TCU News: Frogs Respond Well, But Fall at Tech

Basketball:

TCU starts slow, falls short with rally in loss to Texas Tech | The Star-Telegram

It was a disappointing loss for the Frogs, who started ice-cold in Lubbock and couldn’t quite get over the hump, despite taking a lead late in the second-half. But Jamie Dixon believes his young team will learn and grow from the setback.

The late cold stretch, as well as a significant discrepancy in points from the foul line (Tech made 25 free throws; TCU made five), spelled defeat for the Frogs. But it was a setback that left first-year coach Jamie Dixon optimistic about the Frogs’ grit they displayed while handling adversity in a hostile environment.

“Obviously, we had to do things differently. We responded in a good way, but we didn’t get it done,” Dixon said, reflecting on a night when Tech was called for 11 fouls and TCU was whistled for 25.

Football:

It’s TCU versus college football giants for Louisiana DT, safety | The Star-Telegram

The Frogs are hoping to add a big man and a big talent with just days to go before signing day. They’ll be competing against the SEC for both.

Harris has scheduled an official visit to Fort Worth the weekend of Jan. 28, the last weekend for official visits, and Mathis is expected to do the same. Signing day is the following Wednesday.

“TCU can leave the parting shot with both of them. Leave it fresh on their mind,” Clark said.

Which TCU players could hear their name called at the NFL draft? | Sports Day

Carraway, in addition to DT Aaron Curry, are likely to be in camps this summer with NFL teams.

This 6-4 and 240-pound outside linebacker was vital in the TCU defense this season. He totaled 49 tackles with eight sacks; a team-high. He recorded 11 tackles for a loss and forced one fumble. He has the speed and the athleticism that will likely make him a 3rd-5th round pick.

Highly regarded Horton joins ISU football team | Pantagraph

Horton, who left the team in October without ever playing a snap, has found an FCS landing spot.

Spack said Horton is versatile enough to play any linebacker spot, but is most likely to land on the outside.

“He’s a player. He can run and he’s very physical,” said Spack. “He’s fine academically, but I think he can do better than that. He’s heard that from us.”

Early 2017 Big 12 Power Rankings heading into spring practice | Gridiron Now

TCU fell off the map a bit in 2016, but should be significantly better a season from now. The question is, will better be good enough?

The skinny: The Frogs learned how hard it is to replace an All-American pass-catch combo. Kenny Hill is exciting, but the Frogs’ offense doesn’t have the personnel to win big despite of 20 turnovers. That number must drop for the Frogs to overachieve next year. The defense didn’t get much love this past season, but TCU went 7-6 despite leading the conference in defensive yards per play in league play at 5.38. Seventy-five percent of that defensive line is gone, and so is safety Denzel Johnson. Sonny Cumbie will take over an offense Gary Patterson wants to be more physical after Doug Meacham made a surprising exit to become the offensive coordinator at Kansas.

Baseball:

College baseball: TCU tops D1Baseball.com's preseason poll | NCAA.com

The Frogs will have a chance to remain near the top of the polls, as they play a loaded non-conference schedule.

The Frogs are one of two Big 12 schools to be ranked as Texas Tech checks in at No. 14. TCU’s schedule features three other schools ranked in the Top 25 in No. 5 LSU, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 23 Rice.