Five more things we’ve learned about TCU football after eight games
After avoiding an upset at West Virginia with a gritty 23-17 win, TCU football has completed the middle third of its schedule.
Despite a few bumps in the road, the Horned Frogs (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) are still in contention for the conference title heading into November and will have an opportunity to get some much-needed rest with a bye this week.
When TCU returns to action on Nov. 8 against Iowa State, it will be the start of a four-game gauntlet against three Top 25 opponents and the Cyclones, who began the season ranked.
The task will be simple for the Horned Frogs: Win out, and there’s a good chance TCU could make the Big 12 title game or even the College Football Playoff outright by picking up three quality wins late in the season.
But is TCU capable of pulling it off?
Here’s what we’ve learned about TCU in the past four weeks and how it will impact the final stretch run:
All-American talent on defense
Entering the season, senior safety Bud Clark was the most prominent name on TCU’s defense, but the Horned Frogs have had more star power develop over the past four weeks with the emergence of senior linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr and junior safety Jamel Johnson.
Johnson earned second-team midseason Associated Press All-American honors. He leads the team with four interceptions and 40 solo tackles and ranks second with 62 total tackles, and he made critical interceptions in wins over Colorado and Baylor.
Johnson was a good player last year, but has taken a leap to an all-conference level, giving TCU a dynamic duo at safety.
The same can also be said for Elarms-Orr, who has been playing like man on fire the past four weeks. He leads the team with 80 tackles and became the first Horned Frog since at least 1995 to have 15 or more tackles in consecutive games with 16 against Baylor and West Virginia. Elarms-Orr has been terrific against the run and rushing the passer while also being solid in coverage.
TCU could have three All-Big 12 defenders on its defense and maybe multiple All-Americans.
Run game remains inconsistent
At this point of the season it’s time to accept the reality that the Horned Frogs’ run game will likely cost them at some point in the final four games. TCU ranks last in the conference in rushing yards per game (124.0) despite Trent Battle’s career-high 89 yards against West Virginia.
Injuries to starting running back Kevorian Barnes and offensive linemen Cade Bennett, Ryan Hughes and Coltin Deery have hindered the offense from making strides with the run game, and that’s one reason the timing of the bye week is so ideal. The Horned Frogs need time to heal up.
“We’re pretty banged up,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “Our starting center went out. We’re down three offensive linemen. We were down a tight end. We were without our starting running back. We’re down two or three receivers. Guys had to gut it out.”
Iowa State, Houston and BYU have three of the best run defenses in the conference, and the Horned Frogs will need to be as healthy as possible to try to overwhelm those physical defensive fronts.
Eric McAlister is WR1
Despite a slow start to the season and a hamstring injury that held him out for most of the Arizona State game, senior Eric McAlister has emerged as the Big 12’s most dynamic receiver. McAlister leads the conference in receiving yards (727) and yards per reception (19.6) in eight games. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is the closet receiver to McAlister with 628 yards in seven games.
McAlister has been quarterback Josh Hoover’s go-to target, and he’s well on his way to achieving most of his preseason goals of gaining over 1,000 yards and reaching the NFL.
The Horned Frogs will need even more production from McAlister down the stretch, and he’ll need to be even stronger with his hands, as TCU will face better secondaries in November, with the exception of Iowa State. The Cyclones lost their two starting cornerbacks earlier in the year, and their secondary hasn’t recovered.
McAlister and the rest of the TCU receivers could be a big reason the Horned Frogs start their gauntlet with a win over Iowa State.
Road remains a concern
Another harsh reality that needs to be accepted for Horned Frogs fans is that there are two versions of TCU. The one that plays in Fort Worth is fully capable of winning a Big 12 title, but the Horned Frogs who have played on the road so far have been underwhelming to say the least.
Let’s throw out the season-opening win on the road at a bad North Carolina team and also the Horned Frogs’ home win over Abilene Christian. TCU is 3-0 at home against FBS competition and just 1-2 on the road. The Horned Frogs have averaged 37.3 points per game in their past three games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, but that average falls to just 25 on the road. TCU has failed to score 30 points on the road outside of North Carolina.
There have been a variety of issues on both sides of the ball that have contributed to the road struggles. Hoover committed five turnovers against Arizona State and Kansas State, but it’s not all on him. TCU averaged a respectable 142.7 rushing yards in the past three home games, but that average dropped to 59.3 in the past three road games. That won’t be good enough against the competition TCU will face on the road in November.
Defensively, the cornerbacks have struggled most of the season, but those issues have been magnified on the road. The unit commits too many pass interference penalties and struggles defending vertical concepts.
Clark and Johnson have had to cover up many mistakes with their playmaking ability, but interceptions aren’t enough to overshadow a secondary that ranks 15th in the league in passing yards allowed per game (257.9) despite having great individual talent.
McCashland rising?
Special teams was viewed as a major weakness for TCU because of the injury to starting kicker Kyle Lemmermann before the SMU game. Backup kicker Nate McCashland had a rocky start, making just one of his three attempts.
TCU went two games without a kicking field goal after McCashland missed one against Colorado, but he ended up being the difference in the win over West Virginia.
McCashland nailed all three of his attempts on a chilly night in Morgantown, including a 41-yarder that increased TCU’s lead to 23-10 in the fourth quarter. It was the type of performance McCashland and TCU needed, as points may come at a premium when the Horned Frogs face tough defenses like BYU’s and Cincinnati’s.
It’s one game, but it was a clear sign of growth for the kicking game.
