Texas' Herman: Loss to Maryland was 'a gigantic wake-up call'

An inspirational effort by Texas over the past two weeks, particularly against USC on Saturday, can be attributed to the Longhorns' ugly loss at home to open the campaign.

"I think the Maryland game was a gigantic wake-up call for our guys," head coach Tom Herman told reporters Monday, according to David Ubben of The Athletic.

The Longhorns were embarrassed on their home soil to open the season, suffering from miscues in all three phases of the game. Most notably, the defense surrendered 51 points to a Terrapins team known as anything but a juggernaut.

Since then, however, Texas pitched a 56-0 shutout over San Jose State and came seconds away from pulling off a mammoth upset on the road at USC.

"That level of effort and intensity will keep us in every game we play from here on out," Herman said, according to Brian Davis of the Austin American Statesman.

After a 1-2 start, Texas opens its conference schedule Sept. 28 at Iowa State.