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Football:
Mandel has a good bead on GP’s tenure in Fort Worth.
Patterson is the trickiest one. On the one hand, he is TCU football. There’s literally a statue of him on campus. But it may have been a curse. Patterson went 15-3 in the Big 12 in the two seasons prior to that 2016 statue unveiling. Since then: 23-22. I saw enough encouraging developments in 2020 (notably the emergence of numerous freshmen) to include the Horned Frogs in my early Top 25, but if they go 7-6 again, it may be time to concede that the program has reached latter-stage Frank Beamer/Bobby Bowden territory and it might be time to form a succession plan.
And yet, I find it impossible to picture someone else coming and instantly leading TCU to glory, simply because no one had done it for 40 years pre-Dennis Franchione (briefly)/Patterson.
TCU QB outlook for 2021: Can Max Duggan take the next step as a passer? | Dallas Morning News
I see a big year, after a full off-season, for Mad Max and company.
Why 2021 production could be better: With new players comes new competition. Duggan has earned the starting spot the past two seasons and will have to do so again in 2021. Having Hill, the former TCU signal-caller, in the role of quarterbacks coach should help Duggan’s development and the overall offensive production. Hill holds TCU’s career-high (64.0) and season-high (67.3) completion percentage records, so some knowledge should be passed down to Duggan.
Why 2021 production could be worse: TCU is losing few players from the 2020 roster, but one of those losses is tight end Pro Wells. Wells was Duggan’s go-to guy in the end zone, leading the team with three touchdowns catches in 2020 and tying for the most in 2019 with five. Duggan is going to have to find a new go-to target in order to continue his development as a passer.
Basketball:
Down two point guards, the Frogs still took care of the rock.
Better with turnovers
The Frogs have struggled with turning the ball over all season. Coming into tonight’s game, TCU averaged 14.1 turnovers per game with a high of 22 (against Baylor and Kansas) and low of eight (against Oklahoma and Missouri).
Tonight, the Frogs totaled just 10, much better than they have been in weeks past. The Cyclones were able to take just 14 points off Frog turnovers compared to the 23 points the Oklahoma State Cowboys took last week.
If TCU continues to keep its turnovers to a minimum, the Frogs are sure to find more confidence which leads to better performance.
Wait... TCU couldn’t find a seat for this guy? Come on, you got to do better than that.
The crowds started coming after the Frogs had their first winning season in 10 years in 1982.
“I have stood probably for two hours in the parking lot of Daniel-Meyer, three hours before game time, waiting for the doors to open so I could get out and get a seat,” Minter said.
One player who stands out in Minter’s memory is current head coach Jamie Dixon.
“He was really the glue that held the team together,” Minter said. “He was solid, solid as a rock.”