The Steve Sarkisian era hasn’t started off particularly well for Texas. In fact, he’s already lost in worse ways than Tom Herman ever did.
The Texas Longhorns fired Tom Herman because he wasn’t getting the job done. They hired Steve Sarkisian to take them to the next level.
Let’s just say, the early returns of the Sarkisian era haven’t exactly justified those decisions.
Sarkisian’s Longhorns are 4-4 and in the midst of a three-game losing streak after falling to Baylor on Saturday.
Losing to this Baylor team isn’t the problem. Giving up another late lead is. This is the third time Texas has given up a double-digit lead and gone on to lose.
It’s early, but Steve Sarkisian has been a downgrade from Tom Herman at Texas
Texas led No. 16 Baylor 21-10 in the third quarter but went on to lose 31-24.
— Jason Starrett (@starrettjason) October 30, 2021
It marked the Longhorns' third loss this season in a game they held a double-digit second-half lead, the most such losses in the FBS, per @PFF_College.
The Longhorns have started quickly but can’t seem to finish. They had a chance to upset Oklahoma and they let it slip. They were up on Oklahoma State and lost. They did it again with Baylor.
Sarkisian should have some leeway since it is his first season in charge. However, he’s drawing some unwelcome comparisons to Herman.
8 games into Steve Sarkisian’s tenure at Texas, he has:
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) October 30, 2021
-Lost by a bigger margin (19) than Tom Herman ever did.
-Blown a bigger lead (21) than Tom Herman ever did.
-Lost more games in a row (3) than Tom Herman ever did.
Herman wasn’t a particularly successful predecessor. The fact that Sarkisian already has those marks on his record is not a good sign.
Sarkisian was supposed to right the ship where Herman had it going in the wrong direction. Maybe it’ll take time for him to do that. Time may not be on his side if the desire to win now prevails in Austin.
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