Freshman DE Khari Coleman among bright spots as TCU tries to start turnaround at Baylor
TCU football is in a position it’s never been before under coach Gary Patterson.
The Horned Frogs are off to a 1-3 start, the worst start in the Patterson tenure and the program’s worst since a 1-4 start in 1999. Yes, this season comes with the COVID caveat of playing no nonconference games amid the pandemic.
But Patterson will be the first to admit the team has not played up to the lofty expectations he has instilled in a program that finished ranked just once in the 40 years before he took over.
“Our guys are not used to losing,” Patterson said. “They’re 1-3, so how do you face that? The best way is to get back on the horse.”
TCU will attempt to turn its slow start around at Baylor on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. in Waco.
Here are five things to watch:
Establishing the run
TCU rushed for just 75 yards on 25 carries against Oklahoma last week. That must improve if the Frogs want to establish some sort of offensive identity.
Baylor ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rushing defense (154 yards per game), so TCU should have an opportunity to find success in the running game. Maybe this is the week prized freshman Zach Evans gets more carries.
Patterson liked what he saw from Evans late in the OU game. Evans finished with 10 yards rushing on one carry and 56 yards receiving on five catches.
O-line growth
The offensive line has been subject to criticism from the start of the season and the unit sustained a blow when guard Wes Harris sustained a possible season-ending injury against OU.
But the Frogs have to keep taking strides along the O-line to open up running lanes and give quarterback Max Duggan enough time in the pocket.
Eyes on Khari
TCU’s pass rush continues to be an issue. The Frogs have only five sacks through four games, which is among the worst in the Big 12. Baylor is giving up three sacks a game so far this season, so TCU should feel it can generate more pressure.
More importantly, freshman Khari Coleman is emerging as the most disruptive player along the D-line. He had 3.5 tackles for loss, including one sack, against OU. Coleman has been one of the bright spots and should continue to get more snaps.
Fewer penalties
Patterson wasn’t pleased with the number of penalties TCU had in its loss against OU, particularly two personal fouls that hurt offensive drives.
Playing disciplined and fundamentally sound football has been a struggle for the Frogs this season. They’ve had 72.2 yards of penalties a game. Most tend to happen on the offensive side, leaving that unit in unenviable situations.
As tight end Carter Ware said this week, “You can’t start every series and it be first-and-15 and play behind the sticks the whole game because you can’t win football games like that. That’s our thing, especially for the older guys, is just trying to minimize mistakes every practice pre-snap and just executing it to the best of our ability.”
Winning mindset
This is cliche but TCU has to rediscover how to finish games and close out victories. The Frogs are 2-8 in one-score games the past two seasons, and oddsmakers believe this will be another close game.
But the players remain bought-in and sounded as though they continue to have the right mindset despite the slow start.
“Right now, we’re at a point where we hate losing and it’s time to go out and win,” cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson said. “As a team, everyone is motivated. We go out every day in practice and we work, we work, we work. Now it’s time to show that we are that great team that we can be.”
