Walking around the gorgeous oak lined streets at TCU two Fridays ago was enough to distract and make me forget that the Jackrabbits were looking for another Big 12 road win. South Dakota State nearly pulled the upset. Let’s be honest… a bit too close with TCU winning 59-41. Cause for concern, perhaps? Nah, just overreaction, first game of the year, you know the drill.
Last week, the Frogs should have sealed a tremendous come from behind win versus the Razorbacks. Frustrating is an understatement for that finish in a 41-38 2OT loss, a game most Frogs fans know their team should have won.
Yesterday afternoon, the Frogs sealed their first Big 12 victory of the 2016 season, but the victory seemed bittersweet. TCU didn’t play as well as they were capable of playing. You could tell. Look no further than the postgame quotes from Coach Patterson. “It’s a win. I’m not happy about it, but it’s a win,” adding, “Too many people got banged up and not enough emotion.”
The Frogs were up 31-7 at the half and I was primed for a more explosive 2nd half performance. Instead, TCU settled for a 41-20 victory that had me scratching my head. Sure, the defense allowed a season-low in yards and points. But when you allowed 82 points over your first two games, is that a real accomplishment? Yes, a win is a win, no doubt, but I have a tough time believing that this was the Frogs’ best effort on display.
QB Kenny Hill couldn’t manage more productivity in the 2nd half? I find this tough to believe. Certainly he’s far too talented. Obviously, there are countless variables to factor in, but this 2nd half performance leaves me with too many questions heading into the next few games, especially with the injury factor.
Star return man KaVontae Turpin, defensive end Josh Carraway and cornerback Jeff Gladney all got banged up yesterday, with Coach Patterson adding he had no information on their statuses.
What this underwhelming performance, at home, against Iowa State leads me to believe is that SMU has a legitimate has a shot to upset TCU on Friday night. House money for the Mustangs. Why not? The Frogs are just too inconsistent right now. If you do have a strong belief and confidence in the Frogs right now, it should be because of one man, and one man only: Coach Patterson. He deserves the benefit of the doubt to show that maybe this is really just a 3-game minor road bump. Do I want to believe that? Of course. I have to believe the effort is there (I did see it against Arkansas) because the Frogs are too talented, injuries notwithstanding. Unfortunately the play on the field the past 3 week still leaves me scratching my head for so many different reasons. I can’t ever remember being anxious about watching a Friday night football game at Gerald Ford Stadium… but I will be in 5 days.
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