Herman repeats old mantras after lack of key changes
Tom Herman (Will Gallagher/IT)
After a loss to Maryland to open 2017, Texas head coach Tom Herman said his staff had to “figure out the why.” The what’s, according to Herman, were known. The why’s needed to change. After a loss to Maryland to open 2018, Herman said once again “it’s the coaches’ job to figure out the why.”
Herman didn’t mention pixie dust following this loss, but his search for “the why’s” once again have Texas fans wondering if he and the rest of the offensive coaching staff have improved and addressed the problems that have afflicted the Longhorns for several years now.
A common theme repeated multiple times after games in 2017 and once again after the first game of 2018 is the team remains close to making it over the hump. Six of Texas’ seven losses under Herman have been by 10 points or less. Being that close time and time again and having the same problems, namely turnovers, hinder the offense again leaves many fans wondering if the problems have actually been addressed.
The Texas Tech game last season resulted in a loss due in large part to an oddly timed pass play call that resulted in a Sam Ehlinger turnover. Following the game, Herman called Ehlinger’s turnovers “concerning.”
“At some point, you know, when you continue to make the same mistakes, you got to try a different approach,” Herman said last November. “So we’ll figure out what buttons to push and we’ll work really, really hard to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
But it happened again. In the spring, Herman described the quarterback as the holder of the team’s “hopes and dreams, goals, aspirations.” He said he encouraged the quarterbacks to try and fit balls into tight windows in April because it was spring. It was an opportunity to experiment. “In the fall, we’ll work on being a lot smarter and cautious with the ball,” Herman said following the spring game.
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What Herman found concerning then remains concerning.
Overall, it’s difficult to pin the loss specifically on Ehlinger. The defense did its part to spot Maryland a three-possession lead in the first half. Did Ehlinger throw an interception with a chance to drive and win? Yes. Did the offense he led get the Longhorns back into a one score game? Yes.
Still, the end result is a loss. Herman believed following the loss at TCU last year the offense was improved.
“We’ve got to get better,” Herman said, “Surprisingly I think we have. I know it doesn’t feel that way tonight, but we’re steadily improving in that area.”
It’s still improved from then, according to Herman, despite the same result.
“We’re going to learn from it, and you should see a much improved team,” Herman said Monday.
But despite the stated improvement, Herman’s second year still began the same as it did in his first year, in part because of long-stated issues still afflicting the offense.
