Herman says Longhorns’ confidence is at a season high heading to TCU

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — It is amazing how a victory, even against an opponent as overmatched as winless Baylor was against Texas last Saturday, can breed confidence and create swagger and provide justification from within that the changes the Longhorns have made this year are producing tangible results.

Texas needs all the confidence, swagger and justification it can muster this week when it travels to Fort Worth for a crucial Big 12 Conference matchup with No. 10 TCU. Kickoff is at 6:15 p.m. CDT at Amon Carter Stadium.

The Longhorns likely will require a lot more [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]than those immeasurable attributes against a Horned Frogs team that may have the best talent and coaching in the league but is smarting — smarting badly — after a 14-7 loss at Iowa State last Saturday.

The continuing rise in confidence for the Longhorns (4-4, 3-2 in Big 12 play) comes on the heels of Texas’ 38-7 win Saturday over Baylor in Waco. It also helps that five of the Longhorns’ past six outings have been against teams that were ranked in the top 25 at some point this season.

Texas has won just two of those games, against Kansas State and Iowa State, but lost the other three (at USC, against Oklahoma in Dallas and at home against Oklahoma State) by a combined 11 points.

“Our guys are very confident with where we’re at,” Herman said Monday at his weekly media availability. “They’re very confident in the lessons we’ve learned in even the close ones against the teams from Oklahoma.

“I would be foolish to tell you that we feel differently now than we did going into Oklahoma State game. If you asked any player on our team, give them truth serum, they would tell you this is the week we’re going to break through. We feel that way again this week, certainly.”

Freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who has started five of UT’s eight games, has been cleared from concussion protocol and has resumed practicing with the team. Herman said he has no intention of announcing in advance if Ehlinger or sophomore Shane Buechele, who started last week and led the Longhorns to victory, would be the first one behind center Saturday against TCU.

“Probably the only silver lining to having those guys banged up and both of them having played very well at times is that we don’t have to name a starting quarterback,” Herman said. “Unless college football has gone to the NFL, we don’t have to say anything about our depth chart. By Wednesday or Thursday we probably should know internally, but that’s for (TCU) to figure out.”

Herman said a thorough examination of the Baylor game film verified what he had discerned live on Saturday from the field.

“We were extremely balanced in all three phases in terms of winning the football game, and when you can have good production in all three phases, obviously, really good things happen,” Herman said.

“I’m proud of the offense for getting the run game going. Hopefully we’ve got some confidence in where we’re headed in that direction. Obviously, our defense for the last couple weeks, really the last six or seven weeks, has been playing at a winning level. That’s really encouraging.”

THIS AND THAT:  Sophomore center Zach Shackelford, who missed the Baylor game with a concussion, has been cleared to return to practice. … The Longhorns are 12th nationally, and second in the Big 12 behind TCU, in yards allowed on the ground per game (109.6). … Herman said Monday that offensive tackle Connor Williams, who suffered a left knee injury late in the first half against USC, and is undergoing rehab of his sprained MCL, a torn meniscus and sprained PCL, now is participating in football drills and could be back in the lineup as soon as the Nov. 11 home game against Kansas. … Freshman running backs Toneil Carter and Daniel Young now are listed as “or” starters along with junior Chris Warren III and sophomore Kyle Porter. … Carter (head) and junior defensive back P.J. Locke (ankle) did not practice with the team Sunday and their availability for the TCU game is yet to be determined.

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