Being the Head Football Coach at the University of Texas is hard. Some in sports media are acting like Sark is just finding this out this week. They are wrong.
Thompson was always the safer pick and Card was the wildcard.
I said in late August if this team was willing to accept going 8-4 or 9-3 that Casey Thompson would have been Sark's choice. Sark wanted better.
Hudson Card was the more natural talent with the higher upside but also the lower floor in 2021. As with most QB gurus, Sark thought he could guide Card to the upside and take this team possibly to a 10-2 or better record. I believed then and I believe it just played out today that IF he was wrong and that if Card was not ready and we saw the floor and not the upside, that starting Card was an expectations insurance policy of sorts. He could sell to recruits that the season failing to meet the higher expectations was BECAUSE he had played the younger Card. If he was right, he would have Card lead this team past expectations and sell that. If he was wrong, he would essentially blame the failures on playing Card in order to be better in 2022 and 2023.
Sark was wrong in Fayetteville. Card was not ready and the Longhorns experienced the growing pains of a redshirt Freshman QB. Sark cashed in the insurance policy today in his press conference. In many ways, he blamed Card for the team's failings in Arkansas.
The messaging will be interesting as we progress this season.
LarryTheGM
It’s a tough call. He doesn’t want to crush Card‘s confidence by taking him out too early but I think he should have brought Thompson in earlier before the game was out of reach. Always easier with 20/20 hindsight.