Double duty for Ohio St. coordinator

DALLAS— Tom Herman is preparing for the biggest game of his coaching life, the day before he begins the biggest job of his career.

It has been a whirlwind five weeks for the Ohio State offensive coordinator to say the least, from losing star quarterback J.T. Barrett — who actually was the backup to Braxton Miller when the year began— to a fractured right ankle on Nov. 29 to watching thirdstring quarterback Cardale Jones lead the Buckeyes to upsets of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to being named the Houston head coach on Dec. 16.

“He looks like someone hit him with a bat,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said jokingly. “A good bat, though.”

Herman described the last several weeks as living a “double life,” crediting the patience displayed by his bosses, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades. He divides up his day to do both jobs, recruiting and assembling a coaching staff for Houston, coaching and gameplanning for Ohio State.

“Back and forth switching hats of being a head coach and offensive coordinator, it’s been challenging,” said Herman, a wide receiver in his playing days at Division III California Lutheran. “It’s the management of time. You try to practice what you preach, compartmentalize your life like we ask our kids to do.”

The major downside, besides lack of sleep? Herman has spent little time with his wife Michelle and their three children. He saw them on the flight to Dallas, but other than that, there hasn’t been a lot of family time in the Herman household.

“When you come home at midnight and leave [for work] at 5:45 [in the morning], they’re usually not up at either one of those hours,” the Cincinnati native said. He said of his wife: “She’s holding down the fort for us.”