TCU takeaways: 5 things from a diverse, complete win against SMU

From offense, defense and special teams, TCU put together its most complete game in winning 33-3 at SMU on Friday night.

It set up the Horned Frogs (3-1) to resume the Big 12 schedule against Oklahoma this week. Before we get there, here is what we took away from the win in Dallas, the ninth in the last 10 meetings for TCU against SMU:

1. Maybe that was the game the defense needed. It sure looked like Gary Patterson did. The head coach said the defense “rose to the occasion” by not allowing a touchdown, which speaks volumes to him. “I think they’re communicating better,” he said. The Frogs held SMU to 2.2 yards per rush and 4.6 per play, despite missing cornerback Jeff Gladney. An opening-drive field goal accounted for the only points. For the second consecutive week, it was a season-low in points and yards allowed. Players like safety Denzel Johnson and linebacker Travin Howard missed a lot of time in fall camp, but now as they round into form, maybe the entire defense is doing the same.

2. Kenny Hill had his best game. Which you could say last week, and the week before. Hill has played better each week, as is evidenced by his numbers and his demeanor. He’s gone from three interceptions in his first 63 attempts at TCU to just one in the past 117. He’s putting fewer balls “in harm’s way,” as Patterson puts it. SMU linebacker Athony Rhone made a very nice play to pick Hill on Friday night, the only blemish. “The guy was open, but he didn’t see the linebacker,” Patterson said. “But outside of that, he ran around, threw the ball where he needed to.” And as Hill grows into his role week by week, that’s all the Frogs are asking.

3. But ... the drops are real. And they may be a problem all season. Patterson sounded the alarm in fall camp when he said the offense was operating well except he was seeing dropped passes. Now they’ve shown up in the games. Friday night against SMU, there were three in Kenny Hill’s first nine passes. From veterans like Ty Slanina and Emanuel Porter to freshmen like Isaiah Graham, the dropsies have hit a range of players. After four games, it doesn’t look like an accident. It looks very much like a trend.

4. Still, it’s all hands on deck. The day before fall camp began, co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham promised pass distrubution in the post-Josh Doctson era. The offense is living up to his words. Friday night at SMU, 11 players caught a pass. Against Iowa State, it was nine. Against Arkansas, 10. So far, the players with a catch through four games numbers 18. That includes three running backs and a tight end. The leader in receptions is running back Kyle Hicks, who flashed receiver skills on a touchdown catch against Iowa State. The receiving yards leader is John Diarse, a transfer in his first year in the system. Three different players have led the team in catches the first four games. Desmon White had a career-high six catches. “I just got open and made the catches,” White said. “Easy catches. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

5. The Frogs’ slow starts have bothered Patterson all year. Playing from behind is stressful for an offense, particularly with a new quarterback and missing its top leaders from a year ago. The last three opponents have gotten points from their opening drive. They were only field goals, but it’s going to be hard to win asking your offense to play catch-up all the time in the Big 12. TCU actually hasn’t been bad with its firsts drives, but consistency is hard to maintain. The Frogs opened with a touchdown against South Dakota State. A turnover ended the first drive against Arkansas. Against Iowa State, the first drive was a field goal. At SMU, the first two drives ended in punts.

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 1:58 PM with the headline "TCU takeaways: 5 things from a diverse, complete win against SMU."