TCU’s Patterson explains late-game timeouts in 33-14 loss to Oklahoma
TCU coach Gary Patterson confused many when he used timeouts late in a 33-14 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Oklahoma had a kneel down to start the process of running out the clock with a 30-14 lead and a first-and-10 from the TCU 13. Two kneel downs is all OU needed to run out the clock. And, following a kneel down on second down, OU coach Lincoln Riley started heading toward midfield for the postgame handshake.
After all, there was less than 40 seconds on the game clock and time would have expired without running another play. But Patterson used a timeout to stop the clock with 37 seconds left.
That left OU facing a third-and-12 from the TCU 15, and the Sooners ran the ball for 2 yards. Patterson used another timeout with 31 seconds left. OU kicked a field goal on fourth down, extending its lead to 33-14.
TCU got the ball back with 26 seconds and ran four offensive plays to end the game. Three of the final four plays were passes to freshman running back Zach Evans, a five-star prospect out of Galena Park North Shore who has seen limited reps this season.
Asked about his late-game thought process using the timeouts, Patterson said: “Offensively we need work. We had a chance to get Zach Evans in the ball game and see him and guys throwing down the field and do some stuff. We’re not going to have the give-up attitude here. That’s not going to happen.”
Patterson and the Frogs seemingly acknowledged the game was over earlier in the quarter when they punted down three possessions.
Oklahoma had taken a 30-7 lead on a field goal early in the fourth quarter with 10:50 left in the game.
On the next drive, TCU had a fourth-and-1 from its own 19. Instead of going for it, the Frogs opted to punt.
Patterson said he never considered going for it, adding: “You can’t embarrass your kids either. In the Kansas State game, I went for it at the 35-yard line when it was a closer ball game. You’re talking about a game that was a three-score game, and I think we ended up stopping them after that punt, didn’t we?”
Yes, TCU forced OU to punt and turned the next drive into an 82-yard TD drive. Quarterback Max Duggan capped the drive with an 11-yard TD pass to Pro Wells with 3:42 left.
TCU, though, didn’t opt for a traditional onside kick after that score. Instead, kicker Griffin Kell had a pooch kick that landed right into the hands of OU’s Charleston Rambo at the OU 38. Rambo took a knee after catching it.
Again, Patterson explained that the pooch kick was actually supposed to be a deeper kick to where he wanted the ball to land in an open spot and have players sprint for the ball.
“He was supposed to kick over their heads and make it hit the ground to where we could outrun them,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t supposed to be high, it wasn’t supposed to be a pooch kick. I told him exactly how to do it, that’s why I called a timeout. He kicked it where (an OU player) could catch it; that doesn’t do us much good.”
OU proceeded to gain three first downs and that’s when Riley called in victory formation … until Patterson used the late timeouts. In the end, it allowed the Sooners to add another field goal to the final score.
As far as what he thought of Evans in those final plays, Patterson said: “I thought he ran hard. He ran hard and some guys made some good plays.”
TCU fell to 1-3 on the season, while OU improved to 2-2.
TCU faces Baylor next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
