No. 4- Playing down to the level of the competition
Following the 2018 campaign, many felt the Longhorns were on an upward trajectory. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger stood on the podium as he accepted his Sugar Bowl MVP award and proclaimed “we’re back.” A statement he has since said that he would not do again if he was afforded the opportunity. Beating a Georgia team that was just playing for a National Championship the year before was huge for the program.
That was short-lived as the 2019 season was a disappointment. They finished 7-5 in the regular season with losses to Oklahoma and LSU, who were both the No. 6 ranked teams at the time. Each of those were one-score games. Nothing to be ashamed of there. They would lose to an unranked Texas Christian and Iowa State team in a three-week span. No one has the number of losses as a ranked team to an unranked opponent as Herman has. His record in those games is 21-11 since he took over at Houston. At Texas, the record is 12-7.
Tom Herman has a reputation of beating the teams when they are the underdog and losing when they are the heavy favorites. His teams play up or down to the level of competition. If there is one thing he is consistent with, it is that Herman coached teams are inconsistent.