Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is confident in the direction of the program despite the Longhorns finishing the regular season with a pedestrian 7-5 record.
"Rome wasn't built in a day," he said Friday after leading Texas past Texas Tech to finish the team's schedule, according to Jim Vertuno of The Associated Press. "If you had told Texas fans three years ago that we would have seven wins and headed to a bowl game and had a chance to win eight, I think people would be pretty happy."
The Longhorns entered the season as a popular pick to win the Big 12 and contend for the national championship. Instead, they barely qualified for a bowl game for the second time in three years under head coach Tom Herman.
"The future is very, very bright," Herman said after beating the Red Raiders, according to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman. "But we're not oblivious to the fact that we’ve got to evaluate what needs to be fixed and fix it."
Texas came into 2019 looking to build on a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last season. After that victory, Ehlinger declared on national TV that Texas was "back" to powerhouse status.
Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte said the team fell short of expectations this year, but he won't order Herman to make any changes to his staff.
Ehlinger, meanwhile, figures to be a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2020, assuming he returns to Austin for his senior campaign.
