Connect with us

Football

Huddle Up: TCU

Published

on

uspw 5551272 2

Photo Attribution: US Presswire

1. TCU will beat OSU if they ___________?

Don’t turn the ball over more than once and if they can contain Randle with seven men in the box. TCU has had fumbling issues this season and the transition from Pachall to Boykin’s most substantial drop off has been in interception numbers.

Casey threw through incredibly tight windows, but they were always balls that his receiver could get or be sure to knock down. Boykin can occasionally fit his passes through tight windows, but he doesn’t have the magic touch on those tight coverages that Casey had yet.

TCU lost to Tech a large part due to turnovers (TCU couldn’t hang on to three should be picks by Doege), lost to Iowa State entirely through turnovers (a pick six on a drive that would’ve given us the lead, and another on the drive that followed- balls that Boykin shouldn’t have been throwing), but absolutely pummeled Baylor when they hung onto the ball.

On the defensive side, TCU under Patterson has always lived on stopping the run (TCU’s defensive efforts against Adrian Peterson, C.J. Spiller and NCAA rushing leader Garrett Wolfe were the stuff of legend) and Patterson will commit as many men as it takes to make sure that Randle doesn’t run on us on Saturday.

This means that it will be on Wes Lunt to win the game for the cowboys in his first game back, and if the frogs can get away with shutting down the run with seven instead of eight in the box it will give the frogs a good opportunity to disguise coverages and bring blitzes in ways that haven’t appeared on tape yet.

2. We hear a ton about TCU’s defense, is the offense underrated/overrated/correctly rated right now?

The offense is probably correctly rated right now.

The running game is a definite work in progress, as with Doak Walker candidate and (in my opinion) the best running back in the Big 12 Waymon James out for the season after the Kansas game the frogs have been getting sporadic production.

Things have improved since Pachall’s suspension due to Boykin having great legs and good decision making in the zone read game, but B.J. Catalon has had major fumbling issues.

Boykin is a redshirt freshman who can still be stricken with the idea that he’s a much better athlete than everyone else on the field, which just isn’t true on the college level like it was in high school.

As a result he can be a bit reckless throwing the ball and has tried to make it to the edge for a big gain, rather than cut upfield for a first down at times, which drives fans crazy. He’ll learn, though. At the receiver position, I think TCU has the best 1-5 in the conference.

Josh Boyce is a legitimate first round NFL talent, Brandon Carter has excellent hands and comes down with everything in his area and will go over the middle without fear, Skye Dawson is an absolute burner, Cam White is a jump ball machine and LaDarius Brown… has the most raw talent of any of them.

He’s still getting on the same page as Boykin, but there’s a reason that virtually everyone who recruits Texas (A&M, Tech, OU, you guys, Notre Dame, Auburn, etc.) wanted him.

He’ll be really special, and even now makes about one or two plays per game that just leave you shaking your head.

3. Which player on OSU scares TCU fans most?

Joseph Randle is the scariest player on the Cowboys, but Wes Lunt will be the one who ends up winning the game for the Cowboys.

Patterson will sell out to stop the run if that’s what it takes, which means that Randle will likely be held under his yards per carry average for the season, and it will be up to Lunt to make the Frogs pay for it.

In the Arizona game it didn’t look like Lunt was quite on the same page as his receivers, as two picks bounced off hands and into the arms of wildcat players, and if there are balls bouncing through the air TCU will come down with a good share of them (we lead the Big 12 in interceptions).

If Lunt and his receivers are on the same page, however, there will be plays open downfield, especially in the play action game, that Lunt could possibly exploit. No matter what happens there it will be a load of fun to watch.

4. Score prediction?

I’m picking TCU to win, 34-24.

I think Boykin has a monster day on the ground after being limited in the Tech game by a tweaked ankle, and that sets up a great day for the TCU receivers as well.

In the end I think that Lunt will have two balls picked off, compared to one for Boykin, and that will be the difference in this game late.

The disclaimer to this is that I’ve apparently picked TCU to win every week for the past two years, so don’t read too much into my optimism.

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media