AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is set to square off with West Virginia in Morgantown following a bye week.
Before the bye, the Longhorns took care of business at home against Oklahoma State and the Cowboys offensive attack, which featured the nation's leading rusher and leading receiver. UT defeated Oklahoma State, 36-30.
Now, all eyes turn to the Mountaineers. Texas will be on a mission to avenge its 42-41 loss to West Virginia last season, when former Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier took the lead from the Longhorns after a two-point conversion with 16 seconds left in the game.
Here is what Herman talked about in Monday's press conference:
Tom Herman's opening statement: "Nice to have the week off and go into the week with a win under your belt. We got a little rest on Saturday. Pleased with how they handled the open date. We got our developmental guys 60-70 snaps. Injury update ... B.J. (Foster) practiced yesterday so we'll put him as probable. Collin (Johnson) and Demarvion (Overshown) are going to try to practice tomorrow. We'll know more about their status after tomorrow's practice. Jordan Whittington is just now starting to run on the ground. I don't know if this weekend is out of the question, but I'm not expecting him to be cleared for this one."
Herman on defensive back depth: "I don't think it's a 'hold the fort' mentality. We've got Chris Brown, we've got Brandon Jones. D'Shawn Jamison had worked his way into a quasi-starter at the other corner. We are going to miss those guys for the duration that they're out – Caden Josh and Jalen – but we're confident with the guys that will be rolling out there."
Herman on OSU running back Chuba Hubbard's night against Kansas State compared to UT: "I didn't watch a snap of it and probably won't until we play Kansas State. But I did hear about the night he had at 297 yards or something like that. I think it gives everybody in the (UT) organization some confidence knowing that we held such a powerful rushing attack. To hold (Hubbard) to 3.3 yards per carry and I think just one touchdown. It kind of makes us all believers in our run defense."
Herman on going on the road to Morgantown: "For a lot of these young guys, it'll be their first time getting on an airplane to go to a game. It'll be the first time for a true "hostile environment." (Morgantown) is a very difficult venue to play in. We were there two years ago. At the end of the day, these guys have played a lot of football. The field is 120 yards long a 53 and a third yards wide. When the ball is kicked off, where you're playing the game is irrelevant if we choose to make it that way. To allow an opposing crowd or the fact that you're on the road affect your play ... that's a choice."
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Herman on West Virginia's 'new look' team: " I've got a ton of respect for Coach Brown. The one thing that jumps off the film is they're playing really, really hard and physical. And then schematically, they try to get their athletes on offense in space, create some confusion with their stand up end (on defense). It'll be a good test for both sides of the ball."
Herman on Sam Ehlinger's 21st birthday and what he did for his birthday: "(Herman's 21st birthday) was so long ago, I can't remember. Maybe that does have a little bit to do with what I did that day. My birthday is in the summer, though, so I had a lot less at stake than Sam does. I'm sure he enjoyed himself this weekend with friends and family, but I haven't talked to him at all about it. I believe it's Derek Kerstetter's birthday, as well. So, Happy Birthday to those two guys."
Herman on punt return fielding issues against Oklahoma State: "(Jake Smith and Brandon Jones) are both unique instances. Jake's was a lot more fundamentals. He let his hand get low and his elbows got separated, so it's just a consistency with perfect technique that he has to work on. And Brandon ... that's my fault. We have harped on him for two years about fielding every punt because it just drives you bananas as a head coach when you let punts drop and you lose 20 yards because a guy won't catch a punt. We should have reminded (Brandon) of the situation in the game. Like, 'Hey, if there is any stress on this, let the punt drop on the ground and let it roll and we'll take some time off the clock because the clock is more important at this point than the 10 to 15 yards you could save us.' He was doing what he was coached to do, but at that moment in the game, we should have done a better job of alerting him of the situation."
Herman on players from the "developmental group" who stood out: "I'm going to leave guys out, I'm sure. I've been impressed with the way David Gbenda runs and hits. Myron Warren has a good future here. Tyler Johnson has improved a ton from this spring. The two young tight ends are going to be really good for us. Kennedy Lewis has had a good couple weeks, even on the scout team. And again, I know I'm leaving guys out, but those are the ones that jump into my head."
Herman on expectations of going on the road: "We're 6-2 in true road games in the conference. Our team has found ways to ... home teams usually get more excited. Being at home certainly helps, but I feel like our guys do as good a job of being able to tune all of the distraction – whether it be the routine or the crowd noise – and just focus in on their job."
Herman on what he knows his team can do week in and week out: "I know our team can stop the run. Our quarterback is as good as there is in the country at managing the game and getting us into good plays and out of bad plays. I'd like to see us defend the pass a little bit better, whether that be man or zone. Some consistency in the run game. We've had back-to-back weeks where we've felt pretty good about it. I think we are headed in the right direction there."
Herman on West Virginia quarterback Austin Kendall: "You can tell this is his fifth year. He's very saavy. The ball comes out quick. You can tell he understands the offense. He's a great player."
Herman on California governor signing bill to let NCAA athletes be paid: "I don't know the specifics, so for me to comment would be way too premature. I have been on record as saying I do believe we need to find a way to get student-athletes more for their name, image and likeness. But, I don't know all the specifics of what's going on in California."
The Texas-West Virginia game is set to air on KVUE at 2:30 p.m. CT.
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