Steve Sarkisian's pep talk with kicker gets roasted by Nick Saban, fans pile in

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is getting flak for a blunder he made at the end of regulation of their quarterfinal game against the Arizona State Sun Devils. Sarkisian had a moment with kicker Bert Auburn on the field. He may have thought that Auburn was having trouble with his confidence after missing two crucial field goals earlier, so Sarkisian gave him a pep talk to get him in the zone.

It did not work, and it may have also thrown Auburn off some more because it got him out of rhythm. Auburn missed the 38-yard field goal attempt that would have ended the game. Thankfully for Steve Sarkisian and Auburn, Quinn Ewers was clutch in those two overtimes and Texas ended up winning 39-31.

One college coaching legend who weighed in on the situation is former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Speaking at the "Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday, he couldn’t help but laugh and said he would’ve done the exact opposite in the situation.

"When I saw that happening, I said, ‘I never talked to these guys when they had to make a kick.’ Never. I didn’t want them to think it was a different kick than every other kick that they had to make and be so concerned about the outcome of making the kick, that they didn’t just kick with confidence and go through their normal rhythm."

Fans piled in on Steve Sarkisian and sided with the seven-time national champion coach.

"Who would want to talk to the kicker anyways?," one fan asked.

"Weirdest moment I’ve seen between and coach and player," another said.

"It looked like it was completely for show," one fan said. "'Look, I’m a great coach. Gonna motivate this kid to make the big kick.' Right out in the open for the entire stadium to see. Do that on the sideline and don’t make such a spectacle of it. Maybe it works then."

One fan also had the experience of being a placekicker and knows how important routine and rhythm is to them:

"I noticed him having that conversation with his kicker and thought it was a bad coaching move. I know high school is NOT college, but I kicked in high school and was fine as long as no one talked to me. Any time they tried to get me pumped, it left me feeling unnecessary pressure"

Bert Auburn's misses may be a concern for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns

Bert Auburn is having a down year compared to his numbers from last year, with his field goal percentage down to 67% from 82% from last year. Two of his misses have come from 50+ yards and five from the 40–49-yard range.

So far, the Longhorns have gone all the way to the semifinals, but Auburn’s misses could be a concern for Steve Sarkisian as the Longhorns prepare to face the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio is riding high with two blowout wins in their playoff games, and they face off in the Cotton Bowl on January 10.