After rough game in opener, TCU shifts defensive personnel

After giving up 41 points to an FCS opponent in Week 1, TCU coach Gary Patterson made some defensive adjustments for with SEC opponent Arkansas. coming to town in week two.

Sammy Douglas started at middle linebacker, with Ty Summers and Travin Howard flanking him.

TCU coach Gary Patterson said at Tuesday’s media availability that he may have put Howard in a bad spot by giving the junior as many snaps as he got against South Dakota State, and that Summers had earned a start against Arkansas.

Howard led the Frogs with 10 tackles against SDSU. Montrel Wilson was the odd man out of the starting lineup and did not play see the field on Arkansas’ first three series.

After Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams III, a Dallas Bishop Lynch product, ripped off a 37-yard run to the TCU 22-yard line on the fourth play of Arkansas’ opening possession, Summers made a play on the ensuing second down that could have been the difference between giving up a touchdown and the field goal that the Horned Frogs eventually would surrender.

He avoided a blocker and prevented Williams from getting any more than 2 yards to set up third-and-8.

Douglas led TCU with 15 tackles in regulation. , while Summers finished regulation with nine. Williams ran for finished regulation with 136 yards on 27 carries before overtime.

Hill’s pick costly

Quarterback Kenny Hill put TCU in another early hole Saturday with an interception to Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis early in the second quarter.

It was his third pick of the season and the first returned for a touchdown.

The Horned Frogs’ offense had made three first downs on its third possession drive of the game as the defense had bent, but not broken and allowed just two field goals after the Razorbacks put together some substantial, sustained drives early. on.

But with pressure in the pocket on second-and-23, Hill let go of a wobbler and Ellis beat TCU running back Kyle Hicks to the ball in the flat. The senior never looked back on his way to the score that put Arkansas up 13-0, but was taken off the field early in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury.

Hill finished regulation 36 fo 56 passing 33-of-51 for 377 355 yards and the interception. He also ran for for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. as TCU tried to rally for the win.

Turpin time

Big catches from sophomore Ka’Vontae Turpin led TCU to two key scores in the second half.

Turpin caught a 57-yarder from Hill before the QB scored on a 1-yard touchdown keeper that brought TCU to within 20-14 with 9:44 to play.

After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, Turpin caught a 43-yarder to set the Horned Frogs up at Arkansas’ 7-yard line. Hicks punched it in on the next play to give TCU its first lead of the game, 21-20, with 7:15 left.

But Turpin wasn’t finished. After Arkansas tied the game on a 2-point conversion pass from wideout Keon Hatcher to quarterback Austin Allen, Turpin ran the ensuing kickoff back to the Razorbacks’ 27-yard line with just over a minute to play.

And that would have set up the most important score of the game if kicker Ryan Graf’s 28-yard field goal attempt had not been blocked by Arkansas’ Dan Skipper. That blocked kick forced overtime.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 10:19 PM with the headline "After rough game in opener, TCU shifts defensive personnel."