Texas football turns the page after loss to Oklahoma

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — If you thought the Texas team you saw lose last Saturday to Oklahoma in Dallas in the AT&T Red River Showdown looked different from the one that played so well and consistent over first five weeks of the season, you are not alone.

Even Longhorns coach Tom Herman [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]had a hard time recognizing his squad from the way it played in the 34-27 loss in the Cotton Bowl.

“It was the first time that I can remember that we got out-physicaled on both sides of the ball,” Herman said Monday during his weekly scheduled availability. “That’s not us. I’m obviously disappointed in everything — in the way that the game unfolded and the way that we played.”

The Longhorns (4-2 overall, 2-1 in Big 12 play) will try to put that disappointment in the rear view mirror in preparation for this week’s 6 p.m. dustup against Kansas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

There has to be some hangover from the loss to Oklahoma, even for a Longhorns team that lives with its “1-0” mantra.

“Our guys were eager to get back to work yesterday,” Herman said. “[We had] good energy at practice. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that we can learn from that game and need to improve on. We have a lot a lot of guys dedicated and committed to doing that.

“We have completely turned the page as a team, and our sole focus, as it should be, is to do everything within our power to beat Kansas.”

Herman was asked if there was a level of “pissed-off-ness” in the way his team played against the Sooners and in the way the Longhorns’ defense is struggling mightily.

“If there’s anybody to be angry at, it’s me,” Herman said. “Obviously I didn’t do enough to get our guys to play at the level that they’re capable of playing.

“The things that we did do poorly, we have shown at times to be able to do well. We’ve got to coach our guys to play with a level of consistency, especially against top-five opponents.”

Through its first six games, Texas is surrendering 453.3 yards per game, and is on a pace to allow the most yards per outing in school history, breaking the mark of 452.6 yards per game allowed in 2015. The Longhorns have given up 310 passing yards per game, which would also be the highest total in school history, and by a large margin. The record is 277.8 in 2007.

“There is zero sense of panic,” Herman said. “There is zero sense of ‘woe is me.’ There is zero sense that our issues are unfixable.”
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