Patterson eases off criticism of QB Hill
Coach says Frogs need to give their star more help to rebound in 2017.
— In hindsight, TCU football coach Gary Patterson thinks he might’ve been too tough on Kenny Hill.
Hill, the transfer from Texas A&M, was the Horned Frogs’ starting quarterback last season. And because Hill was the highest-profile player on the team, he probably was singled out for too much of the blame for TCU’s 6-7 record.
Patterson never hedged on openly critiquing Hill last fall. In his postgame news conferences, Patterson would ponder why Hill was smiling on the sidelines after throwing an interception or why he had checked out of a red-zone running play to throw a fade into the end zone. Now he’s backing off. “I judge quarterbacks on Saturdays,” Patterson said Monday as he kicked off Big 12 media days. “For me, I think I’ve got to do a better job of helping him with his swagger.
“We’ve got to give him help. We’ve got to catch the ball better. I think we’re going to be better up front offensive line-wise. We only lost one wide receiver. So I think all those things benefit him, and then we’ve got to put him in an offense, too, that bends toward his strengths.”
This is a crossroads sort of season for the Frogs because momentum might be building against them. Patterson has endured only three losing seasons in his 16 years at TCU, but two of those years came after the Frogs joined the Big 12.
Since joining the league in 2012, TCU has been either superb — a 12-1 record and a No. 3 national ranking in 2014 — or an also-ran. The Big 12 is known for its flashy quarterback play, and that’s why Hill is so critical to the Horned Frogs’ hopes of a rebound.
Patterson used the term swagger when talking about his quarterback. Hill, who never has been publicly viewed as anything but confident, said it’s more about comfort.
“It’s all about getting that feeling, just being comfortable, not only with the team, but the offense and just everything,” Hill said. “It’s about being comfortable and growing from year year to year. You have to keep getting better each and every year. I’m just ready for it to be here.”
Last year, TCU’s play was about as uneven as possible. The Frogs celebrated road routs of Texas and Baylor, but there also were the two double-overtime home losses to Arkansas and Texas Tech. And Oklahoma eased out of Fort Worth with a 52-46 victory.
Then there were the inexplicable home blowouts suffered at the hands of Oklahoma State and Kansas State. A 31-23 Liberty Bowl loss to Georgia was a microcosm of the year. TCU led going into the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs finished with a 10-point flurry.
Hill’s stats weren’t bad — he threw for more than 3,200 yards and rushed for 609 — but his play was uneven, as evidenced by his 13 interceptions.
There will be more transitions facing Hill and his offensive teammates this season. Co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, who was credited with the Frogs’ renaissance in 2014 and 2015, accepted a job at Kansas. Somehow, Jayhawks coach David Beaty enticed Meacham, who probably had his pick of other programs, to leave for KU, which has only two victories in the past two seasons.
Beaty said he called Meacham, a longtime friend, about 10 times before he accepted the job.
“I told him, ‘Look, look, you can have all the money. I’ll hire everybody else for a dollar. You can have it all. What’s it going to take to get you here?’ “Beaty joked. “Because I just think that much of him.”
Sonny Cumbie was promoted to offensive play-caller at TCU, and Patterson elevated running backs coach Curtis Luper to a co-coordinator.
Hill doesn’t believe there will be much of a difference in the offense, which will feature plenty of up-tempo passing and just enough running to satisfy the oldschool Patterson, who doesn’t foresee much change, either, other than an improved record.
“I think what we have to be able to do is we have to do what we need to do to move the football,” Patterson said. “If that’s running it, then you run it. If it’s throwing it, being able to be more of a vertical game, then be more of a vertical game.
“But you have to have guys ... players have to step up. You can blame the quarterback, you can blame the coach, you can blame whatever, but at the end of the day, you have to make plays.”