Patterson dismisses notion that TCU played ‘conservative’ in second half at Baylor
TCU coach Gary Patterson dismissed the notion that his team played it more conservative in the second half of Saturday’s 33-23 victory over Baylor.
The Horned Frogs scored only three points in the second half after scoring 30 in the first half. They had just 19 yards passing in the second half as quarterback Max Duggan completed just 4 of 10 passes compared to 10-of-13 for 119 yards in the opening half.
Asked the differences between the two halves after reviewing the game film, Patterson said: “We didn’t move the football. They made some plays. People say that we got conservative. I don’t think we got conservative at all. I just think Baylor made some plays.
“We had success running the football and when we came back in the fourth quarter, we did so. We had a series before that where all three passes got tipped, bumped in the air, all three of them could’ve gotten intercepted. It’s one of those things where you try to find some answers.”
Patterson acknowledged that the passing game must improve. TCU has the second fewest passing touchdowns (six) in the Big 12, and ranks sixth in pass offense (239.4 yards per game).
Duggan finished the game 14-for-23 passing for 138 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
The good news for TCU is that its next opponent, Texas Tech, has struggled against the pass all season. The Red Raiders rank last in pass defense among Big 12 teams, allowing 339.2 yards passing a game.
“To win in this league, you’ve got to be able to throw the ball down the field,” Patterson said. “We know that. We’ve been doing this awhile. You have to score points, so we’ve got to do a better job this week of playing a full ballgame. Offensively, we have to do that and defensively we have to finish.”
TCU (2-3, 2-3 Big 12) and Texas Tech (2-4, 1-4) kick off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
