Longhorns survive gut-check against Kansas State, looks toward Oklahoma

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — After watching the video of his team’s 40-34 overtime win over Kansas State last week, Texas coach Tom Herman said he is excited about where the program is heading, especially in light of how the Longhorns beat the Wildcats and have improved through the first five game of the season.

Texas (3-2 overall, 2-0 against Big 12 opponents) will take a lot of momentum and good measure of swagger into this Saturday’s AT&T Red River Showdown game in Dallas against No. 12 Oklahoma (4-1 overall, 1-1 in Big 12 games), and it was earned after the Longhorns battled toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s toughest, most physical and most disciplined teams.

“We not a finished product yet. I’m not sure [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]we will ever be this season,” Herman said Monday at his weekly media availability. “To play a team of that caliber as well as we did was impressive. We found a way to win and I like the demeanor and attitude our players showed on the sideline and the locker room.”

An optimist would say that Texas has found its stride and might be the best two-loss team in the nation. The opposite perspective would point out that the Longhorns are vulnerable against teams with dual-threat quarterbacks, have continual breakdowns in the secondary, can’t run the ball consistently and have a kicker who converts less than half his chances.

Where that leaves Texas heading into its biggest rivalry game is the biggest question of the week.

“I understand that this is one of the most important games and most storied rivalries in college football,” Herman said. “But it’s also important for your team to know that the formula for success is not going to change and the process won’t change depending on the opponent, the location of the game or where which state the opponent is from.

“The recipe for success is just like the past games: to prepare really, really hard and then when the ball is kicked off, to let it loose and trust your preparation and the abilities and preparation of the players beside you.”

Herman played coy when asked if freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who passed 380 yards and rushed for 107 more in the win over Kansas State, had done enough to be considered the starter this week and moving forward. Shane Buechele, who started at quarterback in the Iowa State game Sept. 28, is battling a sprained ankle and missed the Kansas State contest.

“Funny — I knew I was going to get asked that question,” Herman said. “I don’t think we’re ready to make that decision until we see how healthy Shane is. If Shane shows up to practice tomorrow and is running around and throwing balls and is balanced and on point, then we’ll evaluate it at that point.

“Again, it doesn’t do me any good to tell you (who the starting quarterback will be), even if I did know, because I kind of like having Oklahoma have to prepare for (both of them). So I doubt if you’re going to hear anything from me throughout the course of the week … but you guys can keep asking.”

This and that: Herman said that defensive tackle Chris Nelson sprained his ankle during the game against Kansas State and was limited in his snaps. The coach added that Nelson, Buechele and center Zach Shackelford (ankle) will be evaluated during the week as to their availability for the Oklahoma game. … When told that he is driving people crazy by going for fourth downs in the red zone rather than sending in the kicking team for a near-automatic field goal, Herman responded with a smiling “I don’t care. I really, really hate 20-yard field goals. Expect us to go for it in those situations just about every time.” … Speaking of field goals, Herman said that Joshua Rowland, who missed twice against Kansas State and is just 4-for-9 this season, made 15 of 15 kicks in practice Sunday, including six from more that 50 yards. “If it becomes problematic that it’s obviously a game issue, then we’re not going to repeatedly perform the same act expecting different results,” Herman said. “We’ve got to change something on game day.”

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