These comments are very important to understand the nature of Sark's teams at Texas. Every year there is some portion of the game where there is literally no performance. In year 1 it was the 4th Q. In years 2 and 3, there have been slow but positive starts, a terrible 3rd Q, then strong ending. That pattern doesn't always play out but the middle game lethargy is consistent.
The second quote is probably part of why Sark has such consistent lulls during the game. The defense does the same thing. It's the same with the roster. Game performance is determined by a carefully controlled group of starters. Once anyone goes down it throws off the balance and chaos ensues. That is true for every team but I have seen multiple times where opponents lose a player and the backup comes in and plays well. Not as well as the starter of course but there is a level of execution that I don't see with Texas.
I am critical of Sark because these have been obvious observations from a nobody like me watching tv since his first year. I thought the defense had turned a corner but that seems not to be the case. I am hoping they prove me wrong against BYU and on through the season.