The 2025 Texas Longhorns had a penalty downside final season. There is no solution to sugarcoat it, bend the reality, or clarify the frequent and dear errors that the Longhorns appeared to make over and over.
A 12 months after ending 134th out of 136 groups in complete penalties and 132nd in penalty yards per sport, head coach Steve Sarkisian has made it some extent this offseason to not solely commit fewer penalties, however assist gamers perceive how and why they’re being flagged.
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“It is one factor simply to say we do not need penalties anymore,” Sarkisian mentioned. “However I’ve to coach our staff on how and why we’re getting the penalties we acquired.”
The Longhorns averaged 8.3 penalties per sport in 2025, totaling 108 flags for 906 yards over 13 video games. For reference, Military, the least-penalized staff within the nation, averaged simply 2.4 penalties per sport, whereas the median staff within the nation averaged 6.0.
Final season’s Texas was not merely just a little worse than common — they have been in a very completely different tier when it got here to giving freely free yardage.
However, the stats do not inform the complete story.
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Maybe essentially the most irritating two points of the penalties have been the frequency and timing. An enormous third down that gifted the opposing offense a drive extension. A false begin that put the Texas offense behind the chains. An enormous play wiped away by a holding name.
The primary two video games provide a transparent picture of what would finally plague the Horns all through the period of the season.
On the highway in opposition to Ohio State, Texas flagged six occasions for 50 yards. On the floor, that is not horrible, however a fast evaluation of these six penalties highlights that two of the six occurred on Ohio State’s first landing drive as an in any other case stalled possession resulted in seven factors on account of the dearth of self-discipline.
With the rating knotted at zero heading into the second quarter, the Ohio State offense confronted a 3rd and 4 on the Texas 44-yard line. Longhorns nickel again Graceson Littleton broke up the move, consequently placing the Buckeyes in a tricky punt or go for it fourth-down resolution.
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As a substitute, Texas edge Colin Simmons was referred to as for a 15-yard face masks on the play, negating Littleton’s exception play, extending the drive, and placing Ohio State nicely inside field-goal vary.
Simply two performs later, Longhorns defensive again Malik Muhammad was flagged for a 10-yard holding penalty on an incomplete move on 2nd and 9, shifting the Buckeyes from the 44-yard line to the pink zone.
Ohio State ended up punching it in for a landing.
Late within the third quarter, the Texas offense put themselves in a bind with a penalty to start out a drive down 7-0. A ten-yard holding name on the primary play of the drive instantly put the Longhorns behind the sticks. Two performs later, Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw an interception.
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The Buckeyes scored the second of their two touchdowns on the following drive.
These three penalties performed a key function in figuring out the end result of the sport. The Longhorns didn’t simply commit penalties, however did so at consequential moments.
“We have got to attenuate these penalties,” Sarkisian mentioned at SEC Media Days. “We have got to struggle the urge of enjoying behind the chains. I say struggle the urge as a result of I believe there’s an urge to among the penalties that we get.”
The next week, the Longhorns beat an overmatched San Jose State staff by a rating of 38-7, however have been flagged 12 occasions for 115 yards.
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The outcome was by no means in jeopardy, however the penalties persevered nonetheless — though Texas might survive the penalty downside in opposition to dangerous groups, it does not imply the issue wasn’t actual.
So, who was accountable for the penalties? Very often, the offense was chargeable for being flagged and accruing excessive quantities of yardage. Routinely disrupting drives, the offensive line was significantly painful.
Holdings (27) and false begins (25) accounted for 48.1 % of all Longhorn penalties. Granted, a few of these have been dedicated by non-linemen, however the 5 huge fellas up entrance have been credited with 43 penalties on the season, 39.8 % of all the staff’s penalties.
Texas proper deal with Brandon Baker was flagged 12 occasions over the season. Maybe his transgressions drew a better eye from the officers or maybe it was merely dangerous placement, however guard DJ Campbell, only one spot to Baker’s left, dedicated 10.
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Two gamers, lining up side-by-side, have been chargeable for over 10 % of all penalties on the Longhorns.
“A few of these penalties, whether or not it’s holding or [false starts], have been, I would not even say pregame jitters, simply extra so anticipating the snap depend,” Baker mentioned.
The junior hopes {that a} transfer from deal with to protect will assist him keep away from false begins.
“Now shifting inside, I can periph the ball loads simpler. In order that’s been an enormous emphasis this offseason, having the ability to get off the ball when the ball is snapped.”
Defensively, the Longhorns have been vulnerable to leaping offsides (9). The third-most steadily referred to as penalty, the Texas entrance seven gave away free performs all through the season.
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The repetition of comparable penalty calls by the identical gamers is one other focus for Sarkisian heading into the season.
“It is on the coaches teaching the right approach and the basics to cut back these penalties, and on the gamers being coachable, and never making the identical errors over and over.”
In Texas’ ugliest lack of the season in opposition to a foul Florida staff, the offense was penalized eight occasions — 5 false begins and three holding calls. Fill-in offensive linemen Nick Brooks was subbed into the sport and instantly moved the Longhorn offense within the fallacious course.
It is onerous to attain greater than 21 factors when consistently being compelled into lengthy down and distances on account of penalties. Play-calling choices are narrowed, crowds get louder, and defenses are in a position to dial up advantageous and unique appears to be like.
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Maybe no penalty was larger than an offsides name on Simmons in a loss to Georgia.
Having simply scored a landing to chop the Georgia result in 14-10, the Texas protection was dealing with 4th and 5 from their very own 49-yard line. Undoubtedly hoping to affect the play along with his move rush, Simmons acquired a head begin and was referred to as for a false begin that gave the Bulldogs a free first down.
Georgia finally scored a landing on the drive and pulled away for a monumental victory.
It isn’t truthful to pin a big portion of the loss on that penalty, there have been ample moments to show the tide, however that penalty proved to be expensive on the largest second within the sport.
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The truth that it got here from arguably Texas’ greatest defensive participant solely makes issues worse, compounded by the frequency of these errors as Simmons was flagged 9 occasions on the season.
Making an attempt the repair the issue, the workers turned to collective punishment through the offseason.
“I believe it is group punishment, too, and I hate saying it like that, however that is the truth of the scenario. Everyone’s acquired to really feel the impact of a penalty as a result of that is what occurs in a sport. One man does not get flagged, and he is the one foul. It is all of us. All of us really feel that, and so I believe that in innately has helped,” Sarkisian mentioned.
Texas does not have to grow to be the nation’s least-penalized staff. But when Sarkisian’s offseason emphasis works, the Longhorns have to grow to be a staff that understands the distinction between a 5 yard false begin in September and a expensive mistake on fourth down in an important sport.