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Kirk Herbstreit reacts to disastrous goal-line sequence for Texas
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kirk Herbstreit does not like to second-guess head coaches. However, he had a hard time understanding the rationale Steve Sarkisian used late in the Cotton Bowl.
Facing Ohio State, the Longhorns were able to stifle the Buckeye offense and keep things tight all game long. Ryan Day’s team eventually grabbed a 21-14 lead late in the game after a dramatic 4th-down conversion, but it did not take long for Texas to find the red zone.
In fact, Texas rolled all the way to a 1st-and-goal situation from the 1-yard line after a couple of penalties on the Ohio State defense. But the Longhorns didn’t get any closer.
That goal-line sequence included a run for no gain, a run for a loss of 7 yards, a deflected pass that fell incomplete and then the game-sealing strip sack and scoop-and-score by Jack Sawyer. Ohio State’s veteran defensive end provided the big moment, but it was the 2nd-and-goal play that went for a loss that has received particular attention.
That play call was a sweep that Ohio State sniffed out perfectly and forced Texas into the 3rd and 4th-and-goal situations. Kirk Herbstreit was asked about the sequence after the game, and his first thought was about how strong Ohio State has been in the red zone.
“My reaction, I think Chris (Fowler) and I were getting ahead of how good Ohio State was in the red area, how dominant they had been,” said Herbstreit. “Penn State game stands up in all of our minds… as good as Texas is, it’s tough to do.”
Herbstreit went on to say that he would not 2nd guess Sarkisian but found it hard to wrap his mind around the 2nd-down call:
“I’m not ever going to 2nd guess any head coach, especially a guy like Sark who works so hard at that. But I thought you might see the wrinkle (of) Arch (Manning) come in in that situation with his ability to run. Maybe a zone read, maybe get him on the edge,” Herbstreit explained. “Again, I’m not going to 2nd guess him, but that wide sweep with Ohio State’s defense, as fast-flowing as they are led by Caleb Downs. That was a tough one to go to. They tried to catch them napping and didn’t get it.”
We’ll see how Texas moves on as we enter the offseason, but that goal-line series will linger for a while.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
