TCU football notes: Big plays keep giving Frogs problems in conference
The big play has been a problem for TCU’s defense in conference, so much that coach Gary Patterson knows where his team would rank in total defense otherwise.
“It’s dropped them about 40 slots from where you’d like to be,” he said.
The Frogs, who have given up 13 plays of 50 yards or more — including four of 70 yards or more — rank 48th in yards allowed. Without those big plays, they’d rank 10th.
But those big plays count, and they are part of the Frogs’ résumé as they get set for the Thanksgiving game at Texas.
“We’d like to be a top-10 defense. But that doesn’t always happen every year,” Patterson said.
TCU has given up pass plays of 70, 74, 75 and 78 yards. Three of those were in the past two games, against Kansas State and Kansas.
The Frogs’ worst game for big plays allowed was against Texas Tech, which put up pass plays of 56, 57 and 59 yards.
In nonconference, Samford, Minnesota and SMU did not have a play over 34 yards against TCU.
Texas’ longest pass play this year is 68 yards, and its longest run is 42 yards.
TCU’s offense has 12 plays of 50 yards or more.
Schedule advantage
TCU’s season finale next season will be against Baylor, which works to the Frogs’ advantage, in Patterson’s mind.
“You don’t have to emotionally get ready for another game,” he said. “I saw it happen with BYU and Utah for years in the Mountain West.”
TCU meets Baylor on Friday, Nov. 27, and has a bye the following week, the last week of the regular season. Baylor will play Texas after TCU.
The teams share the conference lead this year. Baylor won their matchup 61-58 in October, and Baylor lost the following week at West Virginia.
“If Baylor and us are going to be a rivalry, it’s better to put it at the end of the season,” Patterson said.
Positive spin
More media than usual waited for Patterson after practice Wednesday, ready to get his reaction to the Horned Frogs dropping out of the top four in the College Football Playoff rankings.
He saw the bright side.
“The fun part about all this is we’re playing for something,” he said. “A year ago, all of you weren’t here and nobody cared that we were finishing up our final game. It’s back to where people care what’s happening. We’re in the race to win a conference title. We’ll see how it goes.”
Maxwell semifinalist
Patterson is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Football Club’s coach of the year award. The Horned Frogs, tied for the conference lead and fifth in the playoff rankings, were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12.
In 14 years as TCU head coach, Patterson has received 10 national coach of the year awards, including Maxwell’s George Munger Award in 2009.
Briefly
This story was originally published November 20, 2014 at 8:21 PM with the headline "TCU football notes: Big plays keep giving Frogs problems in conference."