Almost gleefully, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian took time during his weekly press conference Monday inside Royal-Memorial Stadium to point out some impressive stats from Saturday’s 52-0 rout over Colorado State.

Five players scored their first touchdowns for Texas. Eight Longhorns carried the ball. A dozen players caught a ball. Twenty-eight players had a tackle, 31 played their first game in a Longhorn jersey and 77 got in the game.

“I think it just speaks to the depth that we have on this team,” Sarkisian said.

GOLDEN: Bloodthirsty Texas defense had itself a huge opening day

But he also knows his team is unlikely to show off that depth against Michigan, the hardened defending national champion who welcomes the Longhorns on Saturday into Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in the U.S. and the third largest in the world with an official capacity of 107,601. The Wolverines like to turn games into cage matches, shortening the contest with a deliberate and devastating running game while giving every possession a sense of urgency.

That means Sarkisian and his staff will probably tighten their player rotations, especially for a defensive tackle group that must fend off a big, physical Michigan offensive line.

“I don't know how many snaps this game will be,” Sarkisian said. “Generally, a Michigan team averages right around 60 or so snaps, so it's got a little bit more of an NFL feel. It's about maximizing those snaps when those guys are on the field, as much as it is rotating just to for depth purposes.

“You know, when you're playing a team that you think might go 85-90 snaps (like Colorado State), you need that rotation just to stay in shape. In this instance, when you're on that field, you’ve got to maximize that rep. And if you get eight reps in the game, you got to make those eight count.”

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Sarkisian praised starters Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton for their play at defensive tackle against Colorado State even though the pair combined for just three tackles. He also cited Jermayne Lole, a 6-foot-3, 315-pound graduate transfer in his fifth collegiate season but first as a Longhorn.

Sarkisian also pointed out the play of Alex January, a 6-5, 315-pound true freshman from Duncanville, calling his performance against Colorado State “kind of a pleasant surprise.” January, whose father, Mike, played linebacker for the Longhorns in the 1980s, was tabbed as just a three-star prospect for the 2024 recruiting class by 247 Sports but did field offers from powerhouses across the nation such as Georgia, Florida State, USC and Oregon.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Steve Sarkisian: Texas DTs need to 'maximize' snaps vs. Michigan