Tom Herman’s Trolling of Missouri’s Drew Lock Is Good for Texas

By Adam Sweeney

The Texas Longhorns finished 2017 strong with a 33-16 win over the heavily favored Missouri Tigers in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, but most of the national headlines coming out of the game are focused on Texas head coach Tom Herman and his apparent mockery of Missouri quarterback Drew Lock.

Lock, after throwing a touchdown pass earlier in the game, struck a pose that didn’t sit well [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]with the Texas Longhorns.

Herepic.twitter.com/j9mWU1sEJj

— SEC Country (@SECcountry) December 28, 2017

Perhaps a simple gesture toward the scoreboard would have sufficed, seeing as how the Tigers still trailed the Longhorns after Lock’s scoring pass, but Herman decided to escalate the gamesmanship with a little dance of his own.

Tom Herman appears to be mocking Missouri QB Drew Lock’s celebration. pic.twitter.com/pafqeBq5hp

— Scott Bell (@ScottBellDMN) December 28, 2017

The response to Herman’s move has been mixed, with some fans and pundits calling it immature. In reality, Herman only solidified his connection to his players, who had been listening to Missouri players talk trash all week and defended the coach after the game. Lock had stated earlier in the week that he might break out a “Horns Down” gesture in the game, so the reaction wasn’t exactly unprovoked.

Even Lock, the subject of Herman’s taunt, sees the bigger picture. He responded after the game, saying, “There’s both sides of that. If you’re going to do that, you’re being a players’ coach, really,” Lock said. “If I was on the team, I would have (dug) it. ‘Coach is balling with us, he’s out here having fun.’”

More importantly, in spite of the Chicken Littles of the football world who think such a move signifies the end of the game as we know it, the move shows that the Texas head coach is tuned into the mindset of recruits and social culture as a whole. If you are going to talk trash and make the game about you then you should be ready to take the rebuttal in stride when you’re getting crushed by a team that was largely without its defensive stars. You get what you give.

The bottom line is that college football constantly evolves and Herman has grown with it. At the University of Houston he was a social media darling, endearing himself to recruits and the city when he sported a custom-made grill from rapper Paul Wall after winning the American Athletic Conference title, and last night’s move continues to put his player’s coach persona on grand display.

The “Mock of Lock” grabbed headlines and it may end up helping Texas grab recruits down the road. There is a game within the game and Herman is winning it. Texas Longhorns fans should be thrilled.

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