No. 7 TCU not focused on recent struggles at West Virginia
No. 7 TCU is well aware of its recent struggles against West Virginia.
The Horned Frogs haven’t beaten the Mountaineers since 2017. There’s not a player on the roster that knows what it’s like to beat West Virginia, especially in Morgantown.
However, TCU isn’t letting the past dictate what will happen on Saturday as they look to move to 8-0.
“We’re not getting caught up in the last time this happened or the last time that happened,” head coach Sonny Dykes said Tuesday. “It’s kind of just been we show up and play on Saturday. The key to our performance has been our preparation. There just hasn’t been that much talk about that stuff.”
That’s by design as Dykes made it clear during the SMU week that he didn’t want TCU to be the type of program that was emotionally swayed by the opponent they’re facing this week.
The next game is the biggest game and history doesn’t change that. Dykes said there hasn’t been much chatter around the program about how difficult it is to play in Morgantown where the Horned Frogs have lost three straight.
“I haven’t heard a lot of guys talk about it. I know it’s a great home crowd, I know this will be a hungry West Virginia team. I watched the Baylor game a couple weeks ago and they looked really good and played really good in that game. You could tell it was an electric atmosphere,” Dykes said.
Dykes is less concerned about ending another losing streak and more about ways the Horned Frogs can improve. The obvious area is avoiding another significant deficit.
“We’ve got to do a better job starting games. I think that’s going to be really important moving forward. We can’t continue to just rely on second-half comebacks, particularly on the road. That’s a hard thing to do, so we’re going to need to start better this Saturday. If we get into a hole like we have the last few weeks it’ll be hard to get out of,” Dykes said.
Here’s how TCU is approaching avoiding falling behind for a third straight game:
Respect for Daniels
Dykes and some of the Horned Frogs had plenty of good things to say about West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels. The former five-star has reunited with his offensive coordinator at USC, Graham Harrell, and has led one of the most productive offenses in the country. The Mountaineers are averaging almost 35 points per game and make this game intriguing.
“Their quarterback, they have an older dude back there. He’s been playing football for awhile, it’s going to be good going against him,” safety Namdi Obiazor said.
Daniels certainly isn’t lacking for experience after spending two seasons each at USC and Georgia. This is probably the healthiest he’s been in quite sometime. While his numbers won’t jump off the page, Dykes understands the talent he has and says the defense has to make life difficult.
“He’s a good player, he’s a really talented guy. He can make all the throws,” Dykes said. “I think he’s a very good football player. They’re a team that has a lot of weapons and he’s one of them. J.T’s a guy you can’t let get too comfortable. He’ll pick you apart if he can just stand in there and not face a little bit of adversity with the pass rush.”
The West Virginia offensive line has done a good job of protecting Daniels as he’s only been sacked nine times in seven games. Dykes said the pass rush and the coverage in the secondary in terms of disrupting the timing will be the key to slowing down the Mountaineers.
Winning the battle upfront
The Big 12 numbers don’t paint the picture of West Virginia having a formidable defense. The Mountaineers are last in scoring defense, interceptions and allowing more than 400 yards of offense per game. However, the Horned Frogs aren’t taking the unit lightly especially with Dante Stills leading the defensive line.
“They’re a good front, (Stills) over there is a great player. A lot of people know that. They have really good nose tackles, they rotate them in. Their bandit outside is really good. It’s going to be a physical game in Morgantown,” center Alan Ali said.
The Mountaineers have held up against the run and are allowing 3.7 yards per carry. However, several Big 12 teams have found success. Syracuse transfer Lee Kpogba and Sean Martin are two more difference makers on the front seven and each has two sacks.
“Their defensive front stand outs. They’re going to show you a bunch of different looks,” Dykes said. “Typically when the ball is snapped it’s going to be something different than what it appeared to be. That always creates problems. It’s hard to get a beat on them. Their front is active and physical and plays with an edge.”
TCU has plenty of experience facing talented fronts after making its way through the gauntlet of four ranked teams. Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kansas and Oklahoma State either led the Big 12 in sacks or were second when they faced TCU and the Horned Frogs handled each unit as time went on.
“We preach physicality every week,” Ali said of the offensive line’s success. “We knew Oklahoma State and K-State were physical fronts and we just wanted to match that and have a successful game. I still don’t think we’ve played our best game yet.”
If Ali and the rest of the offensive line are able to play above and beyond the level they’ve already shown, then TCU’s offense should keep rolling with another 30-plus outing on the road.
