TCU’s Gary Patterson to his team: More important to beat Texas than Ohio State
TCU coach Gary Patterson and his team wanted to beat Ohio State on Saturday night. They wanted to make a statement and put themselves squarely in the College Football Playoff conversation early on this season.
But they didn’t and are moving on to another important game at Texas on Saturday. In fact, Patterson told his team that if he had to choose one game to win – Ohio State or Texas – he’d take Texas.
“If you gave me a choice of who you need to beat, it’s conference play,” Patterson said on the Big 12 coaches teleconference Monday.
“You’d want to win the Texas game. Whether that permeated with them, we’ll find out. But that’s the thing you have to understand – to get to the playoffs you’ve got to win your conference, or get to be one of those final two teams [in the Big 12 title game]. It starts this week.”
The good news for Patterson and the Frogs is that they have an impressive track record against Texas since joining the Big 12 in 2012. They’ve won five of the six contests, including the last four by a combined score of 153-33.
The Frogs are looking to defeat the Longhorns five consecutive times for the first time in school history. They won four straight from 1935-38.
Patterson acknowledged the natural rivalry between the two schools because of recruiting battles and TCU’s players growing up watching University of Texas games.
“Outside of that, it’s the next ballgame,” Patterson said. “I don’t know if I can explain it except that I worry more about what I can do to make sure TCU is good, not worry about Texas or Iowa State or Oklahoma or Oklahoma State or whoever else we’re playing.
“The biggest thing is just making sure I can control TCU.”
Texas coach Tom Herman had similar things to say about the game and the underlying impact it has on recruiting against each other.
“Anytime TCU comes into town, I think our guys are going to be fired up and ready to go,” Herman said. “Right now, [TCU] is doing a great job in recruiting. They’ve won the Big 12 more recently than we have. Definitely one of the teams to beat year in and year out in the Big 12.”
Texas and TCU are each in a position where this game carries much significance.
Herman and the Longhorns want to show they can win on a consistent basis following an impressive victory over a then-ranked USC team. Patterson and the Frogs want to rebound from a mistake-filled loss to Ohio State.
As stated, TCU believes it still has a chance to make the playoffs. The Frogs wouldn’t mind a rematch with Ohio State later in the season – in a game that would certainly mean more than a Big 12 opener should it happen at that point.
For now, though, Texas is the biggest game to date.
“I want to play late in the season and if they are one of those teams that we play late in the season, then so be it,” TCU defensive end Ben Banogu said. “I don’t really care who we play, but I’m hoping that we will be playing in January.”