How TCU plans to lead the Big 12 in pass defense a fourth straight year
The Big 12 is known for its electric passing offenses.
Oklahoma produced consecutive No. 1 overall picks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in 2017-18, and Jalen Hurts didn’t disappoint following in their footsteps last season. Other QBs to come through the league in recent years include Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and Mason Rudolph at Oklahoma State.
Another staple, though, has been TCU’s defense in slowing down the passing attacks. The Horned Frogs have been the league’s top-ranked pass defense for three consecutive seasons. Can they make it four straight in 2020?
TCU is the only program to allow fewer than 200 yards passing in each of the last two seasons — 199.7 yards passing in 2019 and 199.6 yards passing in 2018.
The plan is for TCU to post similar numbers this season. The Frogs return two standout safeties in Trevon Moehrig and Ar’Darius Washington. But the bigger question is at cornerback.
TCU must fill the void left by seniors Jeff Gladney, a first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, and Julius Lewis, who started 19 combined games the past two seasons.
The good news for the Frogs is that players have emerged in training camp, according to coach Gary Patterson.
Sophomore Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, the nephew of program legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer La’Dainian Tomlinson, is expected to start as well as junior Noah Daniels, who missed last season with an injury.
“Noah and Tre Tomlinson are probably our starters. We’re finding backups between Kee’yon Stewart, Tony Wallace and (C.J.) Ceasar,” Patterson said. “Ceasar has still been doing some good things. But when you get into the season you better have five or six guys that can go. We’ve really pushed all of those guys. In the SMU game they have a high level receiver corps and we’ve got to make sure we’re as ready to go as possible because they can play.”
Tomlinson played in all 12 games last season, including one start. He finished with eight tackles and one pass breakup. As stated, Daniels missed last season but played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018.
Stewart has the most experience of the returners, starting six of nine games played last season. He finished with 18 tackles and four breakups. Wallace played in just two games with no stats, while Ceasar played in all 12 games with four tackles and one breakup.
Still, all of the returning cornerbacks combined had less than half of the pass breakups (six) as Gladney’s Big 12-leading 14.
Again, the good news is the strength of the safeties returning. Washington led the team with five interceptions, while Moehrig had four. Those two will be counted on heavily to keep TCU as the top pass defense in the league.
TCU opens its season against SMU on Sept. 11. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
