Texas coach Tom Herman enlists help of former Kansas coach David Beaty

By Nick Moyle

Published 12:44 pm CST, Monday, November 26, 2018

AUSTIN — Texas coach Tom Herman enlisted some outside help ahead of Saturday’s Big 12 championship game against sixth-ranked Oklahoma at AT&T Stadium.

Former Kansas coach David Beaty, officially replaced by Les Miles following the Jayhawks’ season-ending loss to Texas, will serve in a sort of unofficial consulting role for 14th-ranked Texas (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) as it attempts to defeat Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1) for the second time this season.

Herman and Beaty were both members of coach David Baliff’s staff at Rice in 2007.

And Beaty’s Jayhawks shredded Oklahoma’s porous defense in a 55-40 loss in Norman, Okla., on Nov. 17. KU gained 524 yards (348 rushing) and averaged 9.7 yards per rush.

The dangerous storm that has struck the Midwest and wreaked havoc on regional airports has made getting Beaty out from Kansas City to Austin impossible, but the stranded former head coach has remained in touch with Herman.

Herman believes Beaty can help identity some specific tendencies and signals that might tip off the Sooners.

“We’ve been in contact with him,” Herman said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “The snow there in KC is making the physical appearance of David Beaty very difficult right now.”

He added: “Any time you have an opportunity to gain some knowledge of what an opponent saw of you in their breakdowns of you, you want to see that.”

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley wasn’t thrilled about the team-up.

“Coach Beaty can do what he wants to do,” Riley said, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “I don’t like the precedent of it, bringing in somebody from the league from the same year. But it’s not against the rules. So that’s fine.”