Advertisement

Both Tom Herman and Sam Ehlinger call recent criticisms of the Texas QB 'irrelevant'

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 17:  Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Austin, Texas.  (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Both Texas coach Tom Herman and Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger used the same word to describe comments critical of Ehlinger by Baker Mayfield and Terry Bradshaw.

Mayfield, the former Oklahoma and current Cleveland Browns QB continued his anti-Texas sentiments in June when he said that he didn’t like Ehlinger. About a week later, Bradshaw, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, said that Ehlinger “ain’t that good.”

According to both Herman and Ehlinger at Big 12 media day Tuesday, those remarks were “irrelevant.” But Herman also conceded that Ehlinger likes to play with a chip on his shoulder. And there’s no better way to put a chip on your shoulder than by using negative comments for fuel.

“I would be lying to you if I told you I don't know what you're talking about,” Herman said. “I certainly do, but it's irrelevant, what other people say about us and our program. It doesn't really faze us. So the irrelevancy of it was at an all-time high.

”I do know, you know, our guys file certain things away. We had a bowl game recently where the other team was very disrespectful and that gave us motivation leading up to the bowl game. Sam loves to play with a chip on his shoulder, and I'm sure he will use this to crank it up a notch. It is, again, it's pretty irrelevant in terms of how it affects our program. We're worried about our program.”

Ehlinger didn’t let on that he was going to let Mayfield and Bradshaw’s comments fuel him.

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo College Fantasy Football league for free today]

While Herman wasn’t specific about the “other game,” it could be the Texas Bowl after the 2017 season when Texas said Missouri players had been trash-talking and doing the (potentially penalized in 2019!) horns down gesture in the lead-up to the game.

Texas won that game 33-16 and beat another SEC opponent at the end of 2018 when it beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

If disrespect fuels Ehlinger, he could be in for a big year. He’s the top returning quarterback in the Big 12 and the Longhorns are widely expected to play Oklahoma twice during the 2019 season — once during the regular season and again for the Big 12 title and a potential College Football Playoff berth.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

More from Yahoo Sports: