TCU football notebook: Frogs aim to fix home struggles, running back rotation in flux
For most teams, playing at their home stadium is when they typically play their best, but it’s been the opposite so far for TCU football this season.
The Horned Frogs are an impressive 3-1 away from Amon G. Carter Stadium with the most recent victory coming at Utah, one of the toughest environments in the Big 12. On the flip side, TCU is just 1-2 at home with ugly losses to UCF and Houston, two teams near the bottom of the league standings.
TCU was 11-3 at home during the first two seasons of the Sonny Dykes tenure and Dykes always talked about how important it was to win games in front of your home crowd. What’s led to TCU’s struggles at the Carter this season? It’s not quality competition, as TCU’s most talented opponents have been on the road.
Multiple players suggested that it might be a mentality issue holding TCU back from protecting its home field.
“When your backs are against the wall, you pull out all types of different things to be able to win the game,” linebacker Marcel Brooks said Tuesday. “We obviously have to be better at home, but there’s just something about when we’re away, we just have this dog mentality as a whole group.
“We feel doubted, we come into someone else’s house energized because we have to be the most excited team when we go in there.”
Aside from the season opener at Stanford, both of TCU’s other wins have come after disappointing defeats. After being blown out by SMU, TCU responded with a win at Kansas. After Houston upset the Horned Frogs on Oct. 4, TCU responded by winning at Utah.
The Horned Frogs deserve credit for responding with their backs against the wall as Brooks alluded to, but now TCU will be in a different position against Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Red Raiders were on the verge of potentially cracking the top-25, but were upset in Lubbock by rival Baylor 59-35 last Saturday. That led to TCU opening up as a near touchdown favorite according to Las Vegas betting lines.
The Horned Frogs are expected to win this one instead of being doubted. Will TCU be able to muster up the same energy the team had against the Utes and Jayhawks?
“It’s going to be a really important home game,” Brooks said. “We’re fighting for something. It doesn’t take us being (on the road) to be the most excited team. We’ve got to come out there and be the most excited team and protect our home.”
The Horned Frogs are fighting for bragging rights against their in-state rivals and also looking to move one win closer to bowl eligibility. There also remains a small chance that TCU could potentially sneak their way in the Big 12 title game conversation as a win over Texas Tech would improve TCU to 3-2 in the league with four more games to play.
TCU isn’t getting ahead of itself and thinking of the big picture scenarios just yet and the Horned Frogs shouldn’t until they’ve shown more consistency. For right now, it’s just about giving TCU fans what they deserve.
“I feel like the fans around here deserve a win in our home stadium,” cornerback LaMareon James said. “We know we haven’t played that good at home, so we’re looking forward to this weekend.”
Running back rotation still unsettled
As the Horned Frogs move into the final stretch of the regular season, there’s still uncertainty about who is TCU’s top option at running back. Cam Cook leads the team with 349 yards, but he’s averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and hasn’t generated the explosive plays the staff believed he could in the off-season.
Freshman running back Jeremy Payne showed potential with 65 yards against Kansas, but then he had just three carries against Houston and played sparingly against Utah. Against the Utes it was Trent Battle that provided the most impact with his ability as a blocker against the blitz along with 45 yards on eight carries.
“I think we’re searching for somebody to take the position over,” Dykes said. “They all have had some moments where they’ve looked good, but we need them to look really good. We just haven’t gotten there yet. The biggest thing we’ve got to do is hit the hole and running north and south. That’s been some of our issues there.”
Dykes said it’s imperative for running backs to be able to do everything from running the ball, catching checkdowns and providing value as a blocker. There’s one player in particular standing out in those categories to Dykes and the staff right now.
“I think Trent is closest just because of his experience,” Dykes said. “His experience, his size, he’s pretty good in pass protection and catching the ball.”
Against a Texas Tech defense that allows 163 rushing yards and almost five yards per carry, this is the ideal moment for Battle, Cook or Payne to seize the starting running back role in the final stretch of the season.
Key defender out against Tech
The Horned Frogs will be without linebacker Cooper McDonald for a second straight game as he was ruled out on Tuesday with an ankle sprain. The injury also caused him to miss the Utah game. On the season McDonald has 22 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss and 2.5 sacks while being the team’s most consistent edge rusher.
TCU will turn to Devean Deal once again after Deal had his best game of the season against Utah with five tackles and 2.5 sacks. Marcel Brooks is another that will get more reps after he had a sack against Utah.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 12:08 PM.
