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| TCU head coach Gary Patterson (left) is winless against Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley (right). |
It’s difficult to humble TCU football coach Gary Patterson.
After all, he has the most wins (181) of any Horned Frogs football coach.
Since 2001, his first full season as TCU’s head coach, Patterson has turned the Horned Frogs into the most successful collegiate football program in Texas, with a winning percentage of .704.
His success at TCU is the foundation upon which Amon G. Carter Stadium was transformed from a depression-era facility into a playground for the rich and famous.
He has a Rose Bowl trophy in his office, of which he reminds us every other week or so.
He is one of the top-10 highest paid coaches in the country, with an annual salary topping $6 million, even though he coaches at one of the smaller universities in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
And, of course, within the TCU Athletic Complex, there is that statue of him, along with statues of legendary TCU quarterback Davey O’Brien, and legendary coach Dutch Meyer, who won two national championships at TCU.
But Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley certainly knows how to humble Patterson.
Score points.
And lots of them.
The latest example of Riley's strategy came this past Saturday night, October 16, during a University of Oklahoma Homecoming, in a sold-out (84,391) Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, in Norman, Oklahoma.
With true-freshman quarterback Caleb Williams leading the charge, the No. 4-ranked Sooners carved up Patterson’s TCU defense in a 52-31 rout (Midnite had predicted a 41-24 Oklahoma win) and proved comedian Jeff Foxworthy to be an accurate prognosticator.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
With the loss to the Sooners, the Horned Frogs’ 2021 record dropped to 3-3, 1-2 Big 12. TCU has lost three of its last four games, and the Frogs dropped to 23-20 on the road in their Big 12 history.
Oklahoma improved to 7-0, 4-0 Big 12, and climbed to No. 3 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll.
The 52 points the Sooners scored marked the first time a team has scored 50 points on TCU since Oklahoma did it in a 52-27 victory in 2018.
The dismissal of TCU was Riley’s sixth consecutive win and Oklahoma’s eighth consecutive win over Patterson and the Frogs.
Patterson never has beaten Riley, who took over the Oklahoma program in 2017.
Riley is the only head coach who has beaten Patterson twice in one season.
In 2017, Riley and the Sooners beat the Frogs, 38-20, in Norman during the Big 12 regular season. Riley and Oklahoma then pounded TCU, 41-17, in the 2017 Big 12 Conference Championship game in AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
This may have been the final opportunity for Patterson to get over having never beaten Riley.
The Sooners, along with the University of Texas, are bolting from the Big 12 to ESPN's Southeastern Conference (SEC). The exit date is not known, but most expect it to be sooner, rather than later.
With the future in mind, Patterson and Riley wrote songs after Saturday’s game.
Listen to Patterson’s song: here
Listen to Riley’s song: here
Riley’s and Oklahoma’s latest confrontation with Patterson and the Frogs quickly turned into a rout.
With Williams, who became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Oklahoma since 1990, and the Sooners' offense perfectly executing Riley’s offensive play scripting, Oklahoma surged to a 14-0 lead quicker than Patterson had time to hitch up his pants and tie his shoes for the first time and the Frogs had time to adjust their jock straps.
Patterson and TCU’s defensive unit looked bewildered by the passing and running of Williams and the running of Kennedy Brooks.
On the first two touchdown drives by the Sooners, the Frogs gave up five plays of 15 yards or more.
“I don’t have an evaluation but obviously he’s (Williams) a good player,” Patterson said postgame. “We just (need to) do our jobs. That’s who I’m in charge of, I’m not in charge of Oklahoma, I’m in charge of us. But he’s a good football player and I knew that before he came here.”
Williams was announced on the stadium’s video board as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback against the Frogs only minutes prior to kickoff.
The announcement was met with a thunderous roar of approval from Oklahoma fans.
Williams, who was the nation’s No. 1 recruit of the 2021 class, started against the Frogs instead of the Sooners’ regular starting quarterback, Spencer Rattler. Williams replaced Rattler midway through Oklahoma's game with Texas the prior Saturday and led a career-defining 55-48 Oklahoma comeback win over the Longhorns.
In the days leading up to the Oklahoma-TCU game, Riley had been silent about whether Williams or Rattler would start against the Frogs.
And then came the announcement via the stadium's video board.
It was a masterful orchestration by Riley.
It was big-time college football at its finest.
Through the first five games of Oklahoma's 2021 season, Rattler was the Sooners' starting quarterback, a Heisman Trophy candidate and widely regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL draft class.
My, how quickly things can change.
With Rattler relegated to the bench, there is speculation as to how soon he will enter his name into the transfer portal and where he will be playing next season.
There has been no word on how Rattler's demotion has affected his lucrative Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deals.
NIL industry sources believe Rattler’s NIL endeavors are in the low six figures, around $200,000. He created his own logo and has a website to sell his personalized merchandise.
He’s got a trading card deal and an endorsement contract with Louisiana-based chicken restaurant Raising Cane's.
After he threw five touchdown passes against Western Carolina in Oklahoma's second game of this season, he received a 2021 Ram TRX truck and a 2021 Widebody Charger Scat Pack from Fowler Dodge, of Oklahoma City.
But now it is Williams who is driving the Sooner Schooner.
Despite Oklahoma's fast start against the TCU defense, the Frogs' offense, behind the performances of quarterback Max Duggan, running back Kendre Miller and wide receiver Quentin Johnston, eventually pulled the Horned Frogs into contention with the Sooners.
At halftime, the contest was respectable, with Oklahoma leading 24-14.
But, that’s as close as the Frogs got the rest of the game.
In the second half, Riley and his offensive staff, and Williams and Brooks, along with a host of other Sooners, continued to dismantle Patterson’s defense with creative offensive schemes and near-perfect execution.
The final two quarters of the game, Oklahoma outscored TCU 28-17.
Williams completed 18 of 23 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns against TCU’s porous secondary, which still was missing Noah Daniels because of an injury and which was minus Tre'Vius Hodges Tomlinson in the second half of the game because of an injury.
Williams added another 66 yards and a touchdown on nine rushes.
That’s five touchdowns.
361 total yards.
By a true freshman.
Starting his first collegiate football game.
Williams’ performance earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, a week after his performance against Texas earned him Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
Brooks, who is from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Texas, just 20 miles from the TCU campus, ran 20 times against the Frogs for 153 yards and one touchdown.
As a team, Oklahoma rushed for 230 yards, the fourth straight opponent to gain at least 200 yards on the ground against TCU's defense (SMU, Texas and Texas Tech are the previous three).
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jadon Haselwood was the recipient of three of Williams’ touchdown passes, among his six receptions.
Tight end/H-back Jeremiah Hall caught Williams’ other touchdown pass.
TCU’s defense allowed Oklahoma’s high-octane offense to rack up 525 total yards; 295 through the air, 230 on the ground.
The 52 points the Sooners scored against the Frogs were their third most of the year, behind 76 points against Western Carolina and 55 points against Texas.
Of its six games this season, TCU has played five FBS teams; Oklahoma, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech and California.
Those five teams have averaged 38 points and 506 yards against the Frogs’ defense (California 33 points, 441 yards; SMU 42 points, 595 yards; Texas 32 points, 414 yards; Texas Tech 31 points, 558 yards; and Oklahoma, 52points, 525 yards).
Defensively against Oklahoma, TCU gave up 15 big plays, 10 passing, 5 rushing, most of which came on missed tackles, miscommunications, or both.
The Frogs’ defense allowed Oklahoma to score on eight of its 12 drives, forced no turnovers and only sacked Williams twice.
Both of the sacks were by TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis, who had his fifth multi-sack game of his career.
Mathis is the second Horned Frog with multiple sacks in a game this season, joining defensive end Dylan Horton, against Texas.
Mathis’ 14.5 career sacks are the most among current Horned Frogs.
Safety T.J. Carter had nine tackles to lead TCU for the second consecutive game.
Safety Nook Bradford had eight tackles.
Linebacker Jamoi Hodge made his first career start and had a career-high seven
tackles.
TCU’s offense outgained the Sooners, 529 yards to 525 yards.
Duggan, playing with a broken small bone in a foot, did everything he could to win the game for the Frogs. In fact, he had more total yards, 391, than Williams had total yards, 361.
Williams accounted for five touchdowns, Duggan for four.
Duggan completed 20-of-30 passes for a career-high 346 yards and four touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. He ran for an additional 45 yards on eight carries.
Duggan has 5,221 career passing yards. He moved past Steve Stamp (5,123, 1978-81) into sixth place in TCU history for passing yards.
“He (Duggan) fought,” said Patterson. “You’ve got a guy playing with an injury. We should all learn that lesson. How to do things.”
TCU running back Zach Evans did not play against Oklahoma because of an injury. He was on the TCU sideline in street clothes.
TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston returned in a big way to game action from a knee injury he suffered in the Frogs' loss to Texas on October 2.
Johnston had career-high totals of seven receptions, 185 yards and three touchdowns. It was his third career 100-yard receiving game, tops among current TCU players.
Johnston's scoring grabs were of 20, 75 and 25 yards, giving him a team-best five touchdown catches on the season and seven in his career. The seven touchdown receptions top all current Horned Frogs.
Johnston's 75-yard touchdown reception was TCU's longest since his 76-yard scoring grab against Louisiana Tech in the 2020 season finale.
Johnston's 185 yards receiving were the most by a Horned Frog since Taj Williams had 210 versus Oklahoma in 2016. The 185-yard night ranks as the ninth-most yards in a game by a receiver in TCU football history. Josh Doctson owns the record, with 267 yards on 18 catches at Texas Tech in 2015.
Johnston is the first Horned Frog with three touchdown catches in a game since KaVontae Turpin had four against Texas in 2015.
TCU running back Kendre Miller rushed 15 times for 55 yards. He also had four catches, including a 53-yard scoring reception, the first receiving score of his career.
Running back Emari Demercado’s team-best 57 yards rushing were three yards shy of a career-high.
The Horned Frogs' offense and special teams had their miscues against the Sooners.
TCU receiver/returner Derius Davis fumbled after catching a pass from Duggan.
Oklahoma cornerback Latrell McCutchin recovered Davis' fumble and returned it for an apparent Oklahoma touchdown.
Upon official review, however, it was ruled that McCutchen fumbled before the football crossed the goal line. The football went out of the end zone. A touchback was ruled and the Frogs were awarded the football at their 20-yard line.
The Frogs' offense also was held by the Sooners' defense on a fourth-and-two play in the second quarter, when, after a timeout by TCU, Duggan was stopped for no gain on a running play.
In the third quarter, after TCU had scored a touchdown to cut Oklahoma's lead to 31-21, an onside kick by the Frogs backfired when Deryl Reynolds was called for a kick-catch-interference penalty, giving Oklahoma the football at the TCU 33-yard line.
Three plays later, Oklahoma had a 38-21 lead.
With an exciting freshman quarterback, an offensive genius as a head coach, annual national championship aspirations, and an impending move to ESPN's Southeastern Conference, Oklahoma football fans are anticipating an exciting future.
For many TCU fans, there is anxiety about the future of TCU football.
Last year, TCU football bragged about being “Big 12 Champions of Texas," thanks to victories over Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech.
This season, TCU has a victory over Tech and a loss to Texas, with a game scheduled against Baylor in Fort Worth on November 6. Baylor, no doubt, will be favored in that game.
TCU’s 3-3 record in Patterson’s 21st season as the Frogs’ head coach pales in comparison to other Texas collegiate football teams.
The University of Texas is 4-3 in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach.
Baylor is 6-1, ranked 20th and bowl-eligible in Dave
Aranda’s second season as head coach.
SMU is 6-0, ranked 21st and bowl-eligible in Sonny Dykes’ fourth season as head coach.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is 7-0, ranked 24th and bowl-eligible in Jeff
Traylor’s second season as head coach.
Texas A&M is 5-2 and ranked 17th, with a victory over then No. 1 Alabama,
in Jimbo Fisher’s fourth season as head coach.
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is 6-1 and bowl-eligible in Dana Dimel’s fourth season
as head coach.
This week, Patterson started reacting to some of the negative things being said and written about him and the TCU football program.
“What’s your reason for go fire Gary Patterson?," Patterson asked during his Tuesday, October 19, weekly press conference. “I’ve been here before. It’s probably not going to be my last time.
“If you stay somewhere long enough, you’re going to have problems. You’re going to go through things on and off the field. If I could tell the real story on a lot of things, then you’d see I’d do a lot of things a lot differently from what we have -- from offseason work, to strength coaches, to how many recruiting people we have, to all the things that we do.
“At the end of the day, those people out there that think I’m riding into the sunset would be wrong. You don’t spend 24 years building something to get to where we have. I read all of it.
“Everybody can be mad. I’m not upset with anybody, to be honest with you. Nobody should be happy that we’ve lost three ballgames if you’re invested. The bottom line to it is if you have everyone at your disposal, play and do the things you need to do, I get it. If you don’t, this is how you go about it.”
Of course, regardless of the heat from some passionate fans, Patterson knows that to retain his job until he decides to retire, he doesn't have to win a national title, which he says he wants to win during his time at TCU, but which we all know is less likely to happen than the Titantic again sailing.
He also knows he doesn't have to win a Big 12 title, although that certainly should get easier when Texas and Oklahoma leave the conference.
Patterson knows mediocrity within the TCU football program is tolerated, even accepted.
Most TCU football fans just want to have a good time partying at tailgates and in The Carter's plush private clubs during games.
Six wins and a bowl trip, even if it is to a bowl named after a snack cracker or a motor oil or a vegetable, are nice, at least every other year, if not annually.
And, oh yeah, wins over Baylor and SMU are appreciated, too, especially when they are annual occurrences.
But, hey, even back-to-back losses every so often to SMU can be tolerated (see 2019 and 2021).
This Saturday, October 23, TCU will have an opportunity to “go about it,” climb above .500, and get one step closer to six wins and bowl eligibility, when the Frogs host Big 12 foe West Virginia, at 6:30 pm (Central), in Amon G. Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth, Texas.
West Virginia is 2-4 overall, and 0-3 in the Big 12. The Mountaineers are in a three-way tie for last place with Kansas and Kansas State.
TCU is in seventh place in the Big 12, one game ahead of the three last-place teams.
The Mountaineers have beaten Long Island University, 66-0, and Virginia Tech, 27-21. They have lost to Oklahoma, 16-13, Baylor, 45-20, Maryland, 30-24, and Texas Tech, 23-20.
TCU and West Virginia joined the Big 12 together on July 1, 2012.
TCU and West Virginia have met 10 times on the football field. The Mountaineers lead the series, 6-4.
Since the two teams have been in the Big 12, they have met nine times. West Virginia leads, 5-4.
TCU is 2-2 versus the Mountaineers in Fort Worth, 2-3 in Morgantown, and 0-1 at neutral sites (Houston; 1984 Bluebonnet Bowl).
Patterson is 4-5 versus West Virginia.
West Virginia head coach Neil Brown, who is in his third year as the Mountaineers' head coach, is on the hot seat because of his 13-15 overall record and 7-13 Big 12 record.
Despite his losing record at West Virginia, Brown has yet to lose to Patterson.
Will Brown’s streak continue, or will Patterson break it on Saturday?
Well, it’s hard to be humble.
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