The Longhorns’ red-zone struggles continued in their loss to Ohio State, showing that while offseason changes were made, the core issue remains unresolved. Texas failed twice deep in the red zone, turning it over on downs at the 1-yard line and missing on fourth-and-3 at the Buckeyes' nine.
Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian faced pointed questions from our own Mizzou product Ryan Shapiro at SEC Media Days about red zone struggles in big moments. This theme continued on in today’s season opener loss to Ohio State. Despite offseason efforts and staff emphasis on improvement, the Longhorns were stopped twice inside the 10-yard line, signaling persistent late-game issues.
Sarkisian was pressed at SEC Media Days on red zone woes
Ryan Shapiro asked if better red zone performance could elevate Texas into the National Championship Game, referencing recent failures in clutch situations. Sarkisian responded candidly: “Clearly, the last two years we’ve had the ball inside the 10-yard line to score to either play for a National Championship or tie a game...It’s a huge point of emphasis. Every year as a staff, you look for areas of improvement, and for us, that’s been one where we need to be at our best when our best is needed. Hopefully, next year, you ask a different question—what are you working on now that the red zone has been resolved?”.
Red Zone Stats Comparison
- 2024 Red Zone Efficiency: Texas converted 79.7% of red zone chances to points, with a touchdown rate of 63.8%.
- 2025 Opener: Texas had multiple drives stall in the red zone against Ohio State, including failures on the 1-yard and 9-yard lines. Offensive execution and line play were flagged in post-game breakdowns as issues
It's clear that key weapons have emerged at receiver and tight end spots, but an offensive line with four new starters showed growing pains, particularly in high-pressure red zone moments that are critical for pushing past an elite team like Ohio State or in the SEC.
Steve Sarkisian and the staff greatly emphasized red zone improvement after repeated breakdowns in key games last season. The effort is there—Texas revamped play-calling and personnel, especially around the run game and short-yardage situations. However, execution is lagging, especially against top defenses like Ohio State.
Despite offseason adjustments—revamped play-calling, new personnel, heavy staff focus—the Longhorns have not solved their big-game red zone problems. The effort is visible, and overall talent has improved, but Texas still needs to demonstrate the ability to execute when championship stakes are on the line.
Bottom line: Sarkisian’s red-zone emphasis at SEC Media Days was justified: the Longhorns still struggle to capitalize in crunch time, and their loss to Ohio State shows this area remains a crucial hurdle for Texas to clear in their quest for a national title. There is still time to address this issue, and perhaps next year Shapiro will ask Sarkisian a different question. As Sarkisian mentioned, he hopes that next year the question will be, "Since you've resolved that, what are you working on this year?"
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