The Statesman got a opportunity to see a portion of Texas football’s first Sugar Bowl practice in Caesar’s Superdome on Thursday. The window was brief and cut short, but here are a few observations gleaned from seeing Steve Sarkisian and his team prepare for their upcoming matchup with Washington.
Texas’ top receiving threat and one of its top cornerbacks returned to the field on Thursday after a lengthy break. Xavier Worthy hurt his ankle in the Longhorns’ win in the Big 12 Championship. Ryan Watts has missed time with a back issue and hasn’t played since the first quarter of Texas’ demolition of Texas Tech.
During the brief drives Texas ran, Worthy dropped one pass but otherwise moved well, while Watts came in with the second team. Watts’ play will be crucial for a secondary that will be facing a threatening receiving trio that includes Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan.
With former backup Maalik Murphy having transferred to Duke, the hyped five-star phenom has taken on Murphy’s former role.
There isn’t much to glean from his single completed pass attempt. However, Murphy’s absence has upped the attention on Arch Manning from a 10 to a 16. The media will have the most access to the Louisiana native than has been allowed all season, so more will be learned in the coming days.
With the game a few days away, Sarkisian wasn’t allowing his team to simply go through the motions, putting real intention behind his words and exercises. Of the few drills we got to see, there was an emphasis on wrapping up runners to prevent yards after the catch.
Defenders were yelled at for allowing skill players to blow past them and praised for solid contact. There were no full tackles, yet Sarkisian and his staff were demanding full intensity, telling the team to “close” and “finish.”
