HEEEEEEELLLOOOOOOO WIN COLUMN!

After starting 1-3 on the season, the Frogs clawed their way back and finished 5-4 in conference. The Frogs still have one more game to play against LA Tech next Saturday night, but the conference season is effectively over for TCU. Assuming we beat LA Tech next week (you know what assuming does) if we were to have played a whole regular season, against Cal, an FCS team, and SMU, we could very well be sitting at 8-4/7-5 which is about the ball park of my expectations for TCU with Gary Patterson.

Alas, that is a whole conversation for another day. What I’m here to write/talk to you about is how TCU just beat the number 15 team in the country, despite turning the ball over 5 dang times. If anyone wants to attack Max Duggan or the TCU defense, then send me your location.

The Good:

-Quinten Johnston, THE DUDE: QJ had himself a career day, hauling in 3 catches for 114 yards (lol we don’t believe in getting him the ball sub 10 yards out), and at least two of those catches helped get TCU out of some bad field position. Don’t forget, he’s a true freshman and he is only going to get better.

-The Derius Davis Experience: All season long Davis has found ways to contribute to this team on both offense and special teams. However, he had never broken a game open like this until Saturday. Davis hauled in 6 catches for 139 yards, one of which was a 71 one yard touchdown pass that Duggan put ALL of the air under. When TCU needed an offensive player to get some separation, Davis found the open grass and left the defenders in the dust. TCU has weapons at receiver everyone!

-Max Duggan, Official Gladiator: Look when the going gets tough, the tough might get going, but TCU quarterback Max Duggan takes a bunch of nails, throws em in a blender with some egg whites (no milk) and gets to CHUGGIN. The quarterback that wears 15 for the team in purple is such a tough son of a gun, and while his completion percentage wasn’t great, he made plays through the air and on the ground that kept TCU in the game and eventually led them to a victory. QB1 recorded 100+ yards and two TD’s on the ground and over 200+ with his arms as well as another touchdown. He’s a playmaker ya’ll and anyone that says other wise has never watched a TCU football game.

-The Gary Patterson Defense. Especially Garrett Wallow: The defense is what kept TCU in the game. They only allowed 16 points, 3 of which came on one of TCU’s many fumbles. The offense managed to turn the ball over a hilarious five times on the day...AND STILL WON! Ok State was only able to score 9 points off of a turnover prone TCU offense, due to plays from the defense which included a tipped interception in the end zone as well as a BIG WHIFF from the Ok State kicker. While the defense played well overall, I have to give a special shoutout to Garrett Wallow who totaled 11 tackles, and other than getting lost in pass coverage two or three times, absolutely balled out. In what could be his last Big 12 game at the Carter for him, Wallow left it all on the field for the Frogs. Also shout out to Tre Hodges-Tomlinson, number one on defense absolutely played like a number one lock down corner.

-The Hypnotoad: Look, I’m not all about doing bits at football games, but man when it works it works. The Hypnotoad was alive and well when the Ok State kicker pushed the ball so far that it almost went into the stands. Go Frogs, and go video department.

-The Offensive line had its best game of the season: Again, the unit is not great, but they only gave up two sacks on the day, one of which was a coverage sack. It is great to see improvement, and I still want a new OL coach, but it is encouraging to see this unit play with some intensity!

The Bad:

-The Fumblepalooza that was the offense: Guys it was just so bad. I genuinely almost had a brain aneurysm when we lost a 3rd fumble. Here’s a quick breakdown of all of the fumbles:

1. Zach Evans’ knee was down, but the Ok State players ripped the ball out, returned it for a touchdown, and the comical refs let the call stand.
2. Kendre Miller had the ball ripped out after what felt like 4 seconds after the play was dead, and since again the comedy staff that wore black and white on the day didn’t call forward progress, when the ball was ripped out of Miller’s arms it was a live ball.
3. Barlow straight up lost the ball while falling forward in a pile.
4. Duggan had the ball punched out on a run to the right.

I hate to blame the refs for anything/be THAT guy that says “Oh the refereeing was bad” but we won so I am in a good mood, but holy cow guys that was tough to sit through. This game gave me flashbacks of last season when TCU just seemingly couldn’t help itself from putting the ball on the ground. Only two of those fumbles (maybe three) would have happened in a normal season where we have standard Big 12 ref crews (or at least I hope), but I am certain that ball security will be on the list of things to focus on this week in practice.

-The Offensive Identity Is Still a Question Mark: Hey we won and that is fantastic, but imagine if our offense had its head on straight for more than just the second half. I’m not even talking about the fumbles! Once again, we almost got shut out in the first half (absolutely no disrespect to a good Ok State defense) - and it took a monster effort to score before half.

There are still too many cooks in the kitchen with this unit, and to be frank while Doug was calling way too many dang go routes, and Jerry Kill’s comments while having their televised discussion on the sidelines mid game is not what you want to see...it did help. THAT. BEING. SAID. There is no way that is good for the long term development of the offense. That’s going to have to change.

The TCU offense is not a college group project, it does not need input from multiple people! We need a concise, focused (preferably successful) concept.

Play of The Game:

In what was likely his last game at the Carter, number seven, you know him you love him, Tre Moehrig had a tip drill interception in the endzone that kept Ok State from evening up the game late in the 4th quarter. This allowed TCU to drain some clock and let Jordy Sandy bang a punt down the field to put Ok State in tough field position with little time left.

Of course, seeing the Ok State QB talk that smack before getting picked off made it all the sweeter...

Next Week: One last 2020 game against LA Tech

TCU opens up as big favorites in the last game of the season. LA Tech is a capable team, and TCU is very VERY capable of tripping over itself so this is no sleepwalking game. Let’s finish the season strong and get to 6 wins.

Go Frogs!