Take Two: Are Herman and the Longhorns mired in mediocrity?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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THE STORYLINE
The second year of the Tom Herman rebuilding effort at Texas got off to a disappointing start this past weekend when the Longhorns lost to Maryland 34-29.
This was supposed to be payback after the Terps shockingly upended Texas last season in Austin in Herman’s first game as coach. But it did not happen, and now people are wondering just how long this rebuilding job will take and even if Herman can get the job done to make Texas nationally relevant again.
The program is a far cry from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma - national powerhouses who all cruised in their season-openers.
And the schedule doesn’t help much. After a tune-up against Tulsa this weekend, Texas has USC, TCU, Kansas State and Oklahoma leading into early October.
Will the Longhorns get back on the national stage soon? And is Herman leading this program in the right direction?
FIRST TAKE: ANWAR RICHARDSON, ORANGEBLOODS.COM
"This is definitely a surprise to every Longhorn observer. There was a natural assumption that Herman would hit the ground running, but after the Maryland loss last year, coupled with multiple injuries on the offensive line, it quickly turned into a rebuilding year.
“However, everybody thought the rebuilding process was over and Texas would be competitive this season.
“Nobody who follows the Longhorns expected Maryland to defeat Texas for a second-straight year. In fact, players and coaches were surprised, too. Instead of taking a step forward, Texas appears stuck in mediocrity. Texas has the talent to win. However, this was supposed to be a guaranteed victory for Texas, and it is fair to question if 2018 will be another disappointing year for the Longhorns.
“The schedule will become more difficult after this week. If Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger shows improvement after Tulsa, Texas has a chance to get back on track. But if Ehlinger struggles with turnovers and the defense does not create takeaways, it is going to get ugly in Austin.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I thought they would be better than this. They have a roster loaded with four-stars, they have a lot of talent and they looked like they were playing down to their opponent when they lost to Maryland. Texas just didn’t look good at all.
“I expected in year three or four they would be competing for the Big 12 title, but the way they’re looking right now that may be ahead of schedule. They might be a team that takes four or five years to rebuild, and if that’s the case, Herman isn’t going to be around for it.”