Have you ever had a year like this, Coach, where just you get, you know, halfway through or a quarter of the way through, just nothing's going right? And as a coach, what's that decision like where you're making a change you think will legitimately fix the problems versus making change just for the sake of making change?

Yeah, it's, it's a, it's a...

I don't know if you're talking to me or, or Coach Irwin, but it's a difficult decision to make, uh, especially with all that's at play here, you know? And the, the first, the first evaluation, a- as I've said last week, needs to be at the man in the mirror, you know, the head of the program, and make decisions that are best for the program, period.

You know, and that's...

I mean, I, I obviously never was a head coach at, at any level near what Sark is at, but I just know this, as a coach I can lay my pillow, my head on my pillow at night if I know that the decisions I make, whether it's personnel, whether it's staff, whether it's...

Whatever it is I'm making, I'm...

Are, are the, are the best decisions for the program and for the kids.

Mm.

Are, are we at that point, Coach? Is it, is it the point where if you're Sark, you've gotta, you've gotta go with a decision that it, it, it is, it is that dire at this point?

Ah, I, I don't know.

That, that is...

You, you're exactly right.

If that decision is made, then it, it undoes, unravels a lot of things we had hoped for this team.

And again, you know, I, I don't know how the players on this team feel about Arch.

I don't know how they feel about K.J.

And my question is, if you're Sark, can you stop the bleeding, number one? And number two, realistically, how ca- how quickly can you do it if it hasn't been done by this point?

Uh, two drives, uh, 10 points, and then two drives that have stalled out, uh, thanks to some negative plays that Florida forced.

Yeah, you know, uh, to get the yardage that we had, you know, the first couple of drives, you know, we used a lot of gimmicky plays and, uh, you know, they were successful.

We've gone away from 'em.

But, um, we're still gonna have to run the ball consistently, and that, that's what we're not doing.

And, um, you know, uh, you can gimmick some runs and some yardage and things like that, and it, it does open up some lanes I think.

But w- we haven't, we haven't...

Does it seem like that, that Sark is, is, uh...

Are, are you seeing that too?

Those are the four.

Yeah, I, I would say overall execution and, and play calling are probably my two highest percentages.

Um, you know, I think, uh, I ...

You know, it's just, it, it's just such a great unknown about Arch what percentage to give him because does he have one, one hand tied behind his back, so to speak? I mean, with the, the lack of, of, uh, of answers to blitz packages and a quick game and RPOs and all that stuff, you know? I, I, I don't know if you can count on one hand the number of RPOs we've seen this year, you know? And that, that just, that ...

I don't, I don't understand that because that's a great answer to people that are gonna blitz and things like that, fitting a receiver in behind where the guy comes from, uh, or whatever, whatever the strategy is.

But, um, yeah, I'd, I'd say those two would, would have to share the same percentage.

But I think, I think the majority of my blame goes to, you know, the coaching staff.

Is, is that how you fix that?

Yeah.

You know? And it covers up a lot of mistakes by an offensive play caller, uh, when you release a quarterback from run.

Uh, I mean, there's, there's obviously some play callers, you know, I think back in, in, uh...

You know, you look back at BY and you look at Michael Vick, and these guys that had the ability to run the ball.

Uh, it's a niche that kinda fits in that offense, but it's, it's not one that's supposed to fit in this offense, in my opinion.

But it's like, you know, if, if everything else goes haywire, use your legs and get us out of a bad call.

It's hypothetical.

I, I don't...

Like, you should have to either get through a progression quickly or skip one altogether kinda based on the pre-snap.

Football is finally back, and this is the time of year when I probably have more action going than any other point on the calendar.

That's why I like MyBookie.

Whether I'm sitting around before kickoff, killing some time between games, or I see something I like right before the ball goes in the air, I can pull it up and make my play.

You don't have to overthink every game or feel like you need to have some complicated system.

Find a matchup that you've been watching all week, see a number you like, put a little action on it, and suddenly that game you were already going to watch has a little more juice.

If you're new to MyBookie, they're also giving you a little protection on that first wager with the bet back bonus.

But that, that was his vision for the offense, that it would be so explosive, that it would be a cheat code that would cover up all the other blemishes that they have offensively, and that has not necessarily been the case.

So as a head coach, if there's stuff that gets repeated, especially when you've got that bye week to work on it, where do you go as a head coach when you start to evaluate what's going on and how to fix it?

Well, I think the first thing you have to do is take a good, honest...

Uh, throw out the ego, look at yourself in the mirror, first of all as a head coach.

You know? And you know, Mike Elko is, is bad as they're playing, he takes full credit for it though, you know? Uh, I think Arch needs to do that.

I think...

I mean, Sark needs to do that.

He needs to look in the mirror, take an honest evaluation of himself as a head coach and go, "How am I not getting this done? What am I not doing?" Um, I, I think that's what you've gotta do.

Uh, if Sark called you today and said, "Coach Shipley, I need you to come run this offense tomorrow," what can you change? What can realistically, within the framework of what they've got, what Sark likes to do, uh, what you've seen, what can realistically get fixed starting tomorrow?

Yeah.

But there are Will Steins out there, [clears throat] you know, that you can hire.

Can't, can't be any worse with the talent that you have, you know, on the field.

But to answer your question, you know, to me, it might be easier to fix the special teams, although trust me, they're trying to fix it.

Just ...

It, it just not sinking in for, for whatever reason.

I don't know.

Now, we know he's not gonna do that during the season, but Coach, if you could talk to Sark and, you know, if you're, if you're with him and he's got that man in the mirror moment, what is one thing he can change offensively or switch up or do more of that can, not fix it, but at least get you to the point where there's a little bit more consistency on that side of the ball?

Yeah, I'm with you on that.

I feel like...

Yeah, I feel like that, you know, protection hadn't been too bad.

I'm kind of surprised that they're not blitzing us a little bit more than they are at this point.

But, uh, obviously whatever they're doing coverage-wise is, is working because Arch has plenty of time, just not anybody getting open.

Again, I've said this all week, I, I would like to see us do more quick passing game stuff, you know, get the ball out of his hands a little bit quicker, get the ball, you know, to our receivers with some, with some room to operate.

What, what, what are you-

Ball coming out of half is big to execute on that drive because, uh, you add one more score to this thing, it's, uh, seems im- pretty insurmountable for this Oklahoma offense right now.

Yeah.

You know? I- we're gonna have to run the football.

And, and obviously, the cherry on top, the icing on top is if Arch Manning is consistent and on his A game.

You know? And makes plays with his feet, which I, I feel like he will.

But this, this is, you know, y- y'all talked about it all week, you know, it's a dangerous game, you know? You, you, you come in with an OU team who, who has not done well against Sark and, uh, and are not doing well this season.

And, you know, we would like, you know, we talked about it all week.

There's one ch- opportunity for them to get a huge feather in their cap and, and, and overshadow the shortcomings they've had, you know, up to this point.

Yep.

Uh, Coach, what's your biggest concern, uh, at this point about this matchup for Texas?

Well, my biggest concern is that OU does what every other defense has done, and that's bring pressure.

And Art said as much today, you know, he stays with the play unless they've worked on some alternative play for what he has called.

And I hope that's the case this week, because to me, the game is gonna be won and lost with the offensive unit from Texas versus the defensive unit from OU.

I think our defense is gonna take care of business.

You don't have, you know, you don't have the, the OU wide receivers and linemen that you've had in the past.

You've got a shaky quarterback at best.

That's what-

Lions.

Hey, Coach Irwin, when you, when you look at this game, uh, you know, the, throughout the history, especially in the last, you know, 20, 25 years, great quarterbacks, great skill guys, great defensive backs, great pass rushers have been in this game.

But this is the one game Texas plays annually that at the end of the day, more often than not, you win the rushing yardage battle, you win the line of scrimmage, you win the turnover battle, you're gonna win the ball game.

I just...

I- if you just like old school, tough, physical football, where it's about smash mouth football, winning in the trenches, like this is the, the marquee game on the sched- even going to the SEC, Coach, this is still in terms of physicality, line of scrimmage play, this is the marquee game on the Texas schedule every year.

Football is finally back, and this is the time of year when I probably have more action going than any other point on the calendar.

That's why I like MyBookie.

[laughs]

[laughs]

You know? And we sure don't, we sure don't want it to cost us.

Um, so that obviously needs to be shored up.

But, you know, offensively we've gotta learn how to handle pressure.

You know, we've got...

It doesn't seem like to me that Arch has the ability to change a play at the line of scrimmage.

And I've said this before, I think on our Monday podcast, and I mentioned it again last night on, on, on the, uh, the live cast.

Mm-hmm.

Hmm.

And, and that's frustrating.

Um, and, you know, defensive coordinators and defense in general has evolved along with offenses.

And so it's, you know, they're disguising coverages more, they're disguising blitzes more.

But, you know, uh, like, like Brian, Brian Irwin said on, uh, earlier today on Lunch with, with Coach, you know, go at the line of scrimmage, you know, red, 44 red.

Hut, hut.

You know, see what they're gonna be in, you know? And then you, you know, you gotta have some quick glances.

Mm.

[laughs]

We don't put up with that nonsense.

You know, I, I thought, I thought he should've had a penalty too.

I was waiting for the flags to come.

Um, you know, when you, when you put a...

Uh, Coach Irwin and I both did this.

When you put on a uniform, you represent way more than yourself.

Mm-hmm.

You think so?

It just, it just doesn't seem like that, uh, we have an answer for blitzes.

It doesn't seem like Arch has the ability to change play.

And so we've got the house coming.

We've got slow-developing routes, and his hands are tied.

There's nothing he can do about it.

Now, it is a difficult world in today's college football for offenses.

[laughs]

Mm

... and that if that doesn't get your attention, then you, you probably ought to pick up another sport, you know? Uh, I think, uh, it's, uh...

You know, what, what a great opportunity, uh, the, the, the premier stage again for game day, for the hype of your program.

But it's just, to me, offensively, a great opportunity for us to come out and show the country who we really are.

You know, uh, we've seen Arch play, you know, had a good quarter and a half at least, at least three just really gritty drives against Ohio State that showed us what he's capable of, just as the last half of, of the '25 season.

Um, [clears throat] it's just a matter of put- putting it all together.

You know, take out the receiver drops from, from the Ohio State game, then take Arch, Arch's, uh, misthrows or whatever, uh, against UTSA.

I appreciate you.

Like I say, they lead the country-

Yeah, uh, you, you definitely have to hold them under 100 yards I think.

Um, but, you know, th- there's two totally different ends of the spectrum, Sark and Muschamp.

Because Muschamp's defense has been on point, you know, all three games.

The offense has not.

And I don't know that you go, go in and put a bunch of new stuff in unless it's simplified versions of some things offensively.

Um, you know, stuff, stuff that...

Mm-hmm

And I got to see a little bit more compromise in Sark's scheme for Arch, because Arch ain't changing.

Yeah, it makes you wonder, I would like to think this conversation takes place quite often.

Actually, I would like to think it happens every week.

But Sark sitting down with Arch and saying, what do you like? What are you comfortable with? You know, even in games and certain drives, okay, man, you're off a little bit.

What do you want to do to get back in sync? You know, what's going to get you back going? Short game, you know, whatever.

Surely that happens.

And if it doesn't, we've got some ego problems.

So, Coach, what are your thoughts about the fourth down play calls?

So it's just something I noticed that, uh, we keep our eyes on and just the balance between when we run the football ti- paired with an RPO and when we run the football and we're blocking up the perimeter.

That's, that's a great observation, Coach.

Unbelievable.

I'm gonna have to go back and, and watch that.

Um, I wonder two things.

I wonder if, uh, I mean, clearly we didn't have the drop passes we had a week ago.

I wonder two things.

Yeah.

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Yeah, I think we're close.

I'd like to see a little more.

I love what I saw from Derek Cooper on the watch with me in the third quarter when I was on.

I was like, man, I hope he didn't tweak that injury again because we should be seeing him back.

And that guy's going to be special.

He brings another dimension to our running game.

Turn the page and move on to Tennessee"? Or do y- if you're Sark, do you really pick this apart and, and try to send a message on the things that were done wrong after this one?

What do you think the, uh, the message is on the sidelines right now?

Well, you know, that's a great question because, you know, at halftime you think you would make adjustence- adjustments to what UTSA has done that has confused, uh, you know, Arch.

Arch just seemed like he's staring down his first reads and he's, he's just completely out of sync.

Thank goodness for our defense.

Uh, 80, 85 yards total yards, uh, thanks to 57 yards of, uh, sack, uh, yardage that we got on sacks.

But, um, you know, certainly not necessarily on the defense, but the offense is way out of sync and Arch is really gonna have to, uh, bring it together here to make this, uh, t- you know...

And we saw it last week.

S- From that point, the offense has been, uh, anything but, but fun to watch.

We need to do this"? Take, take people through that and your thought process.

Yeah, I, I think just fi- fine-tune where we're at.

First of all, the passing game.

You know, Arch overthrew some guys.

I mean, you know, we, we probably haven't seen, you know, a talent level like that at Ohio State.

I, I, obviously, I, I know we haven't, unless we were going against our ones, uh, you know, in, in practice.

But some of those balls that Arch threw with...

... and then worry about the stats after kind of?

Uh, with our typical slow crap stuff, why don't we run the ball more in first and second quarters? Seems we run the ball fine once committed."

You know, I, I really think that it's because we have been so inconsistent running the football in, in the '25 season, you know.

Um, I, I've said this on a couple of podcasts this week.

It, it's, uh...

And, and, and also leading up to the Ohio State game.

You know, last year was, was, was such a complex psychological nightmare for people trying to figure out us running the ball, you know.

Because we can't run it against these teams that, that we should be just absolutely destroying, and then we go, you know, up to Ohio State, we go down to College Station, and we, we look pretty good running the football, you know.

How do you do that around the program and, and get them to tune that stuff out?

Uh, how difficult is it at the time to just sit back and enjoy the game itself that you just accomplished?

Yeah.

It's, it's really difficult.

Um, I, I never [clears throat] rarely, rarely...

I can only think of one time that I, that I really sat back and enjoyed a win, and that was my first year as a head coach.

And we'd beaten a team that was the defending district champions.

The, the town I was at had not made the playoffs in six years, and that won us the district championship.

So Coach, I wanted to ask you, has this room lived up to what you'd hope you've seen so far in '26?