Texas is one of the nation's most complete teams with nary a weakness to be found ... until it gets inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The Longhorns' offense moves the ball at a top-10 rate but sputters greatly once it approaches the end zone. The Big 12 champs sit an astonishing 121st of 133 FBS teams at converting red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, finding paydirt just under 50% of the time. Those issues cost them greatly in the lone loss of the season, scoring a total of three points in three red-zone trips versus Oklahoma.
Washington doesn't experience the same issues in the red zone, with the Huskies cashing in touchdowns a whopping 70% of the time, which ranks 19th nationally. If this game is decided by who converts best in the red zone, Washington will likely be the team dancing in confetti late Monday night.
However, there's reason for hope for Sarkisian and the Longhorns' offense in the red zone as Washington struggles to stop teams at almost the same level as Texas does to score. The Huskies sit 119th in the nation at preventing touchdowns inside their 20-yard line with opponents scoring six over 70% of the time. The Texas defense is elite all over the field but especially when backed up inside the 20, allowing touchdowns only 45% of the time to rank ninth nationally.
What do you call an Eternal Optimist? An accordion with a beeper!
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Converting in the red zone
Texas is one of the nation's most complete teams with nary a weakness to be found ... until it gets inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The Longhorns' offense moves the ball at a top-10 rate but sputters greatly once it approaches the end zone. The Big 12 champs sit an astonishing 121st of 133 FBS teams at converting red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, finding paydirt just under 50% of the time. Those issues cost them greatly in the lone loss of the season, scoring a total of three points in three red-zone trips versus Oklahoma.
Washington doesn't experience the same issues in the red zone, with the Huskies cashing in touchdowns a whopping 70% of the time, which ranks 19th nationally. If this game is decided by who converts best in the red zone, Washington will likely be the team dancing in confetti late Monday night.
However, there's reason for hope for Sarkisian and the Longhorns' offense in the red zone as Washington struggles to stop teams at almost the same level as Texas does to score. The Huskies sit 119th in the nation at preventing touchdowns inside their 20-yard line with opponents scoring six over 70% of the time. The Texas defense is elite all over the field but especially when backed up inside the 20, allowing touchdowns only 45% of the time to rank ninth nationally.
Texas enters the contest knowing it likely has the best offensive play-caller in the sport with Sarkisian. The veteran coach has long been revered for the way he calls his offense, but he really established his footprint during his time as Alabama's offensive coordinator. His slogan of "all gas, no breaks" made its way to Austin where his ideas continue to stand out.
"It's aggressive. He's like a wolf," offensive lineman Christian Jones told Ralph Russo of The Associated Press. "He's very out there with the calls."
Sarkisian has history in the CFP with perhaps his finest play-calling performance coming in the 2021 national championship in his final game with Alabama. The veteran coach identified a major mismatch between Devonta Smith and the Ohio State defense and used the Heisman winner all over the field in a variety of formations. The final numbers were devastating to the Buckeyes - an absurd 12 catches for 215 yards receiving and three touchdowns in a single half of football.
There's nobody of Smith's ability on this Texas team, but Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell both have game-breaking potential. It'll be very intriguing to see what Sarkisian has schemed up for quarterback Quinn Ewers and the offense with over three weeks of prep.
If Sarkisian is the country's best offensive coach, you don't have to go too far down the page to find the head coach/coordinator combo of Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb. The duo has transformed Washington's offense to lead the country in passing yards in the last two seasons. DeBoer is heavily involved in planning, but it's Grubb who calls the plays on gameday.
It's clear both men have full trust in Penix to execute at a high level in the biggest situations. A perfect example of trust in a creative game plan came in the Apple Cup against Washington State, with Penix running an option play to perfection to convert a crucial 4th-and-1 and seal the win.
The game total for the Sugar Bowl currently sits at 63.5, almost 20 points higher than the Rose Bowl contest between Alabama and Michigan. That's a testament to the reputation both offensive staffs have entering play. It's likely both will have excellent schemes to create space for playmakers, which could leave things to in-game adjustments to decide a winner.
What do you call an Eternal Optimist? An accordion with a beeper!
0
Offensive coaching battle
Texas enters the contest knowing it likely has the best offensive play-caller in the sport with Sarkisian. The veteran coach has long been revered for the way he calls his offense, but he really established his footprint during his time as Alabama's offensive coordinator. His slogan of "all gas, no breaks" made its way to Austin where his ideas continue to stand out.
"It's aggressive. He's like a wolf," offensive lineman Christian Jones told Ralph Russo of The Associated Press. "He's very out there with the calls."
Sarkisian has history in the CFP with perhaps his finest play-calling performance coming in the 2021 national championship in his final game with Alabama. The veteran coach identified a major mismatch between Devonta Smith and the Ohio State defense and used the Heisman winner all over the field in a variety of formations. The final numbers were devastating to the Buckeyes - an absurd 12 catches for 215 yards receiving and three touchdowns in a single half of football.
There's nobody of Smith's ability on this Texas team, but Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell both have game-breaking potential. It'll be very intriguing to see what Sarkisian has schemed up for quarterback Quinn Ewers and the offense with over three weeks of prep.
If Sarkisian is the country's best offensive coach, you don't have to go too far down the page to find the head coach/coordinator combo of Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb. The duo has transformed Washington's offense to lead the country in passing yards in the last two seasons. DeBoer is heavily involved in planning, but it's Grubb who calls the plays on gameday.
It's clear both men have full trust in Penix to execute at a high level in the biggest situations. A perfect example of trust in a creative game plan came in the Apple Cup against Washington State, with Penix running an option play to perfection to convert a crucial 4th-and-1 and seal the win.
The game total for the Sugar Bowl currently sits at 63.5, almost 20 points higher than the Rose Bowl contest between Alabama and Michigan. That's a testament to the reputation both offensive staffs have entering play. It's likely both will have excellent schemes to create space for playmakers, which could leave things to in-game adjustments to decide a winner.
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