How TCU football’s Ochaun Mathis has turned into one of the Big 12’s best pass rushers
TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis went along with the comparison. He had just told reporters that part of his success this season came from being pushed by the coaching staff.
“It seems like whenever they make me mad, I get real angry and that’s what makes me play hard,” Mathis said.
In other words, it’s like the superhero the Hulk. You know, the “don’t make me angry” guy who turns into a massive green giant when someone makes him, well, angry.
“Yeah, I’m the Hulk,” Mathis said, tongue-in-cheek with a chuckle. “I’ve been having a temper and am very competitive. Always been. I wish I had a better game tonight [in the regular-season finale against Louisiana Tech]. I feel like I could have done a lot better when it comes to competition.”
That’s saying something. Mathis closed the regular season with a dominant performance. He had two sacks, a fumble recovery and nine tackles to help the Frogs to a 52-10 victory over the Bulldogs.
With those two sacks, Mathis ended up leading the Big 12 with nine sacks during the regular season. Eight of his sacks came in the final five games, including a career-high three sacks against Texas Tech on Nov. 7.
There’s a number of factors for Mathis’ strong finish, starting with the emergence of Khari Coleman opposite of Mathis. As a true freshman, Coleman was second in the Big 12 with 15 tackles for loss, including three sacks.
“At the beginning of the season, it was a rough start for me,” said Mathis, who didn’t register a sack in four of the first five games. “A lot of teams were running their offenses away from my side. These past few games, they’ve found ways to make their offenses work so whenever stuff happens, I’ve been able to make plays.”
Mathis reiterated that the coaching staff continues to push him toward greatness. Nobody has heaped more praise on Mathis than coach Gary Patterson.
On one of his weekly radio shows during the 2018 season, Patterson said Mathis “might be before he’s done the best defensive end that ever played here.”
Following Mathis’ three-sack performance against Texas Tech, Patterson said: “We’re excited about him. He’s got a great future here.”
Then, following the Louisiana Tech game earlier this month, Patterson agreed that Mathis is among the top pass rushers in the Big 12.
“Yeah, I think so. He’s going to be a guy that will have to be reckoned with as he goes forward,” Patterson said.
Patterson mentioned that he told Mathis to find his inner “Coach P” rather than “Gary,” a reference to Patterson’s fiery nature on the sidelines compared to his more laid-back personality away from it.
Or maybe his inner “Hulk.”
Either way, it’s paid off for the Frogs.
Mathis, who was a three-star prospect coming out of Manor, has developed into an elite pass rusher. That, coupled with Coleman’s stellar play, has TCU optimistic about the future considering Mathis is a redshirt sophomore and Coleman is a true freshman.
Mathis is also ready to embrace a leadership role, pointing to L.J. Collier and Ben Banogu as pass rushers he learned under early in his college career.
“Towards the end of the season, I feel like it’s a great time to start growing up,” Mathis said. “I’ve been here for three years. I know I’m going to be a leader next year, so why not?
“I can say from this point on, I will be a great player in my years being here because I’ve gotten better at communicating, flying around to the ball, being more comfortable with my teammates … with some of the seniors leaving, I feel like that will be sad to see them go, but it will be my time to step up and do what I have to do for this defense.”
Mathis and TCU (6-4) close out the 2020 season against Arkansas (3-7) in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at NRG Stadium in Houston.
