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Texas Longhorns football: The Tom Herman era is off to a rocky start

By Jerran Anderson

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns watches players warm up before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns watches players warm up before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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The 2017 Texas football season is off to a rocky start under Tom Herman. The Longhorns lost as a home favorite to the Maryland Terrapins.

The Texas Longhorns opened the game with a lot of optimism but it soon ended in bitter disappointment as the 23rd ranked team in the AP Poll went down to the Maryland Terrapins 51-41 at home.

The firing of head coach Charlie Strong brought about change in the coaching ranks but the results remained the same in game one under Tom Herman. The Longhorns were outplayed by the Terrapins in front of a home crowd, giving up 51 points to a young Maryland squad.

The Texas defense allowed 263 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the game. Maryland wide receivers D.J. Moore and Taivon Jacobs combined for 10 receptions for 213 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Defense, expected to be the Longhorns’ biggest strength in 2017, proved to be the biggest weakness in Week One. The 51 points allowed are the most allowed by a Texas head coach in their debut. When it came to big plays, the Terrapins made a lot while the Longhorns couldn’t seem to find a rhythm all game long.

Miscues abound

On offense, the running game was nowhere to be found. The Longhorns carried the ball 31 times for 98 rushing yards and just one touchdown.

Some of the miscues came on the play-calling, which was questionable at-best. For example, when the Longhorns scored to bring things to 30-20, they went for a two-point conversion and failed. The only problem with this is there was 7:20 remaining in the third quarter. It seems head coach Tom Herman was already in panic mode with plenty of time left in the game.

Later on in the game, the Longhorns decided to go for it down three instead of punting. After looking to force the issue in the end, it all came back to haunt them. The Maryland Terrapins came back on the very next drive. Backup quarterback Kasim Hill drove the ball 52 yards down the field for a touchdown to go up 44-34.

Discipline was also an issue for this Texas Longhorns squad. They finished the game with 11 penalties for 117 yards. Quarterback Shane Buechele threw a nice 25-yard strike to wide receiver Armanti Foreman but that was quickly called back due to a holding call. The Longhorns took two steps forward to only to take two steps backward at key moments all game long. Tom Herman seems to have his hands full so far.

Next: 3 takeaways from Maryland's win over Texas

A quick turnaround wasn’t expected but this team faces the USC Trojans in a few weeks. If the Texas Longhorns put together another abysmal performance, Herman’s run could be short-lived in Austin.

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