Three Up, Three Down: Phew

Well, we only had heart attacks for the first quarter, so that's an improvement, right? Thankfully, while our defense remains a work in progress, that offense is still darn good. Let's take a look at the best, and worst, performances of the night for the 7-0 TCU Horned Frogs.

UP: TREVONE BOYKIN - Ok, Leonard Fournette is totally great. He is! He's amazing. I love watching him play. BUT, he's not Tre. Boykin once again put on a "not on my watch" performance, amassing 510 yards and five TDs, even as he lost his best wide receiver for a portion of the game and his most versatile weapon for most of it. Tre completed 27/32 passes in what is possibly the most accurate performance of his career, throwing for 436 yards and four TDs as he continues to rewrite the TCU record books.

DOWN: FLAGS IN THE SECONDARY - I don't even know any more. I think there were five PI flags Saturday night in Ames... maybe it was six. Who can possibly keep track these days? With Denzel Johnson ejected for targeting (I was at dinner and didn't see... so feel free to rant or claim righteousness in the comments) the secondary was in even more disarray than normal, and that's saying something. It's getting pretty tedious to say "turn your head around", but at some point, these guys just have to play BETTER. Unfortunately, a lot of that falls on the senior who we have made easy target of, Corry O'Meally. He has been around long enough, he has the goods on paper, we just need him to play to his potential - which would make all the difference for the defense.

UP: JOSH DOCTSON - When you make and break your own records halfway through the season, it's going to be a pretty special year. Welp, call it a special year then. Ten catches. 190 yards. Two touchdowns. An exclamation point score of 42 yards when he was dinged up as all get out but TCU just needed that one last score. The Frogs should have two finalist in NYC, because as good as Corey Coleman has been (and he has been very good), Doc seems to rise up any time TCU needs him most, even on what basically amounted to a single hip. He can catch the high ball, the low, the in route, the out - he can break a tackle, or several, but ultimately, HE WILL NOT BE DENIED.

DOWN: ROAD WOES - Jamie and I discussed this in He Said, She Said this week, and I am starting to switch to his side. TCU has started slowly on the road all season long. It seems that the Frogs score easily on their opening possession before bogging down and struggling through the first half before mounting a furious offensive attack to pull away late. It's worked out okay so far, against Minnesota, Tech, K State, and Iowa State - but with road trips to Oklahoma State (undefeated, yay) and Oklahoma (only one loss) still on the docket, it could spell trouble late. Young or not, TCU can't play with fire much longer and get away with it, especially on the defensive side. The young tadpoles need to grow up, and fast, and start much faster.

UP: KOLBY LISTENBEE - His stats won't totally jump off the page at you, but it's as much about what he makes you think as what he is actually asked to do that makes him such a weapon. Kolby had six receptions and 101 yards Saturday night in Ames, scored a touchdown, and provided the kind of deep threat the Frogs has been lacking in his injury absence. Finally looking like the mature, balanced receiver we last saw in the end zone vs SMU, Listenbee proved that this offense is actually better with him on the field. and once Turpin went down with injury, he stepped in to the roll of "oh shoot we better watch that guy" with aplomb, retaking his place as the ultimate compliment to Doc - and a darn good receiver in his own right.

Also want to mention Kyle Hicks here... the redshirt freshman had his best game as a Frog, and at the most opportune time. In a game where Aaron Green could never get going, and frankly could have been a 'down' for the week (seven yards on 12 carries, ugh), Hicks showed a ton of promise as the future lead back for the Frogs. With 53 yards on just seven carries and a touchdown (scored on the same drive where he had an even more impressive score called back), Hicks flashed more shiftiness than we thought he had, as well as a powerful running style and the ability to break tackles. Aaron Green will hopefully bounce back in a big way against West Virginia, but it's good to know we have a pretty good future, now, in the meantime.

DOWN: INJURIES: Just stop already, Seriously. This is not okay. It was bad enough that Denzel Johnson was ejected for targeting, but to see Josh get hurt - though he admirably played through it - but when Turpin went out I almost ran outside to yell at the football gods. At some point, can't we just get through a game without someone going down? And while it sees Turp won't be out long term, the fact that Patterson himself went out on the field to check on him certainly has fans rightfully nervous.

The Kavontae Turpin On No He Didn't UP of the Week: I am going to go a different route with this award, because it has a deeper connection with me. My extra special UP OF THE WEEK goes to Trevone Boykin for this extra special moment:

This might not be the best team I have cheered for, but it might be my favorite. Wins are great, but this is greater pic.twitter.com/tM3G2M95BK

— Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) October 18, 2015

I will be really sad if TCU loses a football game, and I will probably be equally as disappointed if Boykin doesn't win the Heisman. He is awesome. He is amazing. He is a once in a lifetime talent that we are fortunate to watch play for our team. But it's not just what he does in between the white lines that makes him so special; it's how proud we can be of him outside of them. Keep doing your thing, Tre. We love you.