One-score losses have doomed TCU football. Can the Frogs change that against Oklahoma?
TCU football went 1-6 in one-score games last season. The Horned Frogs are 1-2 in those situations this year with every game being decided by a touchdown or less.
It’s a good bet that Saturday’s TCU-Oklahoma game will be another one-score affair. Since TCU joined the Big 12, six of the eight regular-season games against OU have been decided by one score or less.
The Sooners won 28-24 last year in Norman.
“We have to find a way to get through where we win these one-score games,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “And we’re going to try and start that with Oklahoma.”
Close games come down to impact plays, of course. TCU simply needs to make more of them.
Defensively, the Horned Frogs have to find ways to get pressure on the quarterback and create takeaways.
Sacking the QB remains a hurdle for TCU the second straight season. The Frogs had just 22 sacks last season, the fewest in the Patterson era. They have just four sacks in three games this season.
Getting pressure on a young quarterback such as OU’s Spencer Rattler is imperative to TCU’s success.
“We’d love to have more pressure. I think anybody does,” Patterson said. “People throw the ball differently when you get more of a pass rush with a three- or four-man rush without blitzing. We’ve got to do a better job.
“If you want to be one of the best defenses in the nation, you’ve got to make people fear that you can come and get the quarterback with a three- or four-man rush.”
Takeaways are another area where the Frogs’ defense can shine against the Sooners. OU has turned it over nine times (five interceptions, four fumbles), the most of any Big 12 team.
The Frogs forced three takeaways against the Sooners in last year’s game to stay in it after falling behind 21-0.
TCU linebacker Garret Wallow, who is tied for the Big 12 lead with two forced fumbles, said those takeaways simply have to happen during a game. Mistakes happen when a team is overly aggressive in trying to create them.
“You can’t really go looking for those big plays, you have to let them happen and make them when they come,” Wallow said. “From a turnover standpoint, a lot of teams have a lot of turnovers in the Big 12. You can’t really use that as a disadvantage. You just have to play your game and do your job.”
Offensively, the Frogs must protect the ball and convert on their red-zone trips. They are a perfect 8 for 8 in the red zone with five TDs and three field goals.
At the end of the day, as Patterson said, there’s no easy formula to follow in tight games.
“It’s like how you raise your kids,” Patterson said. “If you knew exactly, you’d turn them out perfect, but you do the best you can. You’ve got to find a way to make that one play, or two plays, or three plays.”
