Presser Nuggets – 11/5/2018

Texas head coach Tom Herman met with the media on Monday, November 5th ahead of the team’s matchup against Texas Tech in Lubbock. Herman discussed the loss to West Virginia, injuries, the play of his freshmen, the team’s defensive struggles, and more.

Key points from Herman’s media availability can be found below.

• Player spirits are high in the locker room, despite the loss to West Virginia.
• LB Marqez Bimage dislocated his shoulder in the West Virginia game and will not play on Saturday.
• CB Davante Davis suffered a neck sprain on Saturday and is questionable for Saturday’s game.
• LB Breckyn Hager has a dislocated radius and is questionable for Saturday.
• Safety Brandon Jones is also questionable for Saturday due to his ankle.  Herman said they are hoping his ankle improves in the upcoming days but if they played today, Jones would not play.
• Defensively, Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando are trimming the call sheet down to give the players more confidence. Says they want to “uncover every stone” to figure out the specific issue(s).
• Herman says the defense has played tentative and hasn’t cut it loose at times.
• Freshmen defensive backs Caden Sterns and Anthony Cook are doing well but have a lot of room for improvement, says Herman.
• On the team’s average margin of defeat being three points, Herman says they have won close ballgames but they need to do it more often.
• LJ Humphrey’s improvement has been steady over the last two years. Humphrey has what Herman calls a “fight-for-the-ball” mentality. Says that is something that is difficult to coach and teach. You either kind of have it or you don’t. Herman says Humphrey certainly has it.
• On Kliff Kingsbury, Herman says he doesn’t know him well but runs into him on the recruiting trail sometimes. Praises the quarterback evaluation Kingsbury possesses, especially with guys like Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb.
• For the second week in a row, Herman had this to say about stopping the run. “You better be able to stop the run or you’re going to bleed a slow death.”
• On defending West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, the plan was to drop eight guys into coverage and have them cover the Mountaineer receivers. Regarding blitzes, Herman says the coaches need to do a better job of coaching technique in pass rushing.
• Sam Ehlinger is still playing hurt – his shoulder isn’t fully healed.
• Ehlinger’s biggest area of growth is his trust in the offense – in all aspects. Herman noted Ehlinger’s aggressiveness and trust in himself as contributing factors to the success of the offense.
• On what he would consider a successful season while currently sitting at 6-3: “To go 1-0 vs. Texas Tech”
• On the last two games which were close losses, Herman says he is extremely proud of the level of intensity and physicality the team continues to play with. Also says frustration comes with not being able to close the deal.
• Much like last week’s game against West Virginia, Herman says this week’s game against Texas Tech will be high scoring. He knows his team must score points to have a chance at winning.
• Players like Moro Ojomo, Jamari Chisholm and Keondre Coburn will most likely play again this week out of necessity.
• On playing against former Texas player and current Texas Tech defensive back John Bonney: “It will be fun to see him on the field. It will be fun to give him a big hug.”