During Texas’ 33-16 win against Missouri in the Texas Bowl Wednesday, Longhorns coach Tom Herman and quarterback Sam Ehlinger appeared to mock Missouri quarterback Drew Lock. More specifically, they mocked one of Lock’s touchdown celebrations.
Early in the second half, Lock celebrated a TD pass like this:
It would appear as if Drew Lock is strapped in #TexasBowl pic.twitter.com/WJMSXmgMlv
— Jonathan Valencia (@JonValencia_WiB) December 28, 2017
That made the score 21-14, Texas.
Later, once Texas had its win in hand, Herman and Ehlinger celebrated on the sidelines by doing what looks like a parody of Lock’s earlier celebration:
Here is Texas coach, Tom Herman and QB Sam Ehlinger mocking Drew Lock's touchdown celebration from earlier in the game. Absolute trash. pic.twitter.com/slE3uDJYhS
— Missouri Sports (@MizzouSports1) December 28, 2017
Without having been inside Herman’s head or heard an explanation from him, this seems like a certain mocking of the other team’s QB.
Lock took Herman’s gesture in stride:
Lock added that if his coach was mocking the other team's QB he'd love it. I would have been like, "Damn, Coach is balling with us."
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) December 28, 2017
It seems like Texas players approved of Herman in general:
Breckyn Hager: “I think tonight, coach Herman won the locker room. If you have guys willing to go out here and play with a chip on their shoulder, it’s scary.”
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) December 28, 2017
Texas and Missouri are former Big 12 opponents. They have a bit of previous rivalry heat, most recently when former UT AD DeLoss Dodds said of Mizzou four years ago: “Our bad years are better than their good years.”
And there’s some potential background to Herman’s move on Wednesday:
Missouri started the tension between the former Big 12 rivals by flashing the "Horns down" sign before the game. It's unclear whether Herman's celebration was a response to the Tigers' antics, or just some old-fashioned trash talk.
Herman’s Longhorns finished the year 7-6, good for the program’s first winning record since 2013. They’re going to finish this recruiting cycle with one of the best classes in the country. They’ve now started off their offseason in style.