Why TCU coach Gary Patterson doesn’t view Urban Meyer’s suspension as an advantage

TCU coach Gary Patterson doesn’t think his team is at an advantage for next Saturday’s game even though Ohio State will be without coach Urban Meyer.

“The coach on the sidelines I don’t think is an advantage because he’s back at the office and he’s doing all the game-planning,” Patterson said. “He’ll probably be on the phone talking to them. I would try to be.”

Patterson chuckled at his last remark and then was reminded that Meyer can’t do such a thing under his suspension.

“I understand what you can and you can’t,” Patterson said, smiling.

Meyer is in the midst of serving a three-game suspension for how he handled domestic abuse allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith. As Patterson noted, Meyer’s suspension allows him to run practices and game-plan during the week leading into the TCU game.

Patterson gave his most extensive thoughts to date on the Ohio State game after the Frogs’ 42-12 victory over SMU on Friday. Patterson has brushed most questions off in regards to Ohio State, insisting his team wouldn’t overlook their first two opponents.

But Patterson knows the Frogs have work to do this upcoming week if they want to pull off an upset.

“We understand the next ballgame here, Ohio State, is not SMU in any aspect whatsoever,” Patterson said.

On to the takeaways from Friday’s game –

1. Robinson’s night. Quarterback Shawn Robinson described his night as “all right.” That seems right.

Robinson didn’t have the best night statistically – 15-of-28 for 146 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 67 rushing yards on eight carries, including an 18-yard score. 

Robinson struggled with the deep ball once again, and saw a few receivers drop passes.

“Just got to be more accurate, make more plays,” Robinson said.

Even if it wasn’t his best night, Robinson made enough plays to get TCU to 2-0. He showed an ability to extend plays and escape the pocket, and also continues to get it done with his feet.

He took a hard hit on his final play of the night, but said he’s “good” afterward.

“Coaches took me out for precaution just to make sure,” Robinson said.

2. Running matters. TCU had 247 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 a carry. That’s pretty impressive, but Patterson felt the offensive line could do an even better job in creating running lanes.

Patterson felt the running backs gained a lot of YAC [yards after contact] yards. Those will be tougher to get against a defense such as Ohio State. 

Still, it was a solid game for Darius Anderson (69 yards on nine carries) and Sewo Olonilua (59 yards on 11 carries).

3. Big plays. The Frogs’ defense has played well the majority of the season. But they’ve been prone to give up the big plays early on. 

SMU running back Braeden West broke free on a 51-yard touchdown on the opening drive. That marked the third play of more than 40 yards the Frogs’ defense has given up this season.

There were missed tackles on West’s run, and Patterson acknowledged that must improve. It’s uncharacteristic of a Patterson-coached team, but he believes it’ll get better as the season progresses.

4. Shutdown D. Outside of the big run in the first quarter, TCU’s defense impressed. Especially in the second half.

SMU gained less than 10 yards of total offense much of the final half before getting 66 yards on its final two drives. Still, the Mustangs punted five times in the second half.

And the defense scored a pivotal touchdown early in the second half. Robinson had just thrown an interception, but the defense bailed him out when Ben Banogu forced a fumble and Alec Dunham pounced on it for a scoop-and-score.

5. Standing for anthem. With the nearly two-hour weather delay Friday, a rare occurrence happened before the game – both teams were on the field during the national anthem. 

College teams typically are in the locker rooms during the anthem, but this happened to be unique circumstances. It was an interesting sight given the attention on NFL players protesting during the national anthem in recent years.

Patterson said he had one message to his team – make sure you take off your helmets. He didn’t feel the need to discuss it more than that.

Every TCU and SMU player stood for the anthem.