Photo via HookEm.com
Texas football coach Tom Herman had a message he wanted to convey after his team’s 27-24 victory against Kansas State on Saturday.
Thankfully, Herman’s program has progressed to the point that there was no mention of his team becoming bowl eligible as a result of Texas’ sixth victory this season. Nothing makes me want to close my laptop faster than hearing about the importance of getting seniors to a bowl game. That accomplishment is like saying I want my son to have a sports achievement, but he plays in an i9 Sports league – he won a trophy, but did he really win one? Did he? Again, at least we are past that point.
Instead, Herman focused on addressing the rumors about discord within his program. Some Longhorn observers walked away wanting to know who Herman was talking about. Others questioned why Herman decided to fire shots. Some enjoyed seeing Herman pull out the belt and deliver a good ol’ fashioned media butt-whooping. However, I walked away with another thought.
Herman is trying to keep his Longhorns unified.
For the past five seasons, the off-the-field narrative has been predictable. Players learned the previous season, and everybody is looked like a star in spring practice. There are guys excelling during summer workouts. By the time training camp hits, all the players are bought-in, the offseason BBQ was a hit, and every Longhorn fan is ready to win a Big 12 title.
Then reality hits, and Texas loses a few games.
Suddenly, there are rumors about a player-led revolt, which could result in mass departures.
After Kansas and TCU this season, we were back at a familiar place recently. That is why Herman addressed it during his opening statement on Saturday, and expanded on the topic when Austin American Statesman reporter Brian Davis asked a follow-up question.
“You know, with what these guys have been through these last few weeks and every -- all the misinformation that's been out there and said and written about this team and the attitude and togetherness of this team, teams that aren't together, teams that don't love each other, teams that are splintered, teams that are selfish don't go down 14-0. We can't get off the field on defense, can't do anything on offense. Teams that are all those things, they splinter, and it turns into a blowout. They wave the white flag, and it could have been a really, really bad scene in DKR. But the win is obviously very important for us and what we wanted to accomplish tonight.
“But the way that it happened, to go down 14-0 in the blink of an eye in the first two drives, and then obviously we had the awful special teams mistake that led to a touchdown, but then to outscore them 27-3 from an offensive and defensive perspective, to have more time of possession than the No 2, No. 3 team in the country with time of possession, to rush for 214 yards against one of the top-20 rush defenses in the country and hold them to 51 yards rushing, teams that don't believe, teams that don't have confidence, teams that aren't together and play for each other, that doesn't happen.”
Here was Herman’s response to the follow-up question.
“Well, it's just I've been on record, both on my radio show and Thursday night, just when people print fifth-hand information and it gets said as fact, it's just -- that's irresponsible in my opinion. But it comes with the territory. You know, we knew what we signed up for when we came to Texas, and the fans have very high expectations, as they should, and we do, too. But we know the pulse of the team, and we know those guys in that locker room really, really, really do a great job playing for each other.”
Herman is correct about his team’s ability to rebound after falling behind.
I did not think Texas would defeat Kansas State on Saturday. After needing a last-minute comeback to defeat Kansas, and a loss against TCU, I was no longer interested in giving this team the benefit of the doubt. I needed to see this team play better before I was willing to believe it actually would.
In addition, I was not sure how Texas would respond if Kansas State took an early lead.
Well, they proved Herman’s point.
--- Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s unit began the game by giving up 5-of-6 third-down conversations against Kansas State. Kansas State never converted another third-down, and finished with 5-of-11 conversions.
--- Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 13-of-17 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns after two quarters. He completed 4-of-10 passes for 36 yards in the second half.
--- Kansas State had only 51 yards rushing.
--- Orlando adjusted defensively and stopped giving Kansas State such a cushion against his cornerbacks, but had them play closer to receivers. That changed negated Kansas State’s run game.
After the win, Herman downplayed the defensive adjustments.
“I'd like to say it was some defense that we called. It wasn't,” Herman said. “We played better on first and second down to make those third-downs a lot longer. We executed at a much higher level. We did our jobs. Then we realized in man-to-man coverage they had a really good plan early on with some pick routes, rub routes, things of that nature, that we're giving us some problems. We didn't play as much man-to-man coverage on third down after. I think it starts on first and second down and keeping it in third-and-very manageable for the defense.”
Herman is also managing his players inside the building.
The thing most Longhorn observers fail to admit is Herman will never be a coach interested in playing politics. He is not going to shake hands and kiss babies. Herman will never tell jokes at a press conference to become loved. He is not going to ask his wife, Michelle, to become visible and make appearances at social events in Austin. He is content to be a football coach, without the politics.
As a result, you are going to hear rumors about disgruntled players, especially since the transfer portal has made it easy for athletes to leave. Some rumors will have merit. Other times, players are blowing off steam. Regardless, players have the right to be happy, and if that means going elsewhere, they should look for joy elsewhere. Life is too short not to be happy.
They just need to be smart.
There have been 19 players with eligibility remaining that left or quit the Longhorns since 2017 (not counting Shane Buechele, who was a grad transfer). Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott became a standout player as Missouri. Offensive lineman Jean Delance played at Florida. Running Kyle Porter has contributed at Houston. Outside of that, most players were never heard from again.
Devin Duvernay stayed and has emerged into an NFL draft prospect.
I honestly do not know if Reggie Hemphill-Mapps is still playing football.
Herman met with freshmen players during the bye week, and I was told those meetings went well. I learned Herman heard the rumors about freshmen players being unhappy, but one source told me, “Unless every single one of them lying to him, those meetings went really well, and he felt they were on the same page.”
In addition, Herman has focused on improving relationships with his players, and that starts with his assistant coaches.
Herman has challenged his assistants to improve relationships with players in their room. At the end of the day, a head coach cannot manage the daily emotions of every player. It is up to Herman’s assistants to support their boss behind closed doors.
Texas has three games left.
The Longhorns need to win out, plus hope Oklahoma beats Baylor, in order for a second straight Big 12 title appearance.
Texas has faced adversity this season.
Herman is trying to keep his team unified through it.
Photo via AP
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
This should get your week started on a positive note (props to Gary Cole for this submission)
He slapped the fillings out of his opponent’s mouth
I am going to guess that she sobered up pretty fast after that kick
This is for the dog lovers
Sports On A Dime
1. This is the Keaontay Ingram my sources said was making dynamic plays during the spring and training camp. We finally had a chance to see what everyone was talking about. Ingram’s performance on the ground provided Texas with the consistency it needed on Saturday. He is one of the reasons why Texas won the time of possession battle (31:19 – 28:41) against Kansas State.
2. If there was a comeback player of the game, give that award to Brandon Jones. During the first quarter, Jones missed tackles on separate possessions that resulted in Kansas State scores. However, Jones’ 53-yard punt return gave Texas possession on Kansas State’s 21-yard line in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, Ingram scored on a 12-yard run, and Texas took a 24-14 lead. Jones caused a fumble, and led the team in tackles (six). He deserves props for his resiliency.
“Yeah, you're re going to miss tackles in space,” Herman said. “It happens. We try to make sure that our guys be aggressive. We don't want them breaking down, stomping their feet and getting juked, if you will, so we take our shot and we trust that there's 10 other guys that are going to rally, and if I miss, then at least 10 other guys are going to get him on the ground. I can't say enough for him to not lose any confidence. He played fast. He played fearless tonight. And then obviously the punt return was huge in terms of a swing in field position and obviously set up a touchdown.”
3. Herman on Denzel Okafor playing right tackle after the injury to Junior Angilau forced Derek Kerstetter to move inside and play right guard: “I don't know specifically how he played as an individual. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in him. He's been our sixth guy all year. But I do know we ran the ball really, really well in the second half, and I'm sure he had a lot to do with that."
4. Herman on his leaders stepping up against Kansas State: “I mean, you always want your best players to be your hardest workers, and that’s pretty common around here. The guys that work their tails off and not only lead but lead by example are some of our best players, and they came through and really, really -- in this game certainly. But the guy that gets overlooked is Malcolm Roach. He lived in that backfield, and man, you should have heard him pregame, halftime, on the sideline. I’ve told him time and time again, whenever his football career is done and he wants to get into coaching to call me because I’ll make a spot somewhere in our program for him because he’s a natural at it. Obviously he’s a coach’s kid. But this means a lot to him. He has the ability to relate to everybody in that locker room. The things that he says are very passionate but also very poignant, and I thought all those captains [did a great job]. Sam did a great job, Shack did a great job, and when they come through and when they play well in big games, I think it’s a great example to the rest of the team that, hey, maybe there is something to this working hard and grinding all the time and staying out of trouble and all that stuff that really, really good things happen to guys that do that.”
5. When you make a game-winning field goal, and keep your team’s conference championship game hopes alive, let the man where whatever makes him feel comfortable before a game.
6. Texas men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart pulled off one of the biggest wins of tenure at Texas. There have been big wins in the past, but when you consider the struggles this program has faced, especially in non-conference games, this win was huge. I will let Ketch determine if you have permission to dream when it comes to this year’s team. At worst, you have my permission to watch games without anticipating the inevitable collapse that plagued previous teams.
7. One of the best scenes from this past week
8. They might as well give LSU quarterback the Heisman Trophy right now. By the way, if he does win the award, it means Herman’s teams at Texas have faced the past three Heisman Trophy winners (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and potentially Burrow).
9. USF trailed Temple by 10 points with less than two minutes ago. The Bulls had two timeouts. Charlie Strong never used them. Basically, USF ran the clock out on itself. After reading this portion of Joey Knight’s story, and seeing the video of Strong’s response for not using his timeouts to set up a play, I have officially given up on my team's chances of becoming bowl eligible.
“The program has sharply regressed in the last calendar year, losing 11 of its last 15 games. Ten of the 11 defeats have been by double digits.
“An allegedly refurbished offense, led by a new coordinator, has sputtered at best and foundered at worst. In three home games this year, USF has been shut out in the first half. The same offensive line that started last season’s Gasparilla Bowl has allowed an astounding 38 sacks, most in the American Athletic Conference.
“Adding to the offensive burden is a complete lack of trust in the kicking game; USF hasn’t even tried a field goal of longer than 43 yards. While the defense ranks among the nation’s leaders in takeaways (21), it has remained maddeningly inconsistent, surrendering more than 200 rushing yards four times.”
10. How many times have we seen coaches with traditional resumes fail? Sanders cannot be a worst options than other coaches.
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