TCU football is struggling to stop the run. It won’t get easier against OU’s Brooks
TCU coach Gary Patterson is concerned about one thing this time of year.
“It’s not about stats or anything else,” Patterson said, “It’s about winning.”
Nobody would argue with that statement. And TCU (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) has won more than it’s lost going into its game at No. 4 Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0) on Saturday in Norman.
But TCU’s winning formula under Patterson usually centers on playing elite-level defense. Of his 181 career victories, 105 have come when the Frogs have held opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.
Right now, TCU would be happy to limit teams to fewer than 200 yards rushing. That would be an improvement with the last three opponents — Texas Tech (214 yards), Texas (272 yards) and SMU (350 yards) — all topping the 200-yard mark.
On the season, TCU is allowing 5.2 yards per carry and 206 yards per game on the ground. Those are numbers that haven’t been seen under Patterson (or at TCU) in decades. The last time the Frogs allowed more than 200 yards rushing per game in a season was 1994. The last time they allowed more than five yards per carry was 1977.
Patterson said the team is “not happy” with where they’re at, but is hopeful improvements are coming from a personnel and scheme standpoint. One of the biggest setbacks has been playing without senior defensive tackle Corey Bethley the past three weeks. Bethley has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for the Oklahoma game, Patterson said.
“The biggest thing is just getting guys back. Our whole thing is about adjustments,” Patterson said. “We’ve just got to keep people on the field to be able to do that. We’re not happy where we’re at, really as a whole group, but the one thing that I do like about what they’ve done is they are playing hard. As long as you play hard, you’re going to give yourself an opportunity to be successful.
“We need to supplement [the offense] and keep getting better at what we do. There’s been years where the defense has carried it. This is one of those years where we’ve been able to do it offensively, especially running the football.”
There’s more than half of the season left for Patterson and his defense to improve. It won’t be easy to get back on track, though, against Oklahoma and running back Kennedy Brooks.
Brooks, a Mansfield High product who sat out last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is coming off a career day with 217 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Texas last Saturday. He had big games against TCU in 2018 and 2019, too, rushing for 168 yards and one score as a freshman in 2018 and 149 yards as a sophomore in 2019.
“He’s always been a good player, especially when you let him get downhill,” Patterson said.
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has been pleased with Brooks’ return to date, saying he’s getting in sync with the offensive line. “He’s definitely more settled in, getting back into the flow of the game and getting used to breaking tackles and playing the way that really good running backs need to play,” Riley said.
“He’s always been a guy who has a chance to get out of tackles and doesn’t miss many cuts,” he said. “He’s improved himself physically. He’s got a little bit more of a burst than maybe he had earlier in his career. I think he’s running with a lot of confidence right now.”
That probably doesn’t bode well for TCU and its struggling run defense. But safety T.J. Carter said the Frogs will be ready to go come Saturday.
“They’ve got a good running game like most of the teams in our conference,” Carter said. “There’s going to be a big emphasis this week getting guys on the ground and tackling, which has be a big emphasis for us every week.”
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Norman.
This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
