The Texas Longhorns are now through a short week of practice as they prepare for their Friday morning home matchup against the Texas Tech Red Raiders to end the regular season.
The practice schedule typically consists of a light practice Sunday evening, followed by a day off on Monday, before Texas then resumes full practice on Tuesday. But this week, the staff opted to take off Sunday and resumed full practice on Monday.
“It’s a big hindrance in terms of the fact that we’re having to game plan into the wee hours of a Sunday night after just getting back from a road game, and then Monday morning, and then the kids having to practice on a Monday, which is a big change in routine because it’s a huge class day,” head coach Tom Herman said during a Monday press conference.
In fact, Herman continued, some players were forced to miss Monday’s practice for that reason.
“We will practice Wednesday morning, like a Thursday, and then the kids will be free to go home, whatever, until Thursday morning,” Herman said. “Late morning, they will report back, we will have our family Fridays on Thanksgiving Day, and one thing that I’m really proud of that we do here, and we did at Houston, too, the travel squad players that will be in the hotel on Thursday night, we invite all their families to have dinner with us so we have a true family dinner, Thanksgiving dinner in the hotel with the travel squad.”
In years past, Herman said, more than 100 family members have joined in for dinner in the hotel.
“They will say goodbye to their families on Thursday night and we will resume our normal family Friday schedule after that,” Herman said. “I think the kids and the families really, really appreciate us allowing them to at least have some semblance of a Thanksgiving meal with their son.”
The non-travel squad players are then given the option to either go home on Wednesday after practice and be back for the game Friday, or to go home until Sunday, Herman noted.
Win or lose, Friday’s game will largely dictate where the 6-5 Longhorns will end up in the bowl season. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. Central. Coverage is available on FOX.