Offensively, Texas’ entire season hinged on getting production from a running back room that had been hurt by preseason injuries. The Horns leaned on Jaydon Blue, Quintrevion Wisner and Jerrick Gibson all season long. All three should see opportunities against the Sun Devils, a team that relies almost exclusively on Skattebo.
“They’ve all had their, I guess, somewhat ups and downs throughout the season where guys have to grow,” Sarkisian said. “I think, again, that's a credit to (running backs coach Tashard) Choice and all of our coaches of continuing to try to work with our players.
“We had some issues holding onto the ball, and nobody gave up on anybody, and we continued to work, and we got confidence back,” Sarkisian added. “I think Tre Wisner, we found out a lot about him, his ability to kind of carry the load. You don't go into Kyle Field and carry it 30 something times in that physical and that environment if you can't handle it.
“At the end of the day, I think we've found a good mix with all three of those guys, and we're going to need all three to be effective as an offense.”
The Horns had a middle-of-the-pack rushing average in the SEC with 173.5 yards per game. But as the season progressed, the offensive line and the running backs found a serious groove. Texas closed out the Kentucky win with a 15-play drive of 15 consecutive running plays. The run game closed out victories over Texas A&M and Clemson, too.
Injury updates: Sarkisian said right tackle Cam Williams and receiver Isaiah Bond have both been practicing and their availability is largely a game-time decision “when the adrenaline really kicks in, what does that feel like for a competitor.”
Williams suffered an injury when he got rolled up in a tackle attempt with Wisner against Clemson. If Williams can’t play, backup Trevor Goosby will likely start. Bond also got rolled up in the SEC championship game.
“We’ve got to make really good decisions with those guys if they play and how much and to what degree,” Sarkisian said.