Herman less than frank in wake of loss

Tom Herman struck the right tone for the most part on Monday.

But he chose the wrong words.

Two days after his team’s wickedly poor opener against Maryland, the first-year Texas head coach wasn’t surly. He wasn’t defensive. He wasn’t panicky.

Of course, he wasn’t overly apologetic either and probably should have been after that inexplicable 51-41 meltdown loss to an 18-point underdog. And at home.

And he wasn’t totally honest. His team played poorly, wasn’t nearly physical enough, didn’t play sound football and made very few adjustments if any. Herman didn’t quite admit as much as, say, Florida’s Jim McElwain, who said Michigan kicked his team’s butt. Herman barely mentioned Maryland on Monday.

Texas was manhandled by Maryland even though Herman bristled when someone used that word, and the coach said, “Manhandle wouldn’t be the adjective I would use.”

You’re right, Tom, there are other appropriate words, but this is a family newspaper. Not sure what game he was watching.

The Terrapins, who had just nine victories the past two years, mostly against the likes of Rutgers (twice), Richmond, Howard and Florida International, won on the road Saturday with a sophomore quarterback who threw just two passes touchdown last season and a true freshman quarterback in the final quarter.

And to think, the 23rd-ranked Longhorns lost decisively to an unranked team

RALPH BARRERA / AMERICAN-STATESMAN Coach Tom Herman did admit during Monday’s news conference that the Longhorns were “fragile mentally, certainly, but not fragile physically. No way.”