No. 9 Longhorns won’t overlook Baylor
Texas has climbed from head-scratching loser in Week One in Maryland to No. 9 in the country over the past five games on the strength of victories over three ranked teams and historically good play from quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
It’s been a wild ride already through the first half of the season. Now, one of the real challenges for the Longhorns, beginning with this Saturday’s home game against Baylor, will be staying on course, blocking out the “noise” and continuing to improve.
That will be easier said than done. Texas coach Tom Herman said in his Monday media availability that he received 197 text messages in the 24 hours following the Longhorns’ thrilling 48-45 win over the seventh-ranked Sooners last week in the Red River Rivalry.
“I got nine after we lost to Maryland — I got nine,” Herman said. “With an 18- to 22-year old kid that’s on probably four different social media platforms, I would imagine that his circle is being pulled in every direction to try to expand.
“You need to tighten your circle in times like this, not expand it,” Herman said. “The only people that should matter in terms of what they think of you are the teammates that see you practice every day and your coaches that see you practice and prepare.”
Herman looked a bit worse for the wear on Monday, perhaps a reflection of the grind he and his team have worked through on their way out of the swamps east of the Nation’s Capital six weeks hence. Texas’ No. 9 ranking is its highest in the Associated Press poll since week four of 2010.
The Longhorns have not been ranked this highly for their seventh game of a season since 2009.
“We’re banged up — these last four weeks have been kind of a bit of a meat grinder, if you will,” Herman said. “I’m maybe the most proud of how the team came to work yesterday. They came ready to get better, understanding that we’re 0-0 against Baylor this week and that our preparation is what’s led us to where we’re at now.”
Yes, the Longhorns are rolling and have worked to regain the program’s rightful spot among the elite of college football. But Herman also said his team is not to the point where winning is an expectation.
“I don’t think we’re at a place right now where you can say winning is expected and that’s okay,” Herman explained. “Winning right now is the fruit of the labor of the week of preparation, and it should be celebrated immensely, whether you’re beating Tulsa or Oklahoma, it doesn’t matter. Winning is extremely difficult.”