TCU preparing for a fight with No. 18 Oklahoma
There’s a sense of relief at TCU after the Horned Frogs emerged victorious over SMU in the 101st edition of the Iron Skittle Battle.
The focus this week is entirely on the upcoming game on the field as the Horned Frogs face their first-ranked opponent of the season.
No. 18 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) rolls into Fort Worth licking its wounds after yet another loss to Kansas State. You know what they say about how dangerous a wounded animal is right?
So while the Sooners aren’t quite as imposing as their first three games indicated, it doesn’t mean they aren’t a dangerous opponent. Head coach Sonny Dykes is fully aware of the challenge ahead of him.
“We’re playing in front our fans and students against a really good football team that is not accustomed to losing many games. I’m sure they’ll be well prepared and excited to try and get back on the winning track. We’ll have our hands full, but we’re looking forward to it,” Dykes said Tuesday.
Oklahoma is another opponent that has extended success over the Horned Frogs recently. TCU has lost eight straight to the Sooners dating back to 2014.
A victory over Oklahoma wouldn’t just snap the losing streak, it would also be a statement that TCU is a viable contender for the Big 12.
“We came close to beating them a few years ago when Jalen Hurts was there, so I think it would be big for us to beat them and then that’s just setting the tone for conference play. If we beat them it’s going to give us a huge boost for the rest of the season, to start in our conference 1-0,” running back Emari Demercado said.
Confidence isn’t lacking around the program after TCU handled its non-conference opponents.
That confidence isn’t hubris though as Horned Frogs like linebacker Johnny Hodges understand that the competition is about to ramp up.
“Each week we’ve got a little better competition. We started with Colorado who wasn’t very good. We played Tarleton, we basically had two bye weeks playing them. Then we played SMU who is better than Colorado, better than Tarleton and we’re stepping in the right direction,” Hodges said. “This is a definitely a chance for us to come out and show what’s up.
“It’s going to be a packed house, Oklahoma’s blood is going to be hot coming off a loss. We’re getting ready for a fight,” Hodges said.
Here’s more on TCU’s approach to winning Saturday:
Attacking a versatile defense
As Brent Venables takes over Lincoln Riley, the Sooners have traded an offensive guru with a defensive one. Venables was a defensive coordinator for three national champions at Oklahoma and Clemson. He’s already starting to make an impact on an Oklahoma team that struggled on defense the last few years.
“Defensively, they look different. There’s a different scheme, different philosophy. They’re doing so much defensively, mixing things up and creating so much movement. They’re creating havoc, that part is different,” Dykes said.
The movement up front is why the Sooners currently lead the Big 12 in sacks. SMU had success getting after Max Duggan with stunts and sending extra pressure in the second half.
The Horned Frogs must prepare for a defense that will try and attack them from every angle.
“They do a lot of things, they fly around. The biggest thing we have to be ready for is the expectation that they’ll do anything. They do so much,” Demercado said. “Throughout practice we’ve been preparing for anything, going through blitz pickups. The defense is throwing as much at us so we can prepare. They’ll probably throw something at us that we haven’t seen.
“Seeing so much at practice will help us be ready for the unexpected.”
Along with leading the conference in sacks, Oklahoma is tied for second-best for yards per play allowed with just 4.6. The game of chess between Dykes and Garrett Riley vs. Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof will be a key matchup.
Slowing down a high-powered offense
The Horned Frogs have made strides under Joe Gillespie on defense, but Saturday will be a bigger test than SMU to see where the unit stands. The Sooners are averaging 40 points per game and can create big plays through the air or on the ground.
“A lot of big plays. They’re good up front, I think that’s the strength of their team, the offensive line. They’ve got really good skill players that make plays,” Dykes said. “The quarterback is really good as well, he does a good job of buying time and keeping his eyes downfield. They’re very committed to running the football, that’s one thing that makes their offense go.”
Dykes is familiar with Dillon Gabriel from their battles in the American. Dykes said Gabriel is just as effective with the Sooners as he was with Central Florida.
“He was obviously very good in that offense. He’s very comfortable with what he’s doing, the offense plays to his strength as a passer,” Dykes said.
Getting pressure on Gabriel will be essential for the Horned Frogs. TCU sacked Tanner Mordecai three times, but overall it still felt the pass rush wasn’t consistently getting there.
The Horned Frogs’ five sacks are the lowest in the Big 12.
“Up front we’re trying to get more pressure. Not getting cut on blocks, beating lineman when they’re in their kick step and really just trying to help our secondary so they’re not having to play man so often,” Hodges said. “If you have a receiver running a full 10-yard sprint at you it’s kind of impossible to guard at this level.”
The secondary has been solid so far with Mark Perry leading the team in tackles. Josh Newton has two interceptions and Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson shut down SMU receiver Rashee Rice in the second half.
Even they know they have room for improvement as they prepare for the ultra talented Marvin Mims and the rest of the OU receivers.
Perry mentioned that defense has to better on third and fourth downs after SMU converted 14 times in 24 attempts. The Kansas State defense allowed more than 500 yards, but it held Oklahoma to just 5-of-15 on third and fourth down.
Oklahoma is going to score points, but when TCU has a chance to get off the field it must be better in that aspect. Gillespie will have to be creative in how he generates pressure. Using three down linemen might not be enough to penetrate the Sooners offensive line and relying on the blitz could put members of the secondary on islands without help in coverage.
It’s a conundrum, but that’s life in the Big 12.
