What TCU has to do to beat Baylor on Saturday

TCU coach Gary Patterson is tired of hearing about the injuries. He made that clear on his radio show Thursday night.

“Hey, we’re going to have to play with who we’re going to play with,” Patterson said on 92.1 Hank-FM. “We’ve got to get ready to go.”

TCU is clinging to its bowl dreams entering Saturday’s game against Baylor. It truly is a must-win game if the Frogs want to stay alive for bowl eligibility.

At 4-6, TCU has no other options. Here’s what to watch for going into it –

Establishing the ground game

TCU had its worst rushing performance in years against West Virginia last Saturday.

The Frogs finished with minus-7 yards, the worst output since 2001 against Texas A&M. That has to change this week in Waco.

Baylor had a solid defensive effort against Iowa State’s running game last Saturday, but still has the worst rushing defense in the Big 12. The Bears are allowing 183.8 yards a game on the ground.

Darius Anderson is a home-run threat with the ball in his hands, but the offensive line simply hasn’t created the necessary running lanes. Sewo Olonilua is a big back, but didn’t get any carries last week as he was used more in the passing game.

At the end of the day, TCU has to figure out a way to establish the ground game.

Collins’ rebound

Quarterback Mike Collins had an impressive debut against Kansas last month, throwing for 351 yards. The past two games have left more to be desired, although he’s taken care of the ball.

Collins threw for 218 yards against K-State and 229 yards against West Virginia. Collins found himself under pressure much of the day against West Virginia, being sacked four times.

Against Baylor, the O-line has to give him better protection.

The No. 1 player TCU must contain is Baylor sophomore defensive tackle James Lynch, who has 5.5 sacks this season. The interior of TCU’s offensive line have struggled the most, and Lynch will provide another test.

Containing Baylor’s O

Baylor sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer appears to be a rising star in the league. The Bears had more than 500 yards of total offense against Iowa State last week, and Brewer accounted for 360 all-purpose yards (288 passing, 72 rushing).

Brewer doesn’t have the running ability as Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, but he can beat teams with his feet. TCU can’t let that happen.

The Frogs have to slow down the Bears’ passing attack, too. Brewer’s top target is Jalen Hurd, a transfer from Tennessee who is averaging 6.2 receptions and 83.7 receiving yards a game.

Winning situations

TCU has been the best third-down defense in the league, limiting opponents to a 33.1 percent conversion rate in those situations (47-for-142).

Baylor, meanwhile, has been solid offensively on third downs by converting 45.5 percent (66-for-145).

In what is expected to be a close game, TCU has to win situations such as third down and turnover margin.

Right mindset

As stated, Patterson isn’t interested in injuries being the talking point of the season. It’s been well-documented the Frogs have dealt with a seemingly endless list of blows on the injury front, but Patterson doesn’t want that to become ingrained in his team.

Instead, he wants that lengthy list of injuries – 20 players sustaining season-ending injuries and another 16 players who have missed at least four games – to serve as a credit to the available players who haven’t given up on the season.

“The kids deserve credit,” Patterson said. “For the simple reason that they’ve been fighting their tails off.”

On his radio show, Patterson shared the message he gave to the team this week. Baylor fans may view it as message board material, but the underlying message is simple.

A winning streak has to start somewhere, and the next opportunity for TCU to get it going is against Baylor.

“How do you know this Baylor game is not going to be the start of a 20-game win streak?” Patterson said. “You can’t win 20 until you get to one. Until you do all the things you need to do, you’ve got to play that way. If it’s not going to be this game, will it be the next game? That’s how we’ve stayed here for 21 years.”