The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tracking the Longhorns: Tom Herman press conference
09.04.2017 | Football
Head coach Tom Herman met with the media on Monday afternoon in advance of the Longhorns' matchup with San Jose State.
Opening statement: Obviously not the result that any of us expected or anticipated, or planned for. But there were a lot of positives to build on, there were certainly mistakes that need to be corrected if we're going to get to where we all want to get and where we all know that we can get to.
But I told the team yesterday, the fastest way to failure is to play in fear of failure. And I think that our guys, in talking to a lot of the players on the team, they have never been so invested in something for so long and quite frankly, I think a lot of them tried to be perfect. They tried to squeeze too hard, if you will, and they didn't cut loose and play the way that they had hoped that they played. And so we have got to figure out a way as coaches to make sure that this week and ensuing weeks, that we take the training to the field on game day, because there were, quite frankly -- I mean there were things that happened on Saturday that we as coaches hadn't seen since spring ball. Mistakes in habits and techniques that had been corrected and had been what we thought were ingrained into habit and they showed back up at times very inopportune times on Saturday. So we've got to do a really good job of figuring out as coaches how to make sure that that doesn't happen again.
But we're excited. I mean the team is disappointed, certainly, we all are, the fans, students, players, but nobody's more disappointed than our players and coaches. But we can't let disappointment turn into distraction. We have got to focus on preparing to win a game this week and that's what we're going to do. And we can't let Maryland beat us twice. And I don't think it will. I think our guys, after watching that video, there's a lot of ah-ha moments, I think. And some really good teaching and learning opportunities. You would rather those come with the final score being different than what it was, but if you're going to lose, you better learn from it, and I think we're well on our way to doing that.
Injury update: Shane Buechele has a bruised throwing shoulder, so he will not practice tomorrow and we will evaluate him throughout the week. Questions?
On the disconnect Saturday: The best way that I know right now, having only been whatever it is, 48 hours removed from it, is there was a lot of trying too hard. I think that's real. I think that when you're trying to be perfect in this game, you wind up being a step late to everywhere you're going, because you're evaluating, you're tiptoeing, you're figuring things out, you want to be so right. Is this the right way or is that the right way? And next thing you know, yeah, you might have gone the right way, but now you're a step or two too late.
So I think one of the -- we've got to be a lot more reckless and I think -- getting back to your psychology question, I think that genuinely comes, that comes when you trust what and how you have been coached. And so that there is no more thinking. This is the way to do it, there is no other way to do it. I think when I said that there was some ah-ha moment, I think that's the biggest one for a lot of our players is, ah-ha, now I get it, now I get it. Now I see that if I just cut loose and trust the way that I've been coached, I make that play, whereas I didn't on Saturday, because I was a step too late, because I was feeling around and thought the back might cut back, or I thought the guy was supposed to block my -- wrong arm me or whatever the case may be, is, don't think, and trust so that you can play without hesitation.
On showing the team they're headed in the right direction despite the loss: I am. And I saw it on Saturday during the game, to be honest with you. I thought our internal/mental emotional response to adversity was fantastic. I really do. I've had numerous players tell me that, Coach, in years past, had we gone down 27-7, there would be a lot of guys that probably folded up their tents and went home. And that thing could have gotten ugly. And into the fourth quarter, I was walking up and down the sideline and guys were -- I remember Jerrod Heard vividly still with like six or seven minutes to go, he looks me right in the eye, and he says, Coach, we're going to win this game. And I said, I know we are. I knew it when we kicked it off.
Now we didn't and that's where I'm heading to here is that, so I think the internal and emotional response is fantastic and I think that they believe in that. We have got to find a way then to take the next step in putting that response into physical action and being where we're supposed to be, how we're supposed to be there, every single time. So that is the next step.
But the first step, that's a big one. It's a big one around here. So and then coming in yesterday, we were, I mean, this was a really, really somber place for most of the day yesterday and it should be. I would be really, really worried if guys weren't really sad and upset and hurt. And they were. We came out, we practiced last night, and we put the Maryland game to rest. Certainly not the lessons that we learned, but put the game to rest and moved on to prepare for San Jose.
On what and how much needs to be fixed: No. I mean I think, we have got a saying in this program, we ain't changing. And we're not going to ever be too stubborn to not realize when change is necessary, but I don't think when you're selling a vision and you're selling a culture and you're selling a way of doing things, that the first hiccup is not to panic. The first hiccup is not to press eject. The first hiccup is not to just fire people from their jobs or fire players from their spots on the depth chart. We got to coach them better, they got to learn and we got to teach. Because we know our way works, we have just got to do a better job of teaching it and our players got to do a better job of taking that teaching to the game field.
So, no, we're in this for the long haul. There's going to be some bumps along the way, and we need to make sure that we stay consistent.
On Shane Buechele's bruised shoulder and the effect that could have on Saturday: Yeah. That certainly doesn't help the depth chart. I think it was on one of the break contain passes that I think he threw it away and was getting hit as he threw it away and just fell on it pretty hard. He doesn't remember the exact play. We think we kind of found the one on film, but obviously, we're not sure. The kid finished the game and at one point, I think Johnny (Bianco) said 12 consecutive completions or something like that. So he woke up in a lot of pain, I mean I'm not going to discount that. But this wasn't a deal where it was the last play of the game and he didn't go back in. This was something where he was able to finish the game and the doctors have said that rest is the best option right now, and just to kind of keep evaluating it every 24 hours or so. And so that means tomorrow Sam will get the bulk of the reps -- not the bulk, he'll get the reps with the 1's, and then we'll have to move Jerrod back there to kind of do double duty a little bit. But he'll get a lot of reps at the 2 quarterback spot. And then, but still get some of his reps at receiver.
On making a decision on Buechele's status and getting Ehlinger ready to play: I don't know that a day -- Shane's our starting quarterback. And so if he can play, he's going to play. If he can play and not to the detriment of his team, then he's going to do that. And is Sam ready? No, not right now. But he will be. He's close. He's as close as any true freshman I've ever been around. So I think him getting these reps this week will -- he'll respond. I mean he'll be ready.
On Maryland winning the line of scrimmage: Manhandled wouldn't be the adjective that I use. But I think we only handed the ball to our running backs 14 times. We got to do a better job of establishing the run game. Now, obviously, it's difficult when you fall down by 20 points in the second quarter. It changes your thought process a little bit. And then only one of -- one or two of the sacks were really offensive line breakdown. So I feel, certainly, not great, I mean we have got a long way to go and the entire team needs to improve. But to single those two position groups out I think would be a bit rash.
On balancing the expectations and not putting too much pressure on the team I appreciate you asking that. That is a big balancing act and one that, as coaches, quite frankly we have been doing all our lives. We have chosen this profession. They're 18 to 22 year old, fragile young men that need very high expectations put on them and to be held to those expectations. But also when they fail to meet them, they need to be taught how better to meet them and not just yelled at and not just, hey, you didn't do it. Well, I know, coach. Tell me how to do it. I didn't mean not to do it, I want to do it, teach me how to do it.
And so, yeah, that's a big balancing act, but one that at the end of the day, if you love your players the way that we love our players, and they love you in return, I think -- and this is a good thing, I think our players were more disappointed that they let our coaches down than the fans and their parents and their brothers and sisters, girlfriends, whoever. And that's a really good start. When players don't perform well and they feel bad for the people that they're invested in this with, that's really good.
On if his team is fragile: Fragile mentally, yeah, certainly. We're not fragile physically, if that's what you mean with the injury. No way. No. Our guys are in very, very good condition.
And then as far as the run game, no, I think that as evidenced, we were seeing a lot of one-high coverage with extra defender in the box to take away the run game, and, obviously, and then we fell down 20 points in the second quarter. So I think the defense and the circumstances of the game dictated that more than any kind of faith that we have in the run game. I believe that being a balanced offense, which is what we want to be does not mean we want to throw it 40 times a game and run it 40 times a game. It means we want to be able to win the game on offense the way the defense dictates us. It felt like our offensive staff did a good job of adjusting to the circumstances and to the fronts and coverages that they were seeing.
On going for it on fourth down: Both. I think if you go back in our history, we have gone for it quite a bit on fourth down. One of the tops in the country. And so much so that in fact we have -- it's kind of funny that in game one it came up so many times. We actually invested in a service that does all these analytics, and we have got a binder up in the press box that tells you quarter by quarter, score by score, and then field position, it's dark green if it's yes, you should go for it; light green if it's think about it; yellow probably not; and red, don't even think about it.
So we went for it without me hearing what the guys were saying that the binder said to do. But going back after the game on all four of them, the binder said we should do it, so they were all dark green. Now we got to do them better, obviously, or else the binder is going to start saying not to do them. So that's -- it's a part of who we are, it's a part of, especially in the red zone, I mean I can't stand 20-yard field goals. Now there's a time and a place for them, but if you get inside the five-yard line and you got three or four downs to get it in and we don't, then we got bigger problems than just kicking field goals.
So the metrics say to go for it in those situations and we have got to have a much better plan, though, for how to convert those.
On concern in the secondary: I'm not. I don't think my concern at that position group is any more glaring than any other one. So we didn't play good in a lot of areas against Maryland and secondary certainly one of them, but not a cause for any kind of major concern.
On Holton Hill and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps having big games despite being from the Houston area and dealing with the effects of Hurricane Harvey: I thought it was really good, especially for Holton, who has had a bit of an up-and-down career here so far and it's pretty neat. After the game he hugged me and was kind of choked up and said, Coach, thank you for believing in me.
Again, we didn't win, which we all wanted to. But to see him have that kind of renewed sense of self-pride and self-worth was pretty cool.
And then yeah, Reggie went from, we didn't know where his grandpa was for awhile, actually, and his grandpa had to be rescued from on top of a car by a boat. So Reggie had gone through some tough stuff over the course of a few days and really responded well. And I think the future's bright for both those kids.
On special teams and the kicking game: Yeah, the miss, again, it's, that kid has been really, really good in training camp. I mean really good. And I don't know if it was a trying too hard thing or not, but he actually kind of clipped the grass or the turf right before -- I mean this kid's been, he's kicked how many balls in his life? His leg swing is automatic and for some reason, he clipped the turf right underneath it and kind of popped it up and shanked it.
Then the one we've got to do a better job, obviously, interior, at the guards -- that's become -- now that you can't jump, and now that really coming off the edge and a lot of the formations that people use to kick field goals, it's kind of almost impossible. Really the only place to block a field goal is up the middle. And so we have got to do a much better job solidifying that, but our kicker needs to do a better job of getting the ball up too. It was a bit of a low kick for a guy that's, just to be standing and to be able to do this (Indicating). Now, he shouldn't have been as far back as he was. But still, to be able to do that and block a kick, we need to get more height on it.
But we got one, too, which was a good thing. And you can see that in today's college football, that's -- getting a lot of pressure up the middle is really the only way to do it.
On his thoughts on the tight end position: Garrett Gray played okay. No better or worse than most on offense. But I think we do -- we talked about it today in game planning. We need to jog Kendall in a little bit, maybe -- and probably the best run blocker of the three guys right now and run behind him maybe a little bit in this game and get him involved in the run game a little bit. So I would imagine you'll see him a lot more this week.
On the crowd reaction Saturday: Yeah, I mean they're disappointed. We are too. Nobody more so than the players and coaches that are fully invested in this. I thought, and maybe I was wrong, that they were upset at a call or two by the officials. But in any case, yeah, I think the rules committee has actually put a large emphasis on that this year, that we can actually be flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for our fans if, once they're warned, if they don't stop. And so I get it. You're disappointed, you want the Long Horns to win and do well and so do we.
But, hopefully, one, we won't have that issue again, because we won't give them, us or the officials, give them that much cause for disappointment.
But, two, we have also got to be smart and know that they could be costing their team a pretty sizeable penalty.
But, three, I think the biggest one is, is that, as I said post-game, this is a process and we're in this thing for the long haul. And these nine months of training wasn't just to beat Maryland. This was to instill and solidify a culture and a way of doing things and an attitudinal shift that I feel like we're on our way. Did I think we were ahead of where we showed on Saturday? Yeah, I did. Hopefully, we'll show that this week.
On the coordinators not being available to the media postgame this year: The thinking behind that is that the decisions ultimately go through me and that you're never going to get me to throw a player under the bus or throw a coach under the bus. The responsibility with the team as a whole lies with the head coach. And I thought about it, but I just think right now, especially heading in the direction that we're headed, I think one singular message needs to be there. Maybe at some point in the future we will, but right now I think the message definitely needs to be from me.
On the issues with kickoffs: Yeah, it was, we catch kickoffs every day. Every day. The guy was doing a really good job of putting them in kind of the no man's land area is it a you, you, you call, is it a me, me, me call, is it the up back, is it me, is it the off returner. It's not an excuse, we've definitely got to do a better job with that, but I think the only -- I was surprised, one, and then, two, I think the only way to remedy that is we got to give them more unconventional kicks, I guess, in practice, so that we're working those very rare instances more often. And, yeah, guys like Bimage and Gary Johnson especially on kick off coverage, I was happy, we're going to need some of those young guys -- Josh Thompson is another one -- to help us a lot on those special teams units.
On bouncing back and getting ready for the next game: Yeah, it is. We do play a game this week, don't we? I appreciate you recognizing that. I think our guys are -- they're kids, and as big as Texas football can become, they have been doing this a long time. They have lost football games before in their life. So have I. We have always had to get up and go play the next week. So we kind of know how to do that. We kind of, we understand and believe that one game is not going to define our season. There's, I mean how many examples do you need of -- I gave one right after the game, I mean, we came home to Columbus, Ohio in 2014 for our home opener and got our butts kicked by Virginia Tech. I mean butts kicked. And that team became closer. And that's what I told our guys yesterday in a team meeting, I said, losses have one of two effects: They can bring you closer or they can splinter you apart and it's all about the choices and the decisions that you make on how you're going to take that loss. So it's very well documented that team went on to win the National Championship. Mack Brown started off 1-2 in his career here and wound up doing pretty good here at Texas. I think that Nick Saban lost to Louisiana Monroe in his first season at Alabama. So it happens when you're trying to build something. But we have got to do a phenomenal job of, not forgetting, when you say flush and all that stuff, I think that's accurate, but you can't let the disappointment linger, but you also, you have to learn, and those lessons have to be real and you have to be reminded of what can happen if you don't put your plan into action and don't do things the way that you've been taught to do them, then, hey guys, remember this, yeah, you don't want to completely forget it, you want to learn the lessons, but I think our guys are really focused this week. And it's been really, really cool to see on Labor Day, their day off, day off from school and day off from football, any mandatory activities, I've walked by a ton of guys that are in the training room, that are watching film on their own, that are in the weight room getting stronger, I mean just guys being pros and taking care of their bodies and their mind and ready to take the next step and so that's been really, really cool to see the influx of guys that have come just to get their extra voluntary work in.
