Still trying to wake up from the Kansas nightmare, while preparing for a bunch of Wildcats to invade The Carter this Saturday ...
Nearly eight years after arguably the grandest moment in TCU football history, Horned Frogs head football coach Gary Paterson still likes to brag about how he and some of the members of his current coaching staff led TCU to a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin on January 1, 2011.
Well, now Patterson also can boast about how he and members of his current coaching staff have taken the Horned Frogs to the depths of the Big 12 Conference.
As a result of TCU's shocking 27-26 loss to Kansas (Midnite had predicted a 21-20 TCU win) in Lawrence this past Saturday, October 27, the Frogs are tied for last place in the Big 12 with the Jayhawks and Kansas State, whom TCU plays this Saturday, November 3, in Fort Worth, at 2:30 pm. The three struggling teams have identical 3-5, 1-4 Big 12, records.
Well, now Patterson also can boast about how he and members of his current coaching staff have taken the Horned Frogs to the depths of the Big 12 Conference.
As a result of TCU's shocking 27-26 loss to Kansas (Midnite had predicted a 21-20 TCU win) in Lawrence this past Saturday, October 27, the Frogs are tied for last place in the Big 12 with the Jayhawks and Kansas State, whom TCU plays this Saturday, November 3, in Fort Worth, at 2:30 pm. The three struggling teams have identical 3-5, 1-4 Big 12, records.
Even the scandal-riddled Baylor Bears, who are coached by second-year head coach Matt Rhule and only one-year removed from an 1-11 record, are looking down upon the Frogs, Jayhawks and Wildcats.
Art Briles, who is in exile in Florence, Italy, must be laughing in his pasta.
Che peccato!
The win over TCU is perhaps a program-defining victory for the Kansas football team and their beleaguered head coach, David Beaty, who is in the fourth year of his first collegiate head coaching position.
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| Kansas players, coaches and fans celebrate a rare Big 12 win. |
Beaty went into the game against the Frogs with a 5-38 head coaching record with the Jayhawks, including a 1-11 record in 2017. In fact, before defeating TCU, Beaty and Kansas had last won a Big 12 football game when they defeated Texas way back on November 19, 2016, a stretch of 14 conference games.
Although there have been close games in the series, this was TCU's first loss to Kansas since the Frogs began Big 12 play in 2012. Patterson and the Frogs now are 6-1 against the Jayhawks in Big 12 games between the two teams.
After a tumultuous week at TCU, which included the dismissal from the team of receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin and the suicide by a student that several members of the football team personally knew, Patterson, who recently buried his mother, obviously was hoping for for a good turn of events in Lawrence. As a result, after the loss to the Jayhawks, Patterson penned a song. Listen here.
Like Patterson, Beaty also was in search of something positive that he, his staff and his players could build upon for the remainder of the season. As a result, after the Jayhawks' win over the Frogs, Beaty penned a song. Listen here.
With the loss to Kansas now in his back pocket, Patterson is bemoaning the fact that the Frogs, who have lost three consecutive games and have games remaining against Kansas State, West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State, could conclude the 2018 season with a 3-9 record. It's not known if that pessimistic statement is more of an indictment of his players or of how he and his coaching staff are performing this season.
Perhaps 2018 has not been one of the TCU coaching staff's shining moments. However, to be honest, the bottom line is that Patterson and his coaches have had to deal with injuries to nearly 40 players, including season-ending injuries to many of them, including starting quarterback Shawn Robinson and, as a result of injuries this past Saturday, maybe to two standout defensive players, defensive end/linebacker Ty Summers and safety Niko Small. It is, what it is.
Against Kansas, even with Robinson not available, the quarterback position wasn't a problem. For the first time this season, Michael Collins, a transfer from Penn, was TCU's starting quarterback, and Grayson Muehlstein was the backup quarterback.
Collins, who also was a game captain for the first time in his TCU career, became the first non-Texan to start at quarterback in TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's 21 seasons at TCU. The last previous non-Texas native was Derek Canine from Birmingham, Michigan, in the final five games in 1997, the year before Patterson's arrival. Muehlstein did not see game action.
Collins completed 23 of 33 passes for 351 yards and one touchdown against an aggressive, well-coached Kansas defense. He had one pass intercepted. His 33 yards on 10 carries made him the Frogs'' second-leading rusher in the game, and he had two rushing touchdowns. Thus, Collins accounted for all three of TCU's touchdowns in the game.
Most impressively, in the waning minutes of the game, with the Frogs trailing 27-24, Collins, with the poise of a veteran, was leading the Frogs to what eventually could have been a game-winning touchdown or game-tying field goal.
The opportunity evaporated when TCU running back Darius Anderson fumbled at the Kansas seven-yard line with just over one minute remaining in the game. Anderson fumbled the football after running into the backside of TCU left guard Austin Myers.
Anderson's fumble was recovered by Kansas defensive lineman KeyShaun Simmons. After the recovery, Kansas' offense ran off all but one second on the game clock, taking an intentional safety that gave the Frogs their final two points. Time expired when TCU fielded the Jayhawks' kick after the safety.
Anderson's fumble negated an otherwise strong game for the junior from Richmond, Texas. His 95 yards rushing against the Jayhawks were his most since a season-best 154 yards earlier this year against Ohio State. He also had a season-high 20 carries.
Also negated was an outstanding game by sophomore wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who was the recipient of a 56-yard touchdown pass from Collins in the second quarter that gave TCU a 10-7 lead. The reception was the fourth passing play of at least 50 yards by TCU this season. Reagor has been on the receiving end for two of them.
Reagor had his second career 100-yard receiving game, with eight receptions for a career-best 177 yards. The eight receptions tied a career-high set on two other occasions. The touchdown reception was the 13th of Reagor's short career, tying him with four players for seventh on TCU's all-time list. The 56-yard touchdown was one-yard short of a season-long reception by a Horned Frog (57 yards, TreVontae Hights vs. Ohio State). It also was the second-longest scoring grab of Reagor's career, trailing only his 93-yard touchdown against Stanford in last year's Alamo Bowl game. Reagor has at least one reception in his last 13 games, the longest current streak by a Horned Frog. He has a catch in 21 of his 22 contests at TCU.
TCU freshman wide receiver Taye Barber also had a noteworthy game. Barber had a career-high five receptions for 75 yards, with a long catch of 24 yards.
Against the Jayhawks, the TCU defense continued its string of strong performances. Kansas had only 307 total yards in the game, with just 58 of the overall total coming on the ground. The Jayhawks were held to only 17 first downs. But, again, the Frogs' defense had no takeaways.
Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender, who was under pressure for most of the game, completed 19 of 29 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas freshman running back Pooka Williams, who is one of the outstanding collegiate football players in the country this season, came into the game averaging 103.3 rushing yards per game. The Frogs held him to 33 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, he excelled in Kansas' aerial attack.
Although there have been close games in the series, this was TCU's first loss to Kansas since the Frogs began Big 12 play in 2012. Patterson and the Frogs now are 6-1 against the Jayhawks in Big 12 games between the two teams.
After a tumultuous week at TCU, which included the dismissal from the team of receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin and the suicide by a student that several members of the football team personally knew, Patterson, who recently buried his mother, obviously was hoping for for a good turn of events in Lawrence. As a result, after the loss to the Jayhawks, Patterson penned a song. Listen here.
Like Patterson, Beaty also was in search of something positive that he, his staff and his players could build upon for the remainder of the season. As a result, after the Jayhawks' win over the Frogs, Beaty penned a song. Listen here.
With the loss to Kansas now in his back pocket, Patterson is bemoaning the fact that the Frogs, who have lost three consecutive games and have games remaining against Kansas State, West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State, could conclude the 2018 season with a 3-9 record. It's not known if that pessimistic statement is more of an indictment of his players or of how he and his coaching staff are performing this season.
Perhaps 2018 has not been one of the TCU coaching staff's shining moments. However, to be honest, the bottom line is that Patterson and his coaches have had to deal with injuries to nearly 40 players, including season-ending injuries to many of them, including starting quarterback Shawn Robinson and, as a result of injuries this past Saturday, maybe to two standout defensive players, defensive end/linebacker Ty Summers and safety Niko Small. It is, what it is.
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| TCU's Michael Collins (#10) started at quarterback against Kansas. |
Collins, who also was a game captain for the first time in his TCU career, became the first non-Texan to start at quarterback in TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's 21 seasons at TCU. The last previous non-Texas native was Derek Canine from Birmingham, Michigan, in the final five games in 1997, the year before Patterson's arrival. Muehlstein did not see game action.
Collins completed 23 of 33 passes for 351 yards and one touchdown against an aggressive, well-coached Kansas defense. He had one pass intercepted. His 33 yards on 10 carries made him the Frogs'' second-leading rusher in the game, and he had two rushing touchdowns. Thus, Collins accounted for all three of TCU's touchdowns in the game.
Most impressively, in the waning minutes of the game, with the Frogs trailing 27-24, Collins, with the poise of a veteran, was leading the Frogs to what eventually could have been a game-winning touchdown or game-tying field goal.
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| TCU running back Darius Anderson (#6) fumbles against Kansas. |
Anderson's fumble was recovered by Kansas defensive lineman KeyShaun Simmons. After the recovery, Kansas' offense ran off all but one second on the game clock, taking an intentional safety that gave the Frogs their final two points. Time expired when TCU fielded the Jayhawks' kick after the safety.
Anderson's fumble negated an otherwise strong game for the junior from Richmond, Texas. His 95 yards rushing against the Jayhawks were his most since a season-best 154 yards earlier this year against Ohio State. He also had a season-high 20 carries.
Also negated was an outstanding game by sophomore wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who was the recipient of a 56-yard touchdown pass from Collins in the second quarter that gave TCU a 10-7 lead. The reception was the fourth passing play of at least 50 yards by TCU this season. Reagor has been on the receiving end for two of them.
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| TCU's Jalen Reagor (#1) scores a touchdown against Kansas. |
TCU freshman wide receiver Taye Barber also had a noteworthy game. Barber had a career-high five receptions for 75 yards, with a long catch of 24 yards.
Against the Jayhawks, the TCU defense continued its string of strong performances. Kansas had only 307 total yards in the game, with just 58 of the overall total coming on the ground. The Jayhawks were held to only 17 first downs. But, again, the Frogs' defense had no takeaways.
Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender, who was under pressure for most of the game, completed 19 of 29 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas freshman running back Pooka Williams, who is one of the outstanding collegiate football players in the country this season, came into the game averaging 103.3 rushing yards per game. The Frogs held him to 33 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, he excelled in Kansas' aerial attack.
As the Jayhawks' leading receiver in the game, Williams had seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning 28-yard touchdown reception with under seven minutes remaining in the game. His performance earned him the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Award.
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| TCU's Ben Banogu (#15) rushes Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender. |
TCU linebackers Jawuan Johnson and Arico Evans paced the Frogs with 10 tackles each. Evans' tackles equaled a career-high, set earlier this season at Texas, while Johnson had his most stops as a Horned Frog.
Before exiting the game with what could be a season-ending injury, Summers had four tackles to give him 314 in his career, leaving him one shy of Jason Phillips (315, 2005-08) for second most in the 18-season tenure of Patterson.
Senior safety Ridwan Issahaku's nine tackles were one shy of a career-high.
The Horned Frogs now boast the Big 12's second-best defense, giving up 339.2 yards per game. Their pass defense is ranked first at 194.2 per game.
This Saturday, in The Carter, Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats will test that defense in a battle for last place in the Big 12.
Things have not gone well in 2018 for Kansas State, which has 22 transfers on its roster. The Wildcats, who are averaging only 22.13 points per game, have lost four of their past five games, with their most recent game being a 51-14 loss to Oklahoma in Norman.
Under new offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Andre Coleman, who is in his sixth season at the school, Kansas State has been relying on its running game. Over their last three games, the Wildcats have averaged 250 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns on the ground.
The 'Cats running game is solidified by junior running back Alex Barnes, 6-1, 225 pounds, who ranks second in the Big 12 at 102 yards per game, with a league-high nine rushing scores. He ran for a career-best 250 yards at Baylor, the fifth-most in a game in school history, while recording three touchdowns. In K-State's victory over Oklahoma State, Barnes had 181 rushing yards and four scores, and he was the team's leading receiver in the game, with 51 yards on three catches.
Saturday's game pits two coaching buddies against one anther.
Snyder, who is 79 years old, is in his 27th season as head football coach at K-state. Snyder has 213 wins and is one of just six coaches to reach the 200-win mark and coach at only one school. Holding 174 more victories than any other coach in K-State history, Snyder ranks first in the FBS in wins among coaches at their current schools and second in total wins among active coaches (FBS schools only).
Patterson, who is 58 years old, is in his 18th season as head football coach at TCU. His tenure as TCU's head coach is more than the combined tenures of the 11 other FBS coaches in Texas. Over the last five seasons, TCU (43-18, 27-14 Big 12) has the Big 12's second-best overall and conference records. TCU is one of just five programs nationally to finish in the top 10 of the final polls at least three times in the last four seasons (the others are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma). Under Patterson, TCU has posted seven top-10 finishes and 11 in the top 25. Patterson has accounted for 25.2 percent (163-of674) of TCU's all-time football victories.
Thus, Saturday's battle for last place in the Big 12 obviously is foreign territory for these two college football coaching masters, who between them have won countless big games during their careers, including Cotton, Fiesta, Liberty, Holiday, Alamo and Peach Bowls, and, of course, even a Rose Bowl ... as if any Horned Frog needs reminding.
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| K-State's Bill Snyder (left) and TCU's Gary Patterson |
Patterson, who is 58 years old, is in his 18th season as head football coach at TCU. His tenure as TCU's head coach is more than the combined tenures of the 11 other FBS coaches in Texas. Over the last five seasons, TCU (43-18, 27-14 Big 12) has the Big 12's second-best overall and conference records. TCU is one of just five programs nationally to finish in the top 10 of the final polls at least three times in the last four seasons (the others are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma). Under Patterson, TCU has posted seven top-10 finishes and 11 in the top 25. Patterson has accounted for 25.2 percent (163-of674) of TCU's all-time football victories.
Thus, Saturday's battle for last place in the Big 12 obviously is foreign territory for these two college football coaching masters, who between them have won countless big games during their careers, including Cotton, Fiesta, Liberty, Holiday, Alamo and Peach Bowls, and, of course, even a Rose Bowl ... as if any Horned Frog needs reminding.
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