TCU football is perfect converting red-zone trips, but looking for more points
TCU football has been perfect in converting offensive red-zone trips into points. The Horned Frogs are one of four Big 12 teams that can say that in this young college football season.
But, despite being 6 for 6 on trips inside the red zone through two games, TCU knows those trips must end in the end zone more often. The Frogs have settled for field goals on half those trips with all three coming in Saturday’s 33-31 victory over No. 9 Texas.
TCU will look to close out more drives with TDs when it hosts Kansas State on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
“Obviously when we get down there we want to put it in the end zone,” TCU quarterback Max Duggan said. “We’ve just got to focus in and execute what we’re doing in the red zone. We don’t like to settle for three points. But when we have [kicker Griffin Kell], he’s going to bail us out most of the time. He did a great job today.”
Kell finished the game by going a perfect 4 for 4 on field goals from 27, 32, 49 and 28 yards. Those were the most field goals in a game since Jonathan Song made four in last season’s 33-31 victory at Texas Tech.
Coach Gary Patterson even acknowledged Kell’s performance after the game, saying: “If you don’t make all the field goals, you don’t win the ballgame. Very proud of his job.”
Still, it’s no secret that TCU must convert more of those red-zone trips into touchdowns. Last season, TCU led the Big 12 in red-zone trips ending with a field goal (21). That is not something it should desire to repeat.
The Frogs finished 2019 by converting on 50 of 53 red-zone trips (29 TDs, 21 FGs), a respectable clip. But they’d rather have a TD ratio similar to schools with comparable red-zone trips such as Kansas State (35 TDs, 15 FGs in 52 trips) and Iowa State (37 TDs, 13 FGs in 53 trips).
