Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is a barbeque connoisseur who spent the summer visiting some of Central Texas’ most well-known smoke pits.

Maybe that’s why coach Steve Sarkisian has a certain phrase for his quarterbacks who have plenty of time to find an open receiver.

“We use the term cooking steaks back there, for those of you that grill out,” Sarkisian said Monday.

Both Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning have been smoking defenders during No. 2 Texas’ 5-0 start. It’s partly due to their offensive line protection. The Horns are allowing one sack per game, exactly half the total they allowed per game last season.

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Why Texas HC Steve Sarkisian may be hard on himself despite huge SEC win vs. Mississippi State

Steve Sarkisian was quick to point out all the mistakes the Longhorns made Saturday in their SEC opener. He also held himself to account for taking points off the board, usually a coaching sin regardless of level. “I don’t know whoever the head coach is for Texas,” the head coach at Texas said, “but he […]

Banks, Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, DJ Campbell and Cam Williams have been one of the most productive units on the field so far this season. It’s allowed Texas to paper over thin running back depth and play with two quarterbacks while still putting up 45 points per game.

Banks was named the SEC offensive lineman of the week. He's now the third different Longhorns' lineman to win that award this season. 

Sarkisian said he never really tracks how much time a quarterback has to throw. But the coach praised Manning for standing behind “tremendous protection” and stepping into a 27-yard touchdown throw to DeAndre Moore Jr. against Mississippi State.

“To do that, you want to have a clean pocket to make that throw,” Sarkisian said.

The offensive line also picked up every Bulldogs defender on Manning’s 49-yard strike to Moore. “The O-line, those five guys blocked their five so well that Arch knew who the one free hitter was going to be, and he showed a lot of contact courage to make that throw,” Sarkisian said.

“I think they’re being assignment sound in protection. They’re doing a good job of finishing kind of in the pocket to where he has a clean pocket and not letting it get leaky,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a veteran group, and they take a lot of pride in it, whether it’s Quinn, whether it’s Arch. They take a lot of pride in protecting the quarterback.”