The Texas Longhorns concluded their season with a 38-10 victory over 11th-ranked Utah in the Alamo Bowl. There’s no doubt finishing the season strong should be celebrated, but for the Longhorns, all it does is salvage an otherwise disappointing season that was supposed to be the announcement of a program being back to prominence. I mean no disrespect to the Alamo Bowl when I say my next statement, but the standards are a lot higher than playing in this game. After all, that is why Tom Herman was brought in as the head coach before the 2017 season, to lead Texas to heights not seen since winning the national title in 2005. In the three seasons Herman has been in charge, results have been up and down, but one thing is for sure. The Longhorns are still far away from that return to the glory days, and because of it, the eyes of Texas shed many tears.
Let’s start with year one of the Herman era. The man who was previously the head man at Houston took over for Charlie Strong, who was fired by the university after three seasons. Because of the success he had in Houston, Herman was looked at as someone who could instantly get the best out of the talent that was in place. Expectations were high, but fans and media alike would be sorely disappointed. Texas began the year losing at home to an unranked Maryland team that put 51 points up on their defense, and finished with a 7-6 record. That seventh victory came in the Texas Bowl against Missouri. Like the Alamo Bowl, the Texas Bowl is a good bowl, but not exactly where a program with all of the resources the Longhorns have should be. By the way, Texas lost to arch-rival Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown (I’ll always call it the Shootout), which is always a no-no. I get it, it’s one year into a five-year contract, but this was not exactly the start people were looking for.
Year two surely would be an improvement over the first, right? The beginning painted the picture of it being more of the same, as the Longhorns lost to Maryland (again). To Herman’s credit, he coached the players up and got things turned around. They actually beat Oklahoma in the shootout and got to the inaugural Big 12 Championship Game, where they lost to OU in a rematch. Texas actually finished the year playing in a bowl game more to the liking of the masses, the Sugar Bowl, and defeated Georgia 28-21 in New Orleans. The Longhorns compiled ten wins and played in a major bowl, or what is known as a New Year’s Six game in today’s times. At any rate, there was significant signs of improvement from the first season in Herman’s tenure, and with the majority of the players returning to school, the future looked bright in terms of seeing a potential return to glory.
So here it is, the beginning of the season, and the hype behind Texas football is as high as it has been since Colt McCoy was the quarterback a more than a decade ago. Speaking of quarterbacks, the present-day signal-caller, Sam Ehlinger, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college football preview edition, with the caption saying “The Longhorns Are Back.” To me, back means they are competing for national titles regularly, and the year would end with a birth to the College Football Playoff. Not so much, as the program regressed in a year that seemed so promising. Texas compiled a 5-4 record in conference play, and weren’t even the best football team in the state (Baylor, Texas A&M, take your pick). Included in the losses was another one to Oklahoma. Needless to say, the Longhorns are a long way from being “back,” and there’s no telling when that day will come. What we do know is Herman, at least to this point, has not produced the results that was sure to come with his arrival in Austin.
Next year will be the fourth in the Herman era, and this should be the make-or-break season. It’s understood we live in a world where instant gratification is sought after, but in college football, year four is all about the coach who’s been in place. There should be no more residue from the previous regime, and fresh recruiting classes are of their picking. The system is in place, and the time for excuses is long gone. Combine this with the fact Herman let go of many assistant coaches before the Alamo Bowl, and it equals no room for error or misunderstanding. Next season, if you ask me, anything less than in the Rose or Sugar Bowls, the two games that will host the national semifinals, is a failure. The eyes of Texas are squarely on Herman and the Longhorns, and they can only watch replays of the 2006 Rose Bowl on the Longhorn Network so many times. If things don’t get better, the same eyes could be watching another head coach get his walking papers.
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