Jalen Reagor, Cumbie’s call highlight TCU’s biggest takeaways from Baylor win

TCU finds itself in position for a bowl berth. That’s a surprising statement in and of itself given the number of injuries this team has dealt with this season.

But the Frogs persevered on Saturday. TCU used a pair of touchdowns from Jalen Reagor and an impressive defensive performance to beat Baylor 16-9.

It didn’t matter that the offense was down to its third-string quarterback, Grayson Muehlstein, or just one healthy running back on scholarship, Emari Demercado.

TCU found a way to win a “gutsy” game, as coach Gary Patterson described it. Now it’s on to the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State on Saturday. Kickoff has been set for 7 p.m.

At 5-6, TCU has to win to become eligible for the college football’s postseason. On to the takeaways from Saturday’s victory –

The Mule

Every player wants to play. That’s why transfer numbers continue to climb in college football.

So credit should go to Muehlstein for sticking with one program his entire college career. This is a guy who was the fourth-rated quarterback from Texas in his high school class and has been waiting for this kind of moment.

“I’ve thought about it, of course,” Muehlstein said. “But I didn’t know. After five years, I was like, ‘All right, is it ever going to come?’

“Kind of a while to wait for something like this. I guess in the back of my head, I always thought I’d be able to get in and play, at least at some point.”

It happened against the school’s biggest rival with the season on the line. And Muehlstein didn’t disappoint, managing the offense well.

He finished 11-for-15 passing for 137 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. With Mike Collins expected to be miss the Oklahoma State game, Muehlstein will have his chance for career start No. 1.

“Very exciting. I’ve never gone through a full week with the ones in practice,” Muehlstein said. “That’ll be cool. Senior Day at home. It’ll be exciting. It’ll be fun.”

Reagor Time

It’s hard to argue the best player on TCU’s offense to date – sophomore wide receiver Jalen Reagor.

He had a remarkable touchdown reception on a jailbreak screen in the first half, bouncing off defenders and spinning his way for a 65-yard touchdown. Then he scored on a 37-yard run on a reverse out of the wildcat formation in the second half.

Reagor joined Josh Doctson as the only players in school history to have streaks of six straight with at least one touchdown reception.

“[Doctson] is one of the greatest receivers, if not the, to come through here,” Reagor said. “To be mentioned in the same conversation is big to me.”

For the season, Reagor has 63 receptions for 962 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He is on pace to post just the fourth 1,000-yard receiving season in TCU history.

Doctson did it twice (2014 and 2015), and Reggie Harrell did it in 2003.

And, make no mistake, Reagor is looking to finish strong. Even as a sophomore, he’s emerged as one of the leaders of the team.

“We have to finish,” Reagor said. “It’s now how you start, it’s how you finish. I’m pretty sure, if we finish, win a bowl … nobody will talk about how the season went, but how we finished.”

Cumbie’s call

TCU has struggled on third- and fourth-and-short this season. The offensive line had a lot of turnover in the offseason, and has dealt with its fair share of injuries.

The most experienced O-lineman, left guard Cordel Iwuagwu, has been out since the Texas game, and starting left guard Austin Myers sustained an injury in the first-half against Baylor.

To say the least, the Frogs have struggled when opposing D-lines get big. Smash-mouth football isn’t the strong suit of this year’s team.

So Patterson had nothing but good things to say about the play call co-offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie ran when the team went for a fourth-and-1 from the Baylor 37 in the third quarter.

With the top two running backs (Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua) out, as well as Myers, Cumbie called a reverse to Reagor from the wildcat formation with third-string tailback Emari Demercado taking the direct snap.

The play developed perfectly and Reagor ran untouched into the end zone.

“Great call,” Patterson said. “He fooled me.”

Defensive prowess

TCU has returned to the Big 12’s top spot in total defense.

Baylor went into the TCU game averaging 29.5 points a game and 451.9 yards a game. But TCU held it to nine points and 303 total yards of offense.

The Frogs have allowed an average of 350.3 yards a game, slightly better than Iowa State (350.5). TCU ranks first in pass defense (204.5 yards a game), and fourth in each scoring defense (24.5) and rushing defense (145.7).

“Today, all I can say is we played together as a team,” linebacker Garret Wallow said afterward. “We fought. Coaches were telling us to keep fighting. I’m very proud of our defense. We just played hard. All pays off for itself.”

Final word

Patterson said TCU will likely be down to one scholarship running back in the finale – Demercado. Patterson, who played defensive back and linebacker in college, declared himself unavailable to carry the ball.

“I’m not playing running back,” Patterson said, smiling. “Not unless they block better. They’re going to have to block a whole lot better for me to play running back.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2018 at 12:37 PM.