Texas Football: Longhorns show true colors with season opening loss
By Phil Poling
No. 3: Texas is who we thought they were
The jury is still out on the Longhorns after only one week, but they look like the same old song-and-dance we’ve come accustomed to from Austin – a routinely over-hyped team, receiving Top-25 status not based on their current locker room, rather their storied history. That’s all the Texas football program is, though: history.
Coming into the season ranked, people actually believed in the Longhorns. Well, many Longhorn fans believed in the Longhorns. Their run game isn’t anything to get flustered about as an opposing defensive coordinator. Their passing game isn’t a fine-tuned machine yet, although quarterback Sam Ehlinger could be the guy for head coach Tom Herman. The defense wasn’t expected to be world-beaters, but they did surrender 34 points to the Terps.
Herman isn’t quite as impressive as once advertised, either. He was supposed to come into Austin, baby-sit Charlie Strong’s recruits on the way to at least a Big 12 championship. After a full season in 2017 plus Saturday’s game, Herman is an even .500, going 7-7. His team didn’t come out of Saturday’s weather-delay with any sort of energy, either. Is he really up for the task of bringing Texas football back to relevancy?
There’s undoubtedly time to right the ship – with a tune-up game against Tulsa approaching – but Herman and the Horns play USC on Sept. 15. After losing to the Terrapins – a team without a head coach – what will Texas be able to accomplish against a team and program like Southern Cal?