Why Eric McAlister’s ‘gravity’ could be key to TCU football win over Iowa State
Losing one All-Big 12 defender can be tough, but what about losing two of them?
When TCU football hosts Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Fox, the Cyclones will be without their two All-Big 12 cornerbacks, Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper.
The dynamic coverage duo suffered season-ending injuries in September, which served as the catalyst for Iowa State’s four-game losing streak.
It’s a bummer for the Cyclones, but it will provide an opening to exploit for TCU and its deep receiving corps, led by Eric McAlister. He and the rest of the wideouts could be the key to victory against a banged-up Iowa State secondary.
McAlister, who leads the Big 12 with 727 yards and has scored eight touchdowns, said he is expecting to have the full focus of the Iowa State secondary.
“There’s not a game where I go into where I don’t expect to be doubled,” McAlister said Wednesday. “I faced bracket coverage, or there’s always a guy over top of me. I’ve been the main focus of teams’ game plans, and coming into the season I expected that.”
The Cyclones would’ve been one of the few teams in the league that had the personnel to play single coverage against McAlister, but that will change without Cooper and Williams.
Iowa State will also be without safety Ta’Shawn James, who leads the Cyclones with five passes defended. McAlister is anticipating that Iowa State will throw a lot of different coverages at him and the receivers to try and compensate for the lack of experienced bodies.
“We’re expecting a lot of bracket coverage, a lot of middle-read safety just sitting there,” McAlister said. “They’re going to try and make us make the right play every single time. They want us to have to 13-, 14-play drives to get down the field, and they don’t want us to score in two or three plays.”
Despite the injuries to the secondary, TCU isn’t expecting a walk in the park, as Iowa State still has a formidable front seven that can generate pressure.
Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes also thinks some of Iowa State’s younger corners like Quentin Taylor and Tre Bell have grown up in the recent weeks despite the losing skid.
“When you lose two of the better players in the league, it’s tough to replace those guys,” Dykes said. “The guys that have come in I think have done a really good job. There’s obviously a drop-off from an experience standpoint. That’s been something that is difficult to overcome, but the fact they’ve played as well as they have speaks to the depth and quality of their players.”
Taylor in particular has had some good moments, as he has a coverage grade of 72.6 according to Pro Football Focus. It’s a higher grade than Cooper had but still not quite as elite as Williams’ 84.4 grade.
Even with the emergence of Taylor, Iowa State will still be hard-pressed to use a single defensive back to guard McAlister.
In basketball, the term “gravity” is used to describe how an elite shooter like Golden State’s Steph Curry attracts and pulls the defense toward him due to his range.
The same concept applies to McAlister, as the gravity he creates should open up more opportunities for Jordan Dwyer, Joseph Manjack and TCU’s deep group of tight ends. Many receivers always focus on getting more targets, but McAlister has used a different approach after seeing so many double teams this season.
“It’s forced me to grow as a better teammate,” McAlister said. “I see it from a field standpoint of if I see three guys standing over, I gotta get my other teammates going. I gotta get [quarterback Josh] Hoover going and tell him, ‘Don’t stare me down.’ These guys gotta get the ball if they’re gonna play three guys on me.”
It won’t show up in the box score, but that type of mentality will be essential for TCU to start November off on the right foot.
Whether McAlister has 50 yards or 150, if TCU wins, he’ll likely be a big reason why.
