TCU MAKES A STATEMENT AT OKLAHOMA STATE
Defense leads Horned Frogs into Big 12 title picture
By Sunday afternoon, Gary Patterson had moved on. Yes, a road win against Oklahoma State was big. Sure, TCU doesn’t play again until Oct. 7. No matter. The Horned Frogs coach was already deep into the West Virginia video.
“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Patterson told USA TODAY Sports.
He’s correct, of course. If TCU is the flavor of the week after beating the previous week’s flavor, well, that sort of shows how it all can change pretty quickly, doesn’t it? But in a 44-31 victory, the Horned Frogs provided reason to suspect they might have staying power.
Kenny Hill’s steady playmaking and Darius Anderson’s running (26 carries, 160 yards and three touchdowns, including a
42-yard TD run to clinch victory with 2:37 left) get much of the attention. A grinding attack that controlled the ball for more than
39 minutes was important. But TCU’s success Saturday started, as with most of Patterson’s better teams, with defense.
Mason Rudolph threw for 398 yards but had two interceptions. And the Cowboys, who’d gotten off to super-fast starts in shooting to 3-0, managed only 10 points in the first half. They trailed 37-17 in the fourth quarter.
TCU’s strategy was to provide coverage help on Oklahoma State receiver James Washington and to use only six players against the run. Because of a fast, athletic defense, the plan worked. And that Patterson trademark is why the Frogs could keep on winning.
Where many had the Nov. 4 matchup between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State circled as a pivot point for College Football Playoff — and perhaps the first of two matchups of the Bedlam rivals, with the second coming in the Big
12 championship game — it might be time to shift the focus back a week. TCU plays at Oklahoma on Nov. 11, and it looks like a showdown with very high stakes.
“We’ve got some good teams to play left,” Patterson said. “We’ve got four really tough road games. We’ll worry about West Virginia and then go to Kansas State. Those are the next two looming.”
BOW THE KNEE, Y’ALL
The domination continues. We’re referring, of course, to Alabama’s continued reign over the proud Southeastern Conference. Last week, there was talk that perhaps Vanderbilt — we know, but go with us for a moment — might ride a good defense to an upset of the Crimson Tide.
The final score was 59-0. It wasn’t that close. And if it looked as though ’Bama wanted to make a statement, well, yeah.
“With Alabama, we want to be respected,” sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts told reporters. “I guess we felt like we didn’t have the kind of respect we wanted leading into the game.”
Alabama has now won 18 consecutive games against SEC opponents by an average of 23.1 points. Last year, the gap between ’Bama and everybody else in the league was vividly illustrated when, as the Crimson Tide went 14-1, every other SEC team finished with at least four losses.
But if you’re looking for a legitimate contender to challenge Alabama’s dominance — and you are — the newest hope is Georgia, which demolished Mississippi State 31-3. (Mississippi State, you might recall, was last week’s hope after demolishing LSU.)
But there were signs Georgia might be different. Defense and a potent running game took pressure off freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. That’s never a bad combination. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason should return soon from a knee injury, which could complicate things. But it seems clear that the Bulldogs have a talent edge in the SEC East. Could they provide a challenge to ’Bama in December?
SIGNS OF LIFE
When Baylor’s players and coaches left the field Saturday night,
still winless after four games, they were showered with a standing ovation from the crowd at McLane Stadium. In a 49-41 loss to Oklahoma, the Bears had showed signs of significant improvement.
“It was like a movie,” first-year coach Matt Rhule told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday morning.
“(The fans) stayed for maybe five minutes. I think our fans needed that last night, to see the kids not quit, to get down and fight their way through it.”
Going back to last year, Baylor has lost 10 of its last 11. A 0-4 start included losses to Liberty and Texas-San Antonio. But Rhule saw positive signs in a loss Sept. 16 to Duke. And on Saturday, the Bears fell just short of a gigantic upset of the No. 3-ranked Sooners.
“I think down the stretch, our kids believed we every bit deserved to be on the same field with them, let’s keep playing,” Rhule said. “You want them to recognize progress and yet be angry they haven’t won yet. I want them to be proud of their effort, but I also want them to be upset we didn’t make the plays needed to win and to recognize we didn’t play over our heads. We haven’t yet played to our ability.”
THE FOOTBALL FOUR
Each week, we pick the Playoff bracket as if the season was over. That means everything from body of work to body clocks, from eye tests and more.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide move back into the top spot after a dominant win against Vanderbilt, showing off defense and a run game like, well, Alabama.
Clemson: Don’t be deceived by the final score. The Tigers pulled away from Boston College with 27 fourth-quarter points. Big test this week at Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma: The Sooners escaped Waco and Baylor. They’re still in the bracket because of that explosive offense, but the defense was porous against the Bears.
Penn State: Saquon Barkley was tremendous. Trace McSorley won it with a bullet as time expired at Iowa. We’ll see how the win ages, but it was a great character test on the road.