Tom Herman will be addressing the media in a few minutes. I'll post live notes in this thread.
Thanks to the fans. Atmosphere on Saturday was great. Student section inconvenienced this year and next, but they were there early to get the good seats and you could feel them. Thought it was an excellent atmosphere.
Thought their guys played with confidence, played fast. They were fresh, physical, was proud of the effort.
Really no changes on the injury front from last week, other than Jordan Whittington. He has torn the abductor ... sports hernia. Finalizing plans to get him to Philadelphia to get it fixed again. Last time he had it fixed was in Houston, this time sending him to Philadelphia. Best case scenario, four weeks, but probably looking at six weeks before they see him again.
Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson are the two tailbacks. David Gbenda moved to tailback, will be practicing and playing there until Kirk Johnson and Daniel Young are healthy.
On Whittington .... groin was repaired in high school, nagged him a bit in spring ball and summer workouts, but he never missed a practice or a workout. Had an MRI done a few weeks ago and it was not torn. On one of his catches, it was torn.
The doctor in Philly ... Texas has sent people to the doctor over the years.
Keaontay Ingram played well, played really well physically. Was a bit too excited, lacked some patience on a couple runs. But when he did that, he still made yards and made guys miss. Roschon, glad he was here over the spring for the physical development and learning the offense. Not near the transition that someone like Gbenda will go through. Thought Roschon played really well for the limited minutes he got. Will certainly got more minutes this week.
RB situation doesn't change their strategy on game day. Have to do whatever you can to win. In practice, RBs have been wearing green jerseys for three or four weeks. On game day you have to turn them loose, do whatever it takes to win.
On the offensive line ... The decision on Parker Braun went up to the wire in terms of starting him. Wanted to get Shack out early if possible since his foot was still sore. On Friday morning, decided rather than throw Parker in there cold when they take Shack out, was better to get Braun out there and warm up. Braun graded out really well, graded out as a champion. All the starting OL graded out as champions. The communication among the OL was really good. La Tech blitzed way more than they anticipated, was a big-time adjustment for the OL and they handled it well.
On the pass defense ... any time a team attempts 54 passes, you're going to give up some yards. When you're up 31-0 and stopping the run, there's really only one option for the opponent's offense. Thought the pass defense was good. Still have work to do. Can eliminate some of those yards by assignment issues that they busted. But technique and physicality was good.
On how the DBs graded ... Jalen Green graded out as a champion. The other CBs didn't, not sure if it's because of reps or what. They played okay, but they know they have to get better as the season progresses.
On LSU D-coordinator Dave Aranda ... great relationship with him, enjoyable to be around, very cerebral. Have stayed in touch over the years after they met at Cal Lutheran. They bounce ideas off each other regularly, haven't in the last couple years since they knew they'd be playing each other. Prior to that, stayed in close contact. Aranda has a lot to do with Herman hiring Todd Orlando. When Orlando went to Utah State, he was going to replace Dave Aranda. Everyone has evolved, but a lot of what Orlando did then was a carry-over of what Aranda did at Utah State.
On scheduling SEC non-conference games ... It's Del Conte's vision to have a marquee non-conference home game every other year. At the end of the day, CDC comes to Herman with suggestions and it's a "yeah I'm good with it or no I'm not good with it." Objective is to give the fan base a big, heavy-hitter at least every other year at home.
On the SEC's reputation ... Not his job to judge what conference is better than the other. But no NFL scout or GM has told him they're drafting a kid because of what conference he plays in. Doesn't know that anybody is qualified to say one conference is better or worse than another.
On Josh Moore ... He's suspended indefinitely. They'll continue to monitor what's happening with him. Handling it internally. He's practicing with the scout team. Herman makes that decision with counsel from multiple people, including Del Conte.
On the front seven ... thought the front three played really well. Malcolm Roach, Ta'Quon graded out as a champion. La Tech threw it 54 times and got it out quickly, so Coburn's game was a bit neutralized. McCulloch and Ossai played really, really well. Good for Dele and Juwan Mitchell to get their feet wet, had some first-game jitters in alignment issues. But still confident in those guys.
On Joe Burrow ... played a half, completed a pass to 14 different receivers. Herman recruited him, got to know his family. His dad is D-Coord at Ohio University. Reminds him a lot of Ehlinger ... physically competitive, leader. Like any good QB, you have to pressure him, but also have to cover well. Have to vary the looks, can't just dial a blitz up every snap, especially as smart as Burrow is. Have to be cautious with how you approach that.
On Ed Orgeron ... Doesn't have a relationship with him. They're cordial but have never hung out.
On what this game means for building the program ... Doesn't want to downplay the significance of the match-up. It's important, it's important for Texas. To get to where they want to go as a program, they're going to have to play in these games and win these games. To do it against a top opponent, at home, is pretty cool. But he also knows Bob Bowlsby won't be handing out the Big 12 Championship trophy this week. They want to go 1-0 this week, but there's a bigger picture out there that's still important.
On Burrow ... He's distributing the ball. They're playing with pace, will line up and snap the ball faster than La Tech and Burrow is bright enough to handle that. There's going to be some numbers or leverage issues somewhere, and he's really good at finding wherever those match-ups are.
Challenges of Texas' offense ... LSU's size and strength up front. Three guys who start that are well over 300 pounds. K'Lavon Chaisson is elite on the edge, have two all-Americans in the secondary as well. Will be as talented of a secondary as they've seen in their time at Texas, and it's not just heavy in one area. They have NFL players at pretty much every position.
On what he learned about Texas on Saturday night that he didn't know beforehand ... That they lost another RB for a while. Thinks as a staff they had a pretty good pulse on who they were. Likes the personality of the team, likes coaching them. There are different level of teammates. They have few, if any, who are defiant. The compliant guy may not believe what you're doing, but he's going to do what you ask. The committed guys really believe and are focused on making themselves better. The highest level are compelled, the guys who feel it in their heart and are compelled to spread the word, bring others with them. They have a lot of compelled and committed guys in this program. That's probably the biggest thing. Found out on Saturday night how he felt leading up to the game was pretty accurate.
On College GameDay being here ... It's great for the fans, it's great for the university. To be able to showcase the university in front of that many eyeballs is awesome. Great for the city of Austin to showcase the city, and it's great for recruiting because recruits wake up and watch that show. They want to put their best foot forward, show off their players. They enjoy it when they're in Austin. They've been in Dallas but to have them on campus is pretty special.
On what impressed him about the younger players ... That they didn't care how bright the lights were. They handled it well. Jake Smith's first play as a Longhorn was as a punt returner. That's never easy to go do. Tyler Owens had a good hit on kickoff coverage. Gbenda played well, Kenyatta Watson got some work and played well. The way the game went was helpful because they got to play and it's not new, but they handled it well.
On the RB situation ... He's never experienced something like this. Has never heard of it happening anywhere. But kudos to the guys like Roschon and Gbenda for saying whatever this team needs, I'll do it. And they've done it well.
On Roschon ... He's taken to RB like a fish to water. He's a really competitive guy, when he makes a mistake he's really hard on himself. They have to tell him, you've been playing this position for 10 days, you're not going to be perfect. Has no doubts he'll play well because he's that type of competitor.
On tempering the emotions of the DBs ... DBU is really for nobody to decide. It's opinion. There are a lot of teams across the country that have good traditions at the DB position.
On Duvernay's hands ... Doesn't think he's seen him drop a pass in a game. Can't remember him dropping a pass in practice either. He's so strong, really competitive. Thinks that's what helps him, he's a really strong guy.
On the RB situation and how it changes their approach on how they attack ... It doesn't. If both RBs get hurt, the game plan will change significantly. LSU is really good against the run, so that could be a factor. But it will not change the game plan. They're confident in Ingram, confident in Roschon.
That's it for today.
Thanks to the fans. Atmosphere on Saturday was great. Student section inconvenienced this year and next, but they were there early to get the good seats and you could feel them. Thought it was an excellent atmosphere.
Thought their guys played with confidence, played fast. They were fresh, physical, was proud of the effort.
Really no changes on the injury front from last week, other than Jordan Whittington. He has torn the abductor ... sports hernia. Finalizing plans to get him to Philadelphia to get it fixed again. Last time he had it fixed was in Houston, this time sending him to Philadelphia. Best case scenario, four weeks, but probably looking at six weeks before they see him again.
Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson are the two tailbacks. David Gbenda moved to tailback, will be practicing and playing there until Kirk Johnson and Daniel Young are healthy.
On Whittington .... groin was repaired in high school, nagged him a bit in spring ball and summer workouts, but he never missed a practice or a workout. Had an MRI done a few weeks ago and it was not torn. On one of his catches, it was torn.
The doctor in Philly ... Texas has sent people to the doctor over the years.
Keaontay Ingram played well, played really well physically. Was a bit too excited, lacked some patience on a couple runs. But when he did that, he still made yards and made guys miss. Roschon, glad he was here over the spring for the physical development and learning the offense. Not near the transition that someone like Gbenda will go through. Thought Roschon played really well for the limited minutes he got. Will certainly got more minutes this week.
RB situation doesn't change their strategy on game day. Have to do whatever you can to win. In practice, RBs have been wearing green jerseys for three or four weeks. On game day you have to turn them loose, do whatever it takes to win.
On the offensive line ... The decision on Parker Braun went up to the wire in terms of starting him. Wanted to get Shack out early if possible since his foot was still sore. On Friday morning, decided rather than throw Parker in there cold when they take Shack out, was better to get Braun out there and warm up. Braun graded out really well, graded out as a champion. All the starting OL graded out as champions. The communication among the OL was really good. La Tech blitzed way more than they anticipated, was a big-time adjustment for the OL and they handled it well.
On the pass defense ... any time a team attempts 54 passes, you're going to give up some yards. When you're up 31-0 and stopping the run, there's really only one option for the opponent's offense. Thought the pass defense was good. Still have work to do. Can eliminate some of those yards by assignment issues that they busted. But technique and physicality was good.
On how the DBs graded ... Jalen Green graded out as a champion. The other CBs didn't, not sure if it's because of reps or what. They played okay, but they know they have to get better as the season progresses.
On LSU D-coordinator Dave Aranda ... great relationship with him, enjoyable to be around, very cerebral. Have stayed in touch over the years after they met at Cal Lutheran. They bounce ideas off each other regularly, haven't in the last couple years since they knew they'd be playing each other. Prior to that, stayed in close contact. Aranda has a lot to do with Herman hiring Todd Orlando. When Orlando went to Utah State, he was going to replace Dave Aranda. Everyone has evolved, but a lot of what Orlando did then was a carry-over of what Aranda did at Utah State.
On scheduling SEC non-conference games ... It's Del Conte's vision to have a marquee non-conference home game every other year. At the end of the day, CDC comes to Herman with suggestions and it's a "yeah I'm good with it or no I'm not good with it." Objective is to give the fan base a big, heavy-hitter at least every other year at home.
On the SEC's reputation ... Not his job to judge what conference is better than the other. But no NFL scout or GM has told him they're drafting a kid because of what conference he plays in. Doesn't know that anybody is qualified to say one conference is better or worse than another.
On Josh Moore ... He's suspended indefinitely. They'll continue to monitor what's happening with him. Handling it internally. He's practicing with the scout team. Herman makes that decision with counsel from multiple people, including Del Conte.
On the front seven ... thought the front three played really well. Malcolm Roach, Ta'Quon graded out as a champion. La Tech threw it 54 times and got it out quickly, so Coburn's game was a bit neutralized. McCulloch and Ossai played really, really well. Good for Dele and Juwan Mitchell to get their feet wet, had some first-game jitters in alignment issues. But still confident in those guys.
On Joe Burrow ... played a half, completed a pass to 14 different receivers. Herman recruited him, got to know his family. His dad is D-Coord at Ohio University. Reminds him a lot of Ehlinger ... physically competitive, leader. Like any good QB, you have to pressure him, but also have to cover well. Have to vary the looks, can't just dial a blitz up every snap, especially as smart as Burrow is. Have to be cautious with how you approach that.
On Ed Orgeron ... Doesn't have a relationship with him. They're cordial but have never hung out.
On what this game means for building the program ... Doesn't want to downplay the significance of the match-up. It's important, it's important for Texas. To get to where they want to go as a program, they're going to have to play in these games and win these games. To do it against a top opponent, at home, is pretty cool. But he also knows Bob Bowlsby won't be handing out the Big 12 Championship trophy this week. They want to go 1-0 this week, but there's a bigger picture out there that's still important.
On Burrow ... He's distributing the ball. They're playing with pace, will line up and snap the ball faster than La Tech and Burrow is bright enough to handle that. There's going to be some numbers or leverage issues somewhere, and he's really good at finding wherever those match-ups are.
Challenges of Texas' offense ... LSU's size and strength up front. Three guys who start that are well over 300 pounds. K'Lavon Chaisson is elite on the edge, have two all-Americans in the secondary as well. Will be as talented of a secondary as they've seen in their time at Texas, and it's not just heavy in one area. They have NFL players at pretty much every position.
On what he learned about Texas on Saturday night that he didn't know beforehand ... That they lost another RB for a while. Thinks as a staff they had a pretty good pulse on who they were. Likes the personality of the team, likes coaching them. There are different level of teammates. They have few, if any, who are defiant. The compliant guy may not believe what you're doing, but he's going to do what you ask. The committed guys really believe and are focused on making themselves better. The highest level are compelled, the guys who feel it in their heart and are compelled to spread the word, bring others with them. They have a lot of compelled and committed guys in this program. That's probably the biggest thing. Found out on Saturday night how he felt leading up to the game was pretty accurate.
On College GameDay being here ... It's great for the fans, it's great for the university. To be able to showcase the university in front of that many eyeballs is awesome. Great for the city of Austin to showcase the city, and it's great for recruiting because recruits wake up and watch that show. They want to put their best foot forward, show off their players. They enjoy it when they're in Austin. They've been in Dallas but to have them on campus is pretty special.
On what impressed him about the younger players ... That they didn't care how bright the lights were. They handled it well. Jake Smith's first play as a Longhorn was as a punt returner. That's never easy to go do. Tyler Owens had a good hit on kickoff coverage. Gbenda played well, Kenyatta Watson got some work and played well. The way the game went was helpful because they got to play and it's not new, but they handled it well.
On the RB situation ... He's never experienced something like this. Has never heard of it happening anywhere. But kudos to the guys like Roschon and Gbenda for saying whatever this team needs, I'll do it. And they've done it well.
On Roschon ... He's taken to RB like a fish to water. He's a really competitive guy, when he makes a mistake he's really hard on himself. They have to tell him, you've been playing this position for 10 days, you're not going to be perfect. Has no doubts he'll play well because he's that type of competitor.
On tempering the emotions of the DBs ... DBU is really for nobody to decide. It's opinion. There are a lot of teams across the country that have good traditions at the DB position.
On Duvernay's hands ... Doesn't think he's seen him drop a pass in a game. Can't remember him dropping a pass in practice either. He's so strong, really competitive. Thinks that's what helps him, he's a really strong guy.
On the RB situation and how it changes their approach on how they attack ... It doesn't. If both RBs get hurt, the game plan will change significantly. LSU is really good against the run, so that could be a factor. But it will not change the game plan. They're confident in Ingram, confident in Roschon.
That's it for today.
