With quarterback in place, TCU turns attention to season plan

A big piece of the puzzle, if not the biggest, fell into place Thursday for No. 13 TCU when the coaching staff decided on a quarterback.

Kenny Hill will take over the Air Raid offense that made the Horned Frogs a national power with Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson.

The competition between Hill and Foster Sawyer required the fall practices to settle, but now that it’s done, co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie can go forward crafting a season plan for Hill and an offense that starts the season with less experience than the defense.

“I still believe you’ve got to have two to do it,” coach Gary Patterson said of the quarterbacks. “Foster’s in a lot of the mix. But right now, it’s how we’ll go forward.”

TCU begins the season Saturday, Sept. 3, against South Dakota State, one of three consecutive home games to start the season, including a matchup with Arkansas and a Big 12 game against Iowa State.

After that, it’s a Friday night game at SMU, then a return home for the biggest game on the schedule so far — No. 3 Oklahoma on Oct. 1.

That leaves little time for the Frogs to ramp up their plan, which is to let the defense lead the way until the offense is up to speed.

“I’m more worried, to be honest with you, we’ve been dropping a lot of balls,” Patterson said. “We’ve got to catch balls. It hasn’t been the quarterback. We’ve got to catch balls.”

TCU provided plenty of candidates to catch balls. Hill has options such as veterans Emanuel Porter, Ty Slanina, KaVontae Turpin, Deante Gray, Jaelan Austin and Jarrison Stewart. Additionally, junior college transfer Taj Williams earned a starting job, and tight end Cole Hunt showed he can go deep for balls.

At running back, Kyle Hicks will get the first handoffs from Hill. But Patterson said the next four backs — Derrick Green, Sewo Olonilua, Darius Anderson and Trevorris Johnson — all have a role in the offense.

“Sewo is one of those guys that really gives us a lot of stuff in the passing game,” Patterson said. “Derrick Green gives us a short-yardage back. … He’s not a wiggle guy, but he’s giving us a guy that can go get. Puts his head down.”

On the other side of the ball, that’s what Patterson has been doing as well — putting his head down to gear up a unit that played without its top pass rusher and cornerback most of last season.

But they’re both back. Defensive end James McFarland and cornerback Ranthony Texada, along with backup linebacker Sammy Douglas and backup safety Kenny Iloka, missed last season because of injury, but their return means more experience for Patterson to work with.

Last season’s sack leader, defensive end Josh Carraway, is also back, plus veteran defensive tackle Aaron Curry. At linebacker, Montrel Wilson and Travin Howard have a year at the position after starting last season as safeties.

Texada is the leader of an unproven unit at cornerback. Jeff Gladney is the other starter, playing his first season after replacing veteran Julius Lewis, who was hurt in February and will miss 2016.

The Frogs need a kicker — Jonathan Song is out at least two games with a toe injury. But a punter is in place with Adam Nunez, a freshman whose work in the fall as the holder for the place-kickers also impressed Patterson.

If special teams sorts itself out, and if Hill thrives in the offense as Boykin did, and if the defense starts fast, the Frogs can make themselves contenders. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit made them his pick to win the Big 12.

“I take it as a respect factor, and like I’ve always told people, either you’re proving people wrong or you’re proving people right,” Patterson said. “In this case, we’re going to need to prove him right. But also there’s other people I’ve got to prove wrong.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 12:59 PM with the headline "With quarterback in place, TCU turns attention to season plan."