TCU Horned Frogs
Big 12
For those worried that TCU was, for lack of a better term, a one-hit wonder, head coach Gary Patterson had other ideas. Rather than his run in the first decade of this century being a blip in the school’s history, Patterson has rebounded, recovered and rebuilt. Andy Dalton left and a few subpar seasons followed, including a 4-8 year in 2013. Patterson has this club back winning double figures though behind a revamped offense and renewed confidence. Patterson plans on having the Horned Frogs in the national discussion for the long haul.
2014 Record: 11-1, 7-1
Coach: Gary Patterson
Coach Bowl Record: 7-5
Big Wins: 10/4 Oklahoma (37-33), 11/8 Kansas State (41-20)
Bad Losses: 10/11 at Baylor (58-61)
Strengths:
This TCU offense has been something to behold. For a team normally known for its defensive prowess, Patterson managed to flip the script rather effortlessly behind quarterback Trevone Boykin. With over 3,000 yards through the air and well over 30 combined touchdowns, Boykin has led one of the most fearsome attacks in the nation this season. Along with Boykin running, the ground game has been split successfully between Aaron Green and B.J. Catalon once Catalon went down with a shoulder injury. Josh Doctson has also stepped his game up incredibly from his first two years at TCU, essentially doubling his yardage and touchdown totals from either of his first two seasons. Hanging 56 on SMU is pretty nice; grabbing 58 points in a loss is entertaining; but scoring 82 against an actual FBS conference rival like the Horned Frogs did against Texas Tech is almost unheard of. Texas Tech actually managed to win a game a few weeks after that happened even though it probably should have disbanded the program.
Weaknesses:
The Horned Frogs’ defense was actually not as bad as most people surmise, even while remaining the team’s ultimate weakness. The rush defense was solid, while the pass defense was something worse. But this tends to follow when a team’s offense scores so abundantly and opponents try to keep pace or catch up. TCU did a good job of holding foes on third down but struggled to prevent scoring in the red zone. It was a give and take in many regards for this defensive unit. The Baylor loss showed what happens when everything goes wrong and TCU can’t stop the bleeding. The very next game, Oklahoma State finished with just nine points. Without an overwhelming pass rusher, the TCU defense battled uphill most of the season. Sometimes it worked; other times it failed miserably.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Aaron Green, RB, 854 yards
Passing: Trevone Boykin, QB, 3,714 yards
Receiving: Josh Doctson, WR, 959 yards
Tackles: Paul Dawson, LB, 128
Sacks: James McFarland, DE, 6.0
Interceptions: Chris Hackett, S, 6
2014 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 210.5 (34th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 315.4 (8, 3)
Total Offense: 525.8 (5, 2)
Scoring Offense: 46.1 (3, 2)
Rushing Defense: 120.1 (18, 3)
Pass Defense: 250.6 (92, 5)
Total Defense: 370.7 (45, 4)
Scoring Defense: 21.9 (26, 2)
Turnover Margin: 1.64 (2, 1)
Sacks: 3.00 (14, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 1.73 (40, 4)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Michigan State (16-17)
2011 Poinsettia Bowl Louisiana Tech (31-24)
2010 Rose Bowl Wisconsin (21-19)
2009 Fiesta Bowl Boise State (10-17)
2008 Poinsettia Bowl Boise State (17-16)
2007 Texas Bowl Houston (20-13)
*all team stats through 12/1
