Texas football remains on pace for its lowest production in the passing game since head coach Steve Sarkisian took over the program in 2021. But does that drop in the numbers coincide with a drop in targets to the tight ends and running backs?
Not necessarily, Sarkisian said Monday, although he admitted after Saturday’s 31-3 win over Mississippi State that his offense has gotten “a little receiver-centric.”
The wideout quartet of Ryan Wingo (36 catches, 470 yards), Emmett Mosley V (25-419), Cam Coleman (23-409) and Jermaine Bishop (16-151) make up the four top targets for Arch Manning and his backups at quarterback. Sarkisian has never had three wideouts rank at the top of single-season reception totals at Texas, let alone four.
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But the coach says that’s more a reflection of his personnel rather than a shift in strategy.
“We’ve got pretty good players out there at wide receiver, and we’d be remiss to not try to get them involved in what we’re doing,” he said. “The ball is getting moved around pretty good.”
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Steve Sarkisian: TEs, RBs usually key parts of passing game
Sarkisian’s offenses always seem to get the ball to the tight ends and backs even with elite talents at receiver. His 2021 and 2022 teams featured current NFL wideouts Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington. But in 2021, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Cade Brewer ranked third and fifth on the team with 26 and 22 receptions, respectively. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was second on the team in catches behind Worthy with 54 receptions in 2022 and third on the squad in 2023 with 45 catches behind Worthy and yet another NFL receiver in Adonai Mitchell. Tight end Gunnar Helm led the 2024 Longhorns with 60 catches, two ahead of current Green Bay Packer Matthew Golden.
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Last season turned more toward the receivers, but tight end Jack Endries still ranked third on the team with 33 catches while running backs Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter combined for 34 receptions.
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This season, the tight ends have caught a total of 19 balls, with Emaree Winston’s seven leading the way. The running backs have combined for just 25 catches.
But with Coleman and Wingo banged up entering Saturday’s visit to No. 19 Missouri, Sarkisian knows that circumstances could make it especially important to spread the wealth in the passing game. It seems like the Texas head coach and play caller already understands that assignment. Two weeks ago against Ole Miss, tight end Mike Masunas had his busiest day since transferring from Michigan State this past offseason with three catches for 31 yards. In the win over Mississippi State, running back Raleek Brown turned two catches into 26 yards and a touchdown.
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“At the end of the day, we have to make sure people have to defend more,” Sarkisian said. “There is attention on the receivers, and that allowed the running back to get open. Yes, I think getting others involved is important.”
Texas Longhorns tight end Michael Masunas (15) runs against the Mississippi Rebels in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Saturday Oct. 24, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman)
Arch Manning: Extra work in practice could help open passing game
Now, can Manning get on the same page with his coach? Unlike predecessor Quinn Ewers, Manning eschews the check down and will hold the ball in the pocket while waiting for a receiver to break open downfield. It often leads to sacks, and it leads to less targets for the backs and tight ends.
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It also leads to less production in the passing game. Texas averages 223.8 yards passing and 28.3 passes per game for the season, the lowest such numbers for the Longhorns in the Sarkisian era.
In comparison, Texas averaged 284 yards and 33.9 pass attempts a game across the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Ewers behind center.
Manning understands he needs to get more out of the short passing game, especially considering the injuries to Coleman and Wingo. When asked Monday if he would spend extra time working on routes with the tight ends and backs this week in practice, he said “I think so.”
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning and running back Raleek Brown celebrate after beating Mississippi at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Saturday Oct. 24, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman)
“Just trying to build that chemistry and use all our weapons,” Manning said.
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Sarkisian has long favored an NFL style of offense that utilizes the tight ends and screens to the backs. He said after the win over Mississippi State that “I felt like we needed to get back to our roots a little bit, whether it was the screen game to the tight ends and the running back or even getting the ball to the running backs out of the backfield, I felt like it was something that we had gotten away from some.”
There’s no better time to get back to that than this week against a Missouri defense that ranks fifth in the SEC in points allowed with just 18.4 a game.
“We can’t get so one-dimensional,” Sarkisian said. “It’s like a pitcher. We can’t just throw fastballs. We’ve got we got to mix our pitches. We need to do more. And I think the guys are responding to that.”
This article originally published at ‘We have to make people defend more.’ Steve Sarkisian wants Texas football to spread ball.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
