3 biggest disappointments for Texas in non-conference play

The path for No. 1 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian to reach the start of the first-ever SEC game this weekend against the Mississippi State Bulldogs has gone extremely well. Texas went an undefeated 4-0 during non-conference play, including multiple dominant victories at home and a big win over the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines on the road at the Big House in Week 2.

Marked points of improvement for Texas football entering SEC play in Week 5

Despite fighting through a rash of injuries, especially in the backfield on the offensive side of the ball, the Longhorns performed at a very high level with both units over the past few weeks. Texas decisively won all three home non-conference games by an average margin of nearly 50 points.

Texas's road win over No. 10 Michigan in Ann Arbor in Week 2 also came by a convincing double-digit margin.

Sarkisian and the Longhorns have a ton of momentum heading into SEC play this weekend, largely thanks to a great run through the non-con early this fall. That said, there are always points of improvement and various disappointments that Texas can work on entering SEC play in late September and October.

Here are three notable disappointments for the Longhorns coming out of non-conference play.

Net penalty yardage

Texas has essentially either been even or lost the net-penalty yards margin against their opposition in every single game during non-conference play. A smattering of false starts, delay of game penalties, and illegal formation flags have caused the Longhorns' offense to miss some scoring opportunities early in games this season.

It's a good thing that Texas didn't need those extra scoring opportunities for offensive drives this season, with all the blowout wins during non-conference play. But Texas does need to clean up some of these mistakes, especially along the offensive line against inferior opponents.