TCU’s rushing attack has been one of the bright spots this football season
TCU’s rushing attack had a lot of unknowns coming into the season, but it has emerged as one of the bright spots.
The Horned Frogs rank second in the Big 12 in rushing offense, averaging 177.3 yards per game. That should come in handy this weekend at Kansas. The Jayhawks boast the league’s worst rushing defense and rank 106th in the country, allowing 213.7 yards per game.
If the Frogs are able to reach the 200-yard mark, chances are good they’ll be leaving Lawrence with a victory. TCU is 3-0 this season when rushing for at least 200 yards, and 98-8 when doing so in the Gary Patterson era.
But TCU knows reaching that mark is easier said than done, regardless of what Kansas’ record suggests. Or what the Frogs did last season when they rushed for 319 yards in a 51-14 rout over the Jayhawks in Fort Worth.
“We respect them as an opponent,” TCU junior running back Emari Demercado said. “Every time we go up there, they play us hard. We can’t go up there and not expect a good game. They’re going to play us hard.”
For TCU, part of its rushing success is thanks to quarterback Max Duggan. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who leads the team with 348 yards.
The Frogs have a talented RB corps, too, headlined by redshirt freshmen Darwin Barlow and Daimarqua Foster, and true freshmen Zach Evans and Kendre Miller. And don’t forget about Demercado, the veteran leader of the group.
Those five combined have rushed for 815 yards in seven games. They’ve all accounted for a reception in the passing game as well, including Demercado hauling in a 52-yard pass from Duggan on a broken play at West Virginia two weeks ago. That is the longest pass play of the season for the Frogs.
“I got behind the linebacker and I was just wide open,” Demercado said. “The ball was in the air and I was just like, ‘Don’t drop it.’”
Demercado didn’t and continued to show his value. Outside of his on-field play, he’s become a valuable voice in the RB room.
This is a unit that had plenty of questions coming into the season. The Frogs lost their top two backs, Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua, from the previous season to graduation, and saw position coach Curtis Luper depart for a job at Missouri.
But it’s been a relatively seamless transition to a younger group under new position coach Bryan Applewhite.
Demercado raved about what Applewhite has brought to the room.
“His approach has definitely been intense. He brings intensity to the room that gets everybody fired up and ready to go,” Demercado said. “I feel like he wants to push us to be great and I feel like it’s shown at times this year. We’ll continue to keep getting better.”
Patterson has liked what he’s seen from the running game, mentioning Applewhite’s energy and the influence of special assistant Jerry Kill. Patterson also appreciates how Applewhite has handled a crowded backfield.
It would be easy for players to become disgruntled over the number of carries per game, but Patterson believes Applewhite is managing loads and expectations as well as possible.
“That’s hard to do,” Patterson said. “Get them reps and get them in the game and how they do things and then really, I think they have a great relationship, which is awesome.”
It helps when you have a team-first player such as Demercado. He’s constantly providing feedback on the practice field and game day, and is as happy as anyone to see the young RBs succeed.
“Just seeing them grow as far as learning plays and improving their football IQ and making decisions on the fly. That’s a thing they might not have done in fall camp and then in the game they go out there and execute it way better,” Demercado said. “It’s crazy to see guys grow up. It’s like a proud moment because I feel like a big brother to them.”
