TCU’s Turpin not 100 percent, but could get larger role at Baylor

KaVontae Turpin is not 100 percent in his recovery from a knee injury, but he has given the offense a lift and should get a larger role this week against Baylor, TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

“I think you saw a little bit more spirit with Turpin back,” Patterson said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “He’s not completely healthy, but he’s closer. I think you’ll keep seeing him have more and more game plan that goes with him.”

Turpin missed four games after going out in the second half against Iowa State on Sept. 17. The sophomore receiver/returner led the Horned Frogs in all-purpose yardage a year ago and was the Big 12 leader when he was hurt.

Last week against Texas Tech, he had four catches for 39 yards and one carry for 2 yards. He was held out of punt returns, but lined up for a kickoff return after Tech tied the game in the fourth quarter.

“It was winning time,” Patterson said of that move.

This week, he stressed that it’s about more than one player.

“Our outside guys have got to play. We’ve got to be able to keep running the ball a little bit,” Patterson said. “There’s no secret to getting back doing what you need to do. As I said last time, it comes down to you find out if you’re really good when they drop eight, you can still throw it, and you can still run it when they have more than you can block. That’s a really good offense.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 3:08 PM with the headline "TCU’s Turpin not 100 percent, but could get larger role at Baylor."