Big 12 Syllabus Series: TCU Horned Frogs
By Zach Pugh
The TCU Horned Frogs found themselves in the news for the wrong reasons this offseason. Four of their players had been involved in a drug bust involving 18 people and were later dismissed from the team.
With August creeping up, the Horned Frogs are ready to forget about the unfortunate and look towards their first season as a member of the Big 12. TCU will have a similar spotlight on the program as the Utah Utes experienced last season moving into the PAC-12.
The underdog role is nothing new to this team and head coach Gary Patterson won’t let them become entitled.
Junior quarterback Casey Pachall returns after an impressive season. Stepping in after Andy Dalton was not going to be easy, but Pachall was able to help his team reach 11 wins and a MWC championship. Pachall is a fairly polished passer and showed how he can lead the offense with his arm last season in the victory over Boise State and the big comeback loss against Baylor. The passing game ranked 63rd in the nation last season, but keep in mind that Pachall didn’t have to carry the offense on his back every game. The cause of this was of course, the running game.
The question with the running game this season will be, how will the exit of Ed Wesley impact the rushing attack? Last season, Wesley ran for 726 yards and six touchdowns despite missing most of the first half of the season. Yes, Wesley was important to the three back rotation, but keep in mind Waymon James and Matthew Tucker also ran for over 700 yards each in 2011. James ran for 875 yards and six scores, while Tucker ran for 702 yards with 12 scores.
TCU is set with another three running back rotation with James, Tucker and senior Aundre Dean. Dean might actually be fighting for time with newcomer B.J. Catalon. However, injuries can pose an issue. If James goes down to an injury, Tucker is more than capable to pick up the work load, but as this team has proved recently, this three man rotation system works wonders.
Leading receiver Josh Boyce returns to help the offense keep pace with the Big 12. Boyce was just two yards shy of 1,000 yards on 61 catches last season. Remember the game against Boise State? Boyce had a field day against the Broncos’ secondary with a five catch, 163-yard, and three touchdown performance. Boyce proved more so in that game just how much of a deep threat he can be.
The beauty of the passing game is even if Boyce gets injured or has a bad day on the field; Skye Dawson also is a threat down field. Some even make the argument that he is a better deep threat than Boyce.
TCU has the firepower on offense to keep pace with opposing offenses within the Big 12, but the season rests on how well the Horned Frog secondary can hold up against Landry Jones, Geno Smith and Seth Doege to name a few.
3 & Out
1st Down: Gary Patterson, the great motivator
When you think of TCU football, you think of Gary Patterson. The evidence of how important coach Patterson is to the Horned Frogs has never been clearer than this offseason. It’s an accomplishment that TCU has built a program strong enough to gain the attention of the Big 12; it’s an accomplishment they have made it to a BCS bowl two out of the last three years. There’s also the 36-3 record over the past three years.
When coach Patterson speaks about the upcoming season, he still seems to have a chip on his shoulder. The whole team will probably keep that attitude throughout the whole season. Patterson has this team moving forward in their new conference with the outlook, being in the Big 12 doesn’t make you special, winning makes you special. We have been given a glimpse into the way Patterson has been motivating this program for years. Look no further than the 2011 Rose Bowl. TCU heard nothing but how Wisconsin was too big and would overpower the little guys from the Mountain West. Of course, that wasn’t the case, as TCU defeated Wisconsin 21-19.
For fans curious how the Horned Frogs will play against Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, etc, just think of this. Coach Patterson has said he often had to fire up the team for games on the road, in front of half full stadiums. If Patterson can get the players pumped and inspired in those games, think about how inspired he can get the team when they’re playing in front of 80,000 or 100,000 on the road. While that can intimidate a team in a hostile environment, Gary Patterson seems to have mastered the art of pre-game pump up.
2nd Down: How will the defense hold up?
Horned Frog defenses have been near the top of the nation recently. Going into last season, TCU had the best defense in the nation in three consecutive seasons. In 2010 they allowed the fewest points in the nation. Gary Patterson has always put emphasis on the defense. Last season, they had their fair share of issues, but still maintained a tough structure for opposing offenses.
Last season, there was a drop off from the year prior, but they only had five returning starters from the 2011 Rose Bowl winning team. Both of their losses last season came to Baylor and SMU, who had field days with the Frogs’ secondary. Boise State’s Kellen Moore also shredded the secondary in a losing effort. If you take a close look at the defense form last year, the secondary wasn’t very experienced. Only two players Greg McCoy and Takerrein Cuba had made previous starts. The Horned Frogs still managed 11 wins. The secondary will be tested often with five of last season’s top 15 offenses in the country on the 2012 schedule.
DE Stansly Maponga is a pass rushing threat and just may be an NFL talent. Last season, he finished with a team-leading nine sacks with 13.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. But he will need help on the other side.
The defense will be tested often in 2012 and while they have some great young talent, there’s is still a matter of depth that may be an issue. Big 12 opponents should have a tough time running the ball, but it’s in the secondary where many questions lie.
3rd Down: How much will TCU benefit on the recruiting trail in the Big 12?
As of now, Rivals has TCU’s 2013 class ranked 37th in the nation and 5th in the Big 12 with 12 verbal commits. Over the past five years, Rivals had them ranked 37th, 26th, 46th, 46th, 96th. The full extent of the impact from the move to the Big 12 won’t become known until the 2013 class is completed, but TCU has been able to hang around the same spot in the ranking the past four years.
TCU was able to snag five four-star recruits in the 2012 class. That’s the most they’ve ever been able to sign in one class. They now have a major conference on their side as a pitch to possible recruits and rival schools can no longer use the fact TCU plays in the Mountain West against them on the recruiting trail.