‘A day of incredibly mixed emotions.’ Inside TCU’s home opener amid COVID-19
TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati described Saturday as a day filled with “incredibly mixed emotions.”
Simply playing a football game and starting the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic felt like a win in itself. But then there was the disappointment of the game when Iowa State outplayed TCU for a 37-34 victory at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
That performance left Donati questioning what if the football team had a preseason game to prepare for conference play. Iowa State had that benefit even though it lost to Louisiana two weeks ago.
Mixed in between were questions about fans in attendance adhering to the different COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks and socially distancing and not tailgating beforehand.
“It was a day of incredibly mixed emotions,” Donati told the Star-Telegram afterward. “I’m so proud of my team and everyone in our department to get us to the point to play a football game. On the other hand, we obviously could have benefited from a preseason game. That’s just how it goes. There is a lot to be excited about with this team.”
As far as the 11,852 fans on hand following the various protocols, Donati said: “I know this was new for everyone. Overall I thought we did OK. The heat made it difficult but I’m so grateful for our fans and the students.”
At the end of the day, it was a welcomed sight to see the season get underway. There were times in the last two months where it felt as though TCU would never start the 2020 season during the pandemic.
The Horned Frogs were scheduled to play Cal on Sept. 5, but that fell apart when the Pac-12 opted for a conference-only schedule. Then there were thoughts to open the season at UNLV in Week Zero on Aug. 29, but those plans faded when the Big 12 went to a plus-one model with a conference-only schedule plus one home nonconference game.
Then Tennessee Tech agreed to play TCU on Sept. 12 until the Ohio Valley postponed fall sports. Next up was SMU, but playing the 100th edition of the “Battle for the Iron Skillet” fell apart when TCU had a COVID-19 outbreak amongst its players.
Eventually, the season started on Saturday but not in the fashion TCU’s program hoped.
Iowa State connected on a number of big plays against TCU’s defense, and the offense struggled with a revamped line and untimely turnovers.
Coach Gary Patterson blamed himself for not having his team ready to open the season with a victory. Patterson refused to use not having a nonconference game or limited capacity for a home game as reasons for the loss.
Instead, Patterson said, the game felt like any of the other 242 games he’s served as head coach.
“I don’t ever notice the crowd,” Patterson said. “Kids feed off the emotion, but for us it’s a job. It’s about the same. When it’s really loud, you can tell a difference but I didn’t notice in the focus and everything else of doing things. I really hadn’t thought about it to be honest with you. All of that stuff doesn’t need to be an excuse.
“The bottom line to it is when the game starts, you’ve got to play. Whether it’s a scrimmage, whether you play in the parking lot, wherever you play it, you play to win and you get ready to go. You’ve got to get ready to do that. We’ve got to do a better job of that.”
Senior linebacker Garret Wallow echoed that sentiment, saying it felt like any other college football game he’s played.
“When you love the game, it doesn’t matter who’s there,” said Wallow, who had a team-leading nine tackles. “It felt like a regular football game to me.”
TCU faces No. 9 Texas next Saturday in Austin. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. The Horned Frogs’ next home game is against Kansas State on Oct. 10.
