Texas coach’s press conference notes/quotes for Tech week

Compiled by Steve Habel
Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas coach Tom Herman met with the media for his regular press conference on Monday for the final time in the regular season. Here’s some quotes from that availability and some noted from Longhorns football in advance of [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]Friday’s game at home against Texas Tech:

• First, an injury update: “Linebacker Juwan Mitchell aggravated a hamstring issue he’s been dealing with during pregame. Defensive back Anthony Cook is still going to be out. Obviously tight end Cade Brewer is still out but he is recovering, should have him back for the bowl game.”

“Left tackle Sam Cosmi sprained his ankle, so he will be very limited Monday. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay had a contusion on his knee that’s really swelled up, so he’s going to be limited today. Defensive back Jalen Green has an ankle sprain — he’s questionable. Running back Keaontay Ingram is improving from his ankle sprain. Wide receiver Collin Johnson is probably (out until the) bowl game. Defensive back DeMarvion Overshown, another ankle sprain that we’re hoping will improve throughout the course of the week. He will be limited today.”

“Running back Jordan Whittington … we re-MRI’ed his pelvic area. There is no abnormalities as far
as anything unrelated to the pubalgia.”

• Texas is 51-17 all-time against Texas Tech, including 30-7 when the teams meet in Austin. The Longhorns defeated their in-state foe, 41-34, last season in Lubbock.

• Herman on why the offense is struggling: “In my opinion, when you play such a unique defense (in) back-to-back weeks, there is a fine line of saying, ‘hey, some of our base stuff is not going to be good, right?’ You say ‘we can’t do X, Y and Z because they’re going to be in position A, B and C.’ So you say, OK, ‘well then we need to do D, E and F.’

“There has to be a fine line to where it becomes too much that you can’t get taught in the course of a week. Obviously we thought the plan was great (against Baylor). We didn’t do a good enough job as coaches of getting that plan executed. We have not done a good job as a staff of walking that line, of making adjustments based on the uniqueness of that defensive structure and still being able to execute at a very high level.”

• The two schools first met in 1928, when the Longhorns bested the Red Raiders, 12-0, in Austin. Texas owns the longest winning streak by either side in series history, winning eight consecutive matchups from 1958-66. The Horns bested Texas Tech, 58-7, in 1999, marking the largest margin of victory (51 points) by either side in the series’ history.

• Herman on what he’s thankful for this Thanksgiving, and his favorite Thanksgiving food: “I am extremely thankful for the health of my family, my wife and three kids. I’m thankful for this team and for their fortitude. I’m thankful for the people in my life that are honest with me and that love me. Family and friends that are there for me.

“My favorite food? When I was a kid, my grandma and her sisters and brothers … they used to make — we used to have ravioli on Thanksgiving, I think they still do and it was literally hand-stuffed and crisped down raviolis, that I think they spent a whole week folding these raviolis and homemade sauce and all that stuff. I haven’t had that in a while because I hadn’t been back to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving in quite some time, but growing up I looked forward to those raviolis like nobody’s business.”

• The Horns have won eight of the last 10 matchups against Texas Tech, dating back to 2009. That stretch includes a trio of wins over the Red Raiders at Darrell K Royal-Texas
Memorial Stadium. Texas is 1-1 against Texas Tech under Herman.
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