Texas fans tuned in to the flurry of emotions that took place during the final moments of Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State, but as the game concluded, even more drama ensued on social media.
Emmanuel Acho, ESPN analyst and former Longhorn player, took to Twitter during the game to call out the Longhorns’ poor defensive showing only to see cornerback Kris Boyd later respond with hostility in an Instagram post.
In his first meeting with the media since the incident, Texas head coach Tom Herman said that he met with Boyd about the post and called it “a learning moment” for the senior.
“It was an ill-advised attempt to actually prove that the only people whose opinions really matter are the ones in the team meeting room and in the locker room,” Herman said Monday afternoon. “If you want to silence any critic, the best way to do that is keep your mouth shut and go play really good.”
The social media feud began as Acho criticized Herman’s decision to bench Boyd and opposite cornerback Davante Davis for the first quarter against Oklahoma State after being late to a team function. Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey also received a one-series suspension for the same reason.
With Boyd and Davis sitting on the sideline, Texas allowed the Cowboys to generate 260 yards of total offense in the first quarter.
The Longhorns still failed to slow down the Oklahoma State offense even after the two entered the game, prompting Acho to post a series of tweets in response to Boyd’s
poor play.
“Bruh, you can’t be late to meetings THEN come out here and get mossed,” Acho tweeted. “Your team needs you.”
Acho continued, “I can’t watch this dude play defense anymore. It’s actually trash. If you know. You know.”
Acho’s initial tweet referenced a play late during the second quarter in which Boyd mistimed a jump on a deep throw to OSU wide receiver Tylan Wallace. Boyd’s performance was quickly noted by Texas fans as one of the Longhorns’ many shortcomings during the game.
Boyd then responded early Sunday afternoon on Instagram with a post of his own, calling out Acho for his tweets.
“@themanacho keep running your f—— mouth,” Boyd said in the post. “Don’t show up around this facility. You was warned at practice … Running your mouth further than your football career took you. You a outsider just like everybody else. UT Football has no affiliation with you.
Whether or not a prior incident occurred between Acho and team members at the practice facility is unclear, but Boyd’s post hints this was not the first instance of drama between the two parties.
Herman has consistently preached throughout the season that he and the other coaches have tried to instill the message that the opinions outside of the team facility shouldn’t
be important.
The message was no different during Herman and Boyd’s conversation after the incident.
“If you’re concerned about the critics, then you’ve probably got bigger issues,” Herman said.
