TCU football notes: Why five-star RB Zach Evans didn’t make his debut vs. Iowa State
TCU fans were giddy when the program landed its first five-star prospect this offseason.
Houston North Shore running back Zach Evans, who was once the No. 1-rated player in the 2020 class by 247Sports, announced his intentions to play for the Horned Frogs in May.
But Evans noticeably stood on the sidelines during TCU’s season-opening 37-34 loss to Iowa State on Saturday. The Frogs rushed for just 99 yards on 44 carries with nine different players having at least one carry.
Coach Gary Patterson explained why Evans didn’t see the field during his news conference Tuesday, saying Evans missed close to a month of training camp as a close contact to players who tested positive for COVID-19.
Players who are deemed in close contact are out a minimum of 14 days.
“When you miss a month of workouts, it’s hard to get into everything,” Patterson said. “That’s the biggest thing that you have to accomplish is just get back in there. He had a good day of practice Sunday.
“As he keeps moving forward, if he keeps doing that he’ll have an opportunity to get in the ball game.”
Evans’ next opportunity will come at Texas on Saturday, but TCU has a number of options in its backfield. Junior Emari Demercado won the starting job in camp and rushed for a team-high 39 yards on eight carries against Iowa State.
Redshirt freshman Darwin Barlow rushed for the next-highest total with 21 yards on three carries. Other running backs to see action included true freshman Kendre Miller (14 yards on three carries) and redshirt freshman Daimarqua Foster (3 yards on two carries).
Evans is listed as a third-string option along with Miller and Foster.
Patterson went on to say that Evans, like most young players, has plenty of room to grow and learn. The running back position is more than just carrying the ball with demands of pass protection and running routes out of the backfield.
“Those guys are all growing everyday. We’re going to keep pushing them,” Patterson said. “They are all going to be good players. It’s probably one of the best groups we’ve ever had at that position.”
Cooper probable
Patterson provided good news on the injury front, saying defensive tackle Terrell Cooper is “probable” to play against Texas on Saturday. Cooper missed the season opener against Iowa State with an undisclosed injury.
Patterson praised Cooper during training camp, saying he looked like one of the best DTs the program has had in years.
TCU struggled containing the run against Iowa State (212 yards on 28 carries), and also registered just two sacks.
Briefly
▪ Patterson said the entire program tested negative for COVID following the Iowa State game. The team will have another test on Wednesday, which is usually the determining factor for the roster outlook on the weekend. “Wednesday is the big one. We’ll see how it goes,” Patterson said. “Right now, it’s get after it. It’s time to get ready to play another ballgame. We’ve been waiting. We don’t want to stop with one, so go from there.”
▪ Patterson said defender Marcel Brooks could see extended snaps this week. The LSU transfer had two tackles in the Iowa State game. Said Patterson: “He will have a role in this ball game. How big it is will be determined by what he knows and how much he can do.”
▪ Patterson on Texas’ offense following its 63-56 overtime victory at Texas Tech: “They scored 60 points. That pretty much says it all.”
