Second Half Sark

Statalyzer

Statalyzer

10,000+ Posts
Ok it's not always right on the 1st/2nd half boundary, but of our 10 regular-season losses in 1.5 years (we had 11 in the previous 3 years) we've had a lead in 7 of them and a double-digit lead in 5.

Oklahoma: started 41-23, ended 7-32.
Okie State: started 24-13, ended 0-19.
Baylor: started 21-10, 3-21.
Iowa St: started 7-3, ended 0-27.
Alabama: started 16-10, ended 3-10.
Tx Tech: started 31-17, ended 3-20.
Okie St II: started 31-17, ended 3-24.

Combined score of those endings: 19-153. Only one touchdown, and even that one was probably a mistake (a long bomb with a minute and half left that gave OU too much time)
 
Wow that's ugly! I don't see many games, but I'm in Houston now, and was at the game last week (and don't know how we were favored today), but how come Card didn't get a chance? He could have helped with his feet, and even though we had 31 by half, Ewers was not good much of the day.
 
Stat,
Along the same lines, can you easily pull up how many games under Sark we have won the second half?

Even games we win, we seem to barely hold on to in the second half.
 
@Statalyzer I have been following this trend too, it is pretty bad. It is clear that good coaches make adjustments that our staff does not. We basically need a big lead at half and to hold if we are going to win.

A follow up to @Statalyzer (although Stat is correct that the trouble actually often begins late in the second quarter):

Sark second half outscored
2021
Arkansas 21-24 L
TCU 9-10 W
Oklahoma 10-25 L
Oklahoma State 7-19 L
Baylor 10-21 L
Iowa State 0-27 L

2022
Alabama 9-10 L
Texas Tech 10-23 L
West Virginia 10-13 W
Iowa State 10-14 W
Oklahoma State 3-17 L

Outscored in second half in 11/20 games 55%
3-8 in those games

Texas Records when ____ at half:
Ahead: 8-6
Tied: 1-1
Behind: 1-3 (Win was a 1 point deficit)
 
Good stats - it tells us where we are as a program - also very disturbing the way we still blow double digit leads -
so the question is can Sark get it done - right now his record is questionable at best -he is who he is - just to pile on with others about this game - Card should've been put in during the third quarter - ewers was way off - to me it shouldn't have been a big deal or mean that Ewers lost the starting job - the goal is to do whatever it takes to win at that time

I do think Sark has cleaned up a bunch of things(off the field stuff), but many coaches could have done what he has done so far - "last year" reared it's ugly head yesterday in a big way

Do tcu and Tennessee really have that much more talent than we do? what about tech? - tcu and tech have first year coaches and tennessee's coach is in his second year - we should be a solid top 20 team - also this coaching staff got a raise last year after going 5-7.....
 
L4UT said:
Do tcu and Tennessee really have that much more talent than we do?
Click to expand...

Tennessee has had decent classes compared to Texas who has had mostly elite classes. Texas is the team in the entire nation who does the least with more.

Last 5 years rankings:

Tennessee - 17, 22, 11, 13, 21
Texas - 5, 15, 8, 3, 3

But look at TCU's last 5 classes:

TCU - 45, 53, 23, 32, 25

New staff all the way around and this is what they get vs us having the best of everything and can't finish games.
 
I think an interesting stat would be what was his second half performances as an OC when he was at Alabama. It could be more than just a Sark thing and maybe more to do with the defense in the second half. Maybe see what PK's second halves were like at Washington.
 
militaryhorn said:
I think an interesting stat would be what was his second half performances as an OC when he was at Alabama. It could be more than just a Sark thing and maybe more to do with the defense in the second half. Maybe see what PK's second halves were like at Washington.
Click to expand...

Scoring 3 points in the second half after scoring 31 in the first half against one of the worst defenses in the Big XII has zero to do with the defense.
 
Statalyzer said:
Ok it's not always right on the 1st/2nd half boundary, but of our 10 regular-season losses in 1.5 years (we had 11 in the previous 3 years) we've had a lead in 7 of them and a double-digit lead in 5.

Oklahoma: started 41-23, ended 7-32.
Okie State: started 24-13, ended 0-19.
Baylor: started 21-10, 3-21.
Iowa St: started 7-3, ended 0-27.
Alabama: started 16-10, ended 3-10.
Tx Tech: started 31-17, ended 3-20.
Okie St II: started 31-17, ended 3-24.

Combined score of those endings: 19-153. Only one touchdown, and even that one was probably a mistake (a long bomb with a minute and half left that gave OU too much time)
Click to expand...
This data paints an unmistakably clear picture about the basic preparation and coaching abilities of Sark and his staff. If Sark is not aware of this data he should be, whether it would make a difference is debatable
 
Certain coaches have specific defects that haunt their careers. Bo Schembechlers horrible bowl preparation. Mack Browns horrendous time management. John Coopers mental block about Michigan.

Perhaps second half meltdowns is the defect of Sark
 
mchammer said:
Not if your defense is on the field the entire 2nd half. It’s not the lack of scoring, it’s resting between series.
Click to expand...
I really do not understand this argument. Regardless of offensive production, the defense never has to be on the field for more than three plays per series. Get a stop and get your *** off the field. That's how you keep from being on the field the entire second half.
 
A follow up to @Statalyzer (although Stat is correct that the trouble actually often begins late in the second quarter):

Sark second half outscored
2021
Arkansas 21-24 L
TCU 9-10 W
Oklahoma 10-25 L
Oklahoma State 7-19 L
Baylor 10-21 L
Iowa State 0-27 L

2022
Alabama 9-10 L
Texas Tech 10-23 L
West Virginia 10-13 W
Iowa State 10-14 W
Oklahoma State 3-17 L

Outscored in second half in 11/20 games 55%
3-8 in those games

Texas Records when ____ at half:
Ahead: 8-6
Tied: 1-1
Behind: 1-3 (Win was a 1 point deficit)[/QUOTE]

@Statalyzer and @Htown77,
Being put scored in the second have 11 times out of 20 is not nearly as bad as I expected.

Am I thinking about it wrong or would outscoring the other team only 45% in the second half not pretty much match up with Sark’s overall record?
So it’s not like we are being beat disproportionately in the second half. The problem is that leads us to these poor records is more the whole game than just a crappy second half.
 
The book is pretty clear on Sark. Smokes you with shock and awe in the first half and then other team adjusts and he’s got nothing. We had our way with that team on the ground in first half… wtf happened after? I think preparation for this game was lacking as well. Chemistry and communication was awful on offense and lots of it on defense. The sample size is significant enough that this staff can’t finish the game against competent opposition. It’s not a call for his head, but this demon has to be exercised.
 
OrangeShogun said:
I really do not understand this argument. Regardless of offensive production, the defense never has to be on the field for more than three plays per series. Get a stop and get your *** off the field. That's how you keep from being on the field the entire second half.
Click to expand...

I think it's fair to say both the offense and defense sucked. We were outscored 14-0 in the 4th quarter. We didn't score and the defense gave up 14 points.
 
MeatHeadHorn said:
The book is pretty clear on Sark. Smokes you with shock and awe in the first half and then other team adjusts and he’s got nothing. We had our way with that team on the ground in first half… wtf happened after? I think preparation for this game was lacking as well. Chemistry and communication was awful on offense and lots of it on defense. The sample size is significant enough that this staff can’t finish the game against competent opposition. It’s not a call for his head, but this demon has to be exercised.
Click to expand...

Buts that’s what I’m asking…. Is the book really clear when it’s only 55% of the time? That 10% could just be noise in the numbers.

And again, we have a definite problem, but maybe it’s not getting outplayed in the second half. Lack of adjustments or whatever.
 
El Sapo said:
You look at Texas over there and it's just all about tradition and completely melting down in the second half.
Click to expand...
This is very specific. It’s not David McWilliams or John Mackovic type of meltdowns that were 60 minutes. These are occurring in the fourth quarter.
 
Was it just me or did OK State bludgeon us with post pattern after post pattern? It seemed constant to me. Isn't there a way to line up on the inside of the receiver to disrupt the route?

It seemed like this to me:

kitten-play-dead.gif
 
Sark 1-6 in true road games.

No idea if those games are lost in first half, second half, or halftime, but not very clutch.
 
Second Half Steve’s performance could be the result of:

1. being worse than opponents at halftime, and late game, adjustments; and
2. conditioning
 
11 out of 20 isn't bad if you're a .500 team who expects to outscore and be outscored about evenly.

And it also includes outscoring the likes of Rice and LA Monroe, which isn't saying much.

LonghornCatholic said:
Sark 1-6 in true road games.

No idea if those games are lost in first half, second half, or halftime, but not very clutch.
Click to expand...

And 13-29 for his career, so it's definitely a trend at this point.
 
Last edited:
And it also includes outscoring the likes of Rice and LA Monroe.
Click to expand...

Here's the thing Stat is correctly alluding to, the trend should be us being outscored in the second half in blowouts we are winning. The West Virginia game this year does fit that bill. The issue is, other than that one, the list is not a bunch of games where we won easily and the other team scored against our second string. We are getting outscored in the second half in close games/games against decent or better opponents!

Games we have outscored opponents in the second half:
2021:
W Louisiana (Final 38-18... outscored UL 24-12)
W Rice (Final 58-0... outscored Rice 14-0)
W Texas Tech (Final 70-35... outscored Tech 28-21)
L Kansas (Final 56-57... we actually outscored KU 42-22 after halftime. This was the rare case of starting horribly then outplaying them in the second half)
L West Virginia (Final 23-31.. outscored WVU 13-10 which was not enough to overcome an 11 point halftime deficit)
W Kansas State (Final 22-17... outscored KSU 6-0. This is the only time Sark has won when down at halftime)

2022:
W UL-Monroe (Final 52-10... outscored ULM 28-7)
W UTSA (Final 41-20... outscored UTSA 24-3... as an avid UTSA watcher, while I think Texas certainly wins the games, UTSA suffered a ton of key injuries in this game. Texas took advantage, ran the ball and Robinson had a big day against UTSA's backups in the second half)
W OU (Final 49-0... outscored OU 21-0)

The only ones I can point to and actually say we truly outplayed a GOOD team in the second half were Kansas State and Louisiana... although we had a severe talent advantage on Louisiana. I would be willing to entertain UTSA, but they suffered a lot of key injuries which directly led to their poor second half. If we do not have a severe talent advantage, I can only point to one game (2021 Kansas State) where truly outplayed a peer in the second half.

One other caveat, 2021 Texas Tech finished decently but they fired their coach after that game and were not the same team that won the bowl game when we played.

In short, yes, we are getting outcoached/outworked in the second half under Sark. We also suck in true road games under Sark (something he shares with Charlie Strong, although I think Strong had a better road record at this point).

It is clear under Steve Sarkisian Texas Football, against any decent opponent, we have to get a big (or big enough) first half lead then pray we can hold it. Also, God bless us on the road.
 
Htown77 said:
Here's the thing Stat is correctly alluding to, the trend should be us being outscored in the second half in blowouts we are winning. The West Virginia game this year does fit that bill. The issue is, other than that one, the list is not a bunch of games where we won easily and the other team scored against our second string. We are getting outscored in the second half in close games/games against decent or better opponents!

Games we have outscored opponents in the second half:
2021:
W Louisiana (Final 38-18... outscored UL 24-12)
W Rice (Final 58-0... outscored Rice 14-0)
W Texas Tech (Final 70-35... outscored Tech 28-21)
L Kansas (Final 56-57... we actually outscored KU 42-22 after halftime. This was the rare case of starting horribly then outplaying them in the second half)
L West Virginia (Final 23-31.. outscored WVU 13-10 which was not enough to overcome an 11 point halftime deficit)
W Kansas State (Final 22-17... outscored KSU 6-0. This is the only time Sark has won when down at halftime)

2022:
W UL-Monroe (Final 52-10... outscored ULM 28-7)
W UTSA (Final 41-20... outscored UTSA 24-3... as an avid UTSA watcher, while I think Texas certainly wins the games, UTSA suffered a ton of key injuries in this game. Texas took advantage, ran the ball and Robinson had a big day against UTSA's backups in the second half)
W OU (Final 49-0... outscored OU 21-0)

The only ones I can point to and actually say we truly outplayed a GOOD team in the second half were Kansas State and Louisiana... although we had a severe talent advantage on Louisiana. I would be willing to entertain UTSA, but they suffered a lot of key injuries which directly led to their poor second half. If we do not have a severe talent advantage, I can only point to one game (2021 Kansas State) where truly outplayed a peer in the second half.

One other caveat, 2021 Texas Tech finished decently but they fired their coach after that game and were not the same team that won the bowl game when we played.

In short, yes, we are getting outcoached/outworked in the second half under Sark. We also suck in true road games under Sark (something he shares with Charlie Strong, although I think Strong had a better road record at this point).

It is clear under Steve Sarkisian Texas Football, against any decent opponent, we have to get a big (or big enough) first half lead then pray we can hold it. Also, God bless us on the road.
Click to expand...
The KState game probably had something to do with their QB being out. A guy in the nfl traded out for a guy who is not better than Adrian Martinez.
 
To me these poor late game performances are more an indictment of the coaching staff than the players. True, coaches don’t jump off-sides or commit false starts. That’s a troubling lack of focus. But coaches are responsible for preparing the team, scheming, and calling the plays.

After watching this team through 8 games, I have come to the conclusion that they are plenty talented on both sides of the ball. Elite playmakers on offense, a good OL that is improving, and more than a few players on D that will be playing at the next level. In that group I would include Cook, Thompson, Overshown, Ford, Coburn, Sweat & Ojomo. Maybe Watts & Jamison. In fact, the only significant weakness I see is the lack of an elite rush end. So what’s the problem?

When the talent exceeds that of virtually every opponent and the team still loses games they should win, it comes down to culture and coaching. And since I see chemistry on this team, all that is left is the men responsible for preparing this team, and their inability to adjust in the 2nd half of games.

I love Sark. But frankly, his teams are performing no better (and probably worse) than his character challenged predecessor.
 
Just watched some of Gundy’s post game presser. In talking about how proud he was of his defensive players particularly in the second half, he mentioned that they were playing a team that had — and he counted them with his fingers — “7 NFL players.” He was specifically talking only about Texas’ offense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Recent Threads

Back
Top