TCU happy with win over Iowa State. But what’s the latest on Shawn Robinson?

TCU coach Gary Patterson is just happy his team held on for a win over Iowa State on Saturday night.

The Frogs blew chances to pull away in the second half and made it closer than it should’ve been. In the end, TCU left Amon G. Carter Stadium with a 17-14 victory, snapping a two-game losing streak and earning its first Big 12 win of the season.

“One point,” Patterson said, referring to his mantra that his team only needs to score one point more than the opponent.

“Everybody seems to be happier with one point.”

What Patterson isn’t pleased about is starting quarterback Shawn Robinson sustaining an apparent shoulder injury late in the game.

Robinson grabbed his left shoulder after a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter in which he took a big hit from Cyclones safety Greg Eisworth. Robinson was on the ground for an extended time before heading to the locker room with trainers.

Patterson refused to update Robinson’s injury, saying he “doesn’t talk about injuries.” But he made it clear that an injury wouldn’t sit well with him.

Patterson has been a proponent of using multiple quarterbacks all season. Robinson would get the majority of the snaps, but Patterson has repeatedly discussed getting backup Michael Collins involved earlier in the game. That would limit the number of times Robinson exposes himself to an injury and keep both quarterbacks ready for game action.

Robinson, though, has taken all but a handful of meaningful snaps the past three weeks.

“I’ll be honest with you – I’m not going to be very happy after he was hurt because I had talked about rotating and doing things,” Patterson said. “So if [Robinson] is done then I’m not going to be very happy. I’ll just be honest with you cause I had conversations.”

Robinson will have an extended break with TCU’s next game against Texas Tech on Oct. 11. Robinson has been battling shoulder injuries much of the season.

TCU went into a “Wildcat formation” with running back Sewo Olonilua taking direct snaps with Robinson out on the final drive. But Robinson had taken the Frogs into field goal range by that time.

Robinson and TCU converted on third-and-9 earlier in the series, as Robinson connected with Jalen Reagor for 19 yards. The next play is when Robinson went down with an injury, carrying the ball to Iowa State’s 11.

Olonilua took two snaps from the “Wildcat” before Jonathan Song drilled a 28-yard field goal to put TCU on top 17-14 with 37 seconds left.

Robinson was 21-of-29 passing for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception on the night. He also had 12 rushing yards on 13 carries, and lost a fumble on a sack.

Robinson’s injury became the story of the night, but his teammates are optimistic about his return.

“He’s a soldier,” Reagor said. “He’s fine. He’s fine.”

If he isn’t, the team is confident in Collins going forward.

“He’s an athletic dude for his size,” linebacker Ty Summers said of Collins. “He’s strong. He works really hard in the weight room and that translates on the field too. He can move around more than people think and he has a strong arm. He has probably one of the strongest arms I’ve ever seen aside from maybe Trevone Boykin. He slings that thing.

“So if it’s his time, if he needs to go in there and play, I feel very confident he can go out there and make plays.”

Patterson said prized freshman recruit Justin Rogers isn’t close to taking second-team reps for the Frogs. Instead, if Robinson is out, Collins would start and the backup would be Grayson Muehlstein.

Along with Robinson, TCU saw another one of its star players, returner/ receiver KaVontae Turpin, exit with an injury after enduring a helmet-to-helmet shot early in the second quarter. Officials initially called targeting on Iowa State, but overturned it upon review. Turpin had to get stitches and didn’t return.

Outside of the injuries, TCU is simply happy to get back in the win column. This game could’ve gotten away from them.

TCU led 14-7 earlier in the fourth quarter when Iowa State converted a third-and-25 from its own 43. TCU defensive end Ben Banogu whiffed on a would-be sack in the backfield, as Cyclones quarterback Zeb Noland scrambled 28 yards for the first down.

That set up a game-tying TD as Iowa State running back David Montgomery jumped over the pile for a 1-yard score.

TCU’s offense couldn’t get out of its own way on the next drive. Olonilua had a nice 19-yard run from the “Wildcat” formation to pick up a first down and put them in Cyclones territory.

But, three plays later, Robinson took a shot down the field and an underthrown ball into triple coverage was intercepted by Iowa State’s Braxton Lewis.

“I told them pregame we had to play a four-quarter ballgame, whoever made the less mistakes, whoever made a couple plays was going to be the team that won,” Patterson said. “It should’ve been a two-score game. It shouldn’t have been a tie game. It shouldn’t have even come to that.”