TCU notes: Pierson’s return bright spot on battered defense

TCU senior defensive tackle Davion Pierson will see his first action of the 2015 season Saturday at Texas Tech, TCU coach Gary Patterson said Wednesday.

To keep him away from the intensity of the first few snaps of the game, he won’t start, but he will see significant playing time early in the game, Patterson said.

“You’ve just got to be smart with a guy who hasn’t been in the first three ballgames,” he said.

Pierson, who entered the 2015 season as the Horned Frogs’ active leader in starts, was sidelined in TCU’s first three games with a concussion and recurring symptoms.

“It’s big just for the [locker] room,” Patterson said. “You have leadership and you have energy from those guys and they know how to do it. Young guys have an example.”

It’s a glimmer of sunshine for a defensive unit that has five key contributors sidelined by injury, one suspended and one away from the team on a personal leave of absence as TCU heads to Lubbock for its first Big 12 contest at 3:45 p.m. Saturday.

Senior defensive end Terrell Lathan won’t play Saturday after suffering an undisclosed injury during TCU’s 56-37 win over SMU last week, Patterson said.

Don’t expect to see senior wide receiver Deante’ Gray or senior defensive end James McFarland playing anytime soon. Patterson listed those two along with cornerback Ranthony Texada, safety Kenny Iloka and linebacker Sammy Douglas as players who will more than likely use a medical redshirt and return next season.

The win over SMU didn’t come easily for TCU. The physical nature of the trophy game left TCU bumped and bruised, most notably wide receivers Kolby Listenbee and Ja’Juan Story. Neither has practiced much this week, Patterson said.

“Hopefully they will be ready by Saturday,” he said.

Mosley excelling

Sophomore Torrance Mosley will pick up his second career start at cornerback this week, Patterson said.

Mosley was flagged for pass interference twice against SMU in his first career start, partly why he was relegated to the bench for a majority of the first half until Texada left the game with a season-ending injury.

This week, Mosley has been one of the standout players on the practice field in Patterson’s eyes.

“He’s been the most athletic of the group all the way,” Patterson said.

Mosley was sidelined most of spring practice with an injury that needed surgery over the summer. Just recently, he returned to a competitive level of strength and stamina, Patterson said.

Sophomore Nick Orr, senior Corry O’Meally and freshman Julius Lewis will also be in the rotation at the cornerback spots Saturday.

Should any of those options not work, Patterson has a backup plan.

“I’m five,” he said with a laugh.

Safety shuffle

Sophomore walk-on Michael Downing and redshirt freshman Ridwan Issahaku will be the safety rotation alongside senior Derrick Kindred and Denzel Johnson on Saturday.

Issahaku, who played quarterback and cornerback in high school in Norcross, Ga., follows in the footsteps of several high school offensive standouts who moved to safety under Patterson, including Johnson and current Carolina Panthers safety Colin Jones.

“They just can’t get it out of their mind that they are a quarterback or running back,” Patterson said. “When they finally make up their mind, they become a good player. I’m sure Colin Jones is glad he listened to me, because he’s made a lot of money.”

Turpin time

Freshman wide receiver KaVontae Turpin has been a quality addition to the TCU offense in place of Gray, gaining 98 yards on three catches with two touchdowns, along with 197 punt and kick-return yards.

Patterson, however, said he must be wary of how frequently Turpin is put in the line of fire.

“You’ve got to be careful to give him too many [touches] and he won’t make it nine games,” Patterson said.

Sophomore Desmon White is closer to full strength this week, recovering from turf toe he suffered in TCU’s season opener at Minnesota and will carry some of the workload at slot receiver.

White caught 14 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown last season as a true freshman.

Travis L. Brown can be reached at tbrown7137@gmail.com and on Twitter @Travis_L_Brown.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 9:19 PM with the headline "TCU notes: Pierson’s return bright spot on battered defense."