After allowing 478 yards of total offense against Maryland in week 1, Tom Herman, and more specifically, Todd Orlando's defense at Texas has been much improved.
A mark of a quality defense lies in their ability to get off the field on third down, and through four games, the Longhorns defense ranks 11th nationally. Texas has allowed their opponents to convert on just 14 of their 53 third down attempts. That's an impressive 26% opponent third down conversion rate.
What's the key to that success? Tom Herman shared his opinion on it during his presser yesterday. The recipe is quite simple...and it involves absolutely no "fairy dust."
To me, not only does that ring true, but it also reminds me of Bill Belichick's "Do Your Job" mantra. Handle your job, and trust your teammates to do theirs, and then play like your hair is on fire on top of all that.
Texas (2-2) takes on Kansas State (3-1) Saturday at 7pm EST. For what it's worth, the Wildcats rank 74th nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage on offense.