Tom Herman, Texas present mocking gesture directed toward Missouri QB

Justified move or classless?

Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns entered Wednesday's bowl match-up against the Missouri Tigers as underdogs but, as he has so many times before, Herman and his team thrived in that role on the way to a 33-16 "upset" victory. While that is noteworthy on a number of levels considering the way Missouri was playing before the finale, Herman made news in presenting something of a mocking gesture toward Tigers quarterback Drew Lock.

First, Lock made a celebratory movement early in the game.

When Texas took control in the second half, both Herman and starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger (among others) seemed to use a similar gesture in mocking fashion with laughter surrounding it.

Players using this kind of behavior would not be particularly surprising, especially given the success Texas was having between the white lines. Still, a head coach directly mocking a college player is something entirely different and Herman received justified blow-back (as you can see from the language in the above tweet) as a result.

In the grand scheme, Herman was probably trying to capture some excitement within his team and it is worth noting that Lock did not have an adverse reaction after the game completed. It is also fair to point out, however, that it wasn't the most becoming look for the head coach and this is something to file away for the future.