Three Up, Three... More Up!

There's no reason to nitpick a hard fought victory over a rival in the worst of conditions, so instead of the normal Three Up, Three Down, we close the regular season with SIX UPS!

UP: Ty Summers - After a week where he was raked over the coals, accused of being a cheap shot artist, and called all kinds of names, the redshirt freshman linebacker more than redeemed himself in setting a Patterson era record for tackles with 23, and making the game saving play on fourth down in the second OT against the Bears. I never thought Summers intentionally hit Baker Mayfield in the head, and the criticism he received was unfair at best. He came back against Baylor and made a name for himself for a completely different reason, making play after play on the rain soaked field. The former high school QB has become quite the play maker in GP's defense, and has a chance to be the next great linebacker from TCU, if he continues to develop physically and mentally. He will be one to watch going forward!

UP: Trevone Boykin - He was hobbled at best, with Patterson saying he played at about 75%, but looked to be closer to 50% for most of the night. But our faithful leader was not going to miss his last chance to Defend the Carter, gutting out four quarters and two overtimes to lead the Frogs to victory. While his numbers won't jump off the page at you (18-33, 148, two touchdowns, one interception), and his best weapon - his feet - were rendered completely ineffective (14 rushes for 16 yards), he made nearly every big play, including gutting out a one yard touchdown run in the first OT that tied the game and gave the Frogs one more shot. Tre seemingly fell off the Heisman map after the Oklahoma State game, but that's more than unfair. If you compare his season to the last three QB Heisman winners, as well to that of current media darling Baker Mayfield, his numbers are comparable or better almost across the board - despite the fact that he missed seven quarters to injury, despite the turnover plagued game in Stillwater, and despite playing his last game underwater. If he doesn't receive an invite to NYC, it would be an absolute travesty.

UP: Davion Pierson and Josh Carraway - The two defensive lineman combined for 17 tackles, two sacks, five TFLs, and a forced fumble Friday night, as both played possibly their best games as Horned Frogs. Carraway had the highlight reel play, returning a fumble 56 yards to pay dirt (exactly one year to the day of him scoring against Texas in Austin), but it was Pierson who wreaked havoc against Baylor's offense all night long and basically lived in the backfield for four quarters and two overtimes. Pierson has come on strong over the last month of the season, and will have one last chance to impress NFL scouts in a bowl game. Carraway, on the other hand, is making a case to be the linchpin of the defense in 2016.

UP: Aaron Green and Kyle Hicks - The present and the future combined for a stellar game against a stout Bear's defense, as the senior and freshman rushed for 125 yards on 28 carries, on a night where not much else worked. Green controlled the tempo in the first half, while Hicks garnered the majority of the touches in half number two and in to overtime. This game meant a lot to AG, and he was as steady as they come in response. While neither offense got much of anything going, Hicks and Green held on to the ball and fought through the elements to make plays when it mattered alongside their hobbled QB.

UP: Ethan Perry - Was a punter your Friday night MVP? Maybe. Ethan Perry got more work against the Bears than he had all season, punting 12 times for 454 yards, and keeping the Bears backed up on more than one occasion. He pinned them on their own goal line with time running down in regulation, survived this hit by Shawn Oakman (hey he finally made a play!) and still got the punt off, and averaged almost 38 yards per kick, landing four inside the 20, and liming the Bears to a single return yard. Not bad for a guy no one wants to see! Also - special shoutout to Jaden Oberkrom, who wasn't asked to do much, but nailed all four of his extra points and limited the Bears return game. Not an easy thing to do in those conditions!

The KaVontae Turpin 'Oh no he didn't' UP of the week: You could give this to Turp himself, who had a touchdown reception in OT and was robbed of two others, but as we look back on a ten win season - one that saw 28 different players miss some or all of the season, 30 true freshmen play, and players plugged in out of position just to put a defense on the field - this award belongs to the big guy himself, Coach Gary Patterson. The Frogs came in to the season with playoff aspirations, but after an edge of your seat but promising 8-0 start, injuries and bad luck caught up with them as they fell in Stillwater. The team could have given up then, especially when they saw Josh Doctson and Trevone Boykin go down, but fought through a gritty win against Kansas and almost pulled off the upset of the season in Norman with a third string QB. GP put it all on the line, and would have quite possibly won the Big XII if Bram's two point conversion pass attempt had escaped those Sooner fingertips. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't pretty, but how many coaches could take a team to ten wins when faced with so much adversity? And on Friday, against the team you know he wanted to beat more than any other, he had his guys locked in and ready, despite the weather. The grit, tenacity, and will the Frogs showed against Baylor starts at the top, and has been modeled by their coach throughout the season and his time at TCU. This might have been the best coaching job of Patterson's career, and despite falling short of the stated goals, the season somehow ended better than most of us could have hoped, all things considered. We are very fortunate here in Funky Town, to have someone like GP. Win or lose, I wouldn't want any other man on the sidelines to navigate the storm, literally or figuratively.