The Three Rs

This week’s game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was all about the three Rs but not the typical ones. The Frog version was: relief, resilience, and redemption.

The first drive was a continuation of last week’s turnover woes when running back Cam Cook coughed up the rock at midfield, a turnover that the Jayhawks would convert into points with a quick four-play drive that included a pass interference call against the Frogs. TCU’s special teams unit was flagged on the ’Hawk kick, pinning quarterback Josh Hoover back on his own 7-yard line to start the next possession. With the help of new all-world receiver Jack Bech, the Frogs drove 92 yards to paydirt.

From then on, the game had a familiar feel. Kansas has morphed themselves into a prominent rushing team. They were gaining yards in large chunks, and the Frogs responded with a mostly air-based attack. It was near the end of the half when this team seemed to find their momentum swing, and it was thanks to the defense. Hoover started a drive within his own 20 and threw an interception that KU returned to the Frogs’ 6-yard line. Anecdotal evidence would suggest the Rock Chalks could just pound the A-gap for three plays and score, but that didn’t happen. Andy Avalos’ defense showed fire. They controlled the line of scrimmage and tackled well enough to force a field goal. In retrospect, that was the game. Hoover led his Frogs to the end zone during their last drive of the half for a 21-17 lead into the locker room.

The Kansans scored on their opening third-quarter possession, and Hoover tossed another pick, but the defense continued to play better and with more confidence after their red-zone stand. An inspired punt return by senior statesmen JP Richardson delivered a lead the purple people wouldn’t relinquish, and an increasingly efficient commitment to rushing the ball in the last 20 minutes of the game put the contest on ice.

For TCU, relief abounded. Both teams were expected to be competitive in the conference but lost their opening games. In theory, the winner of Saturday is still in position to be a factor in the coming months. The loser, not so much.

The Frogs, especially on defense, showed tremendous resilience by not allowing three turnovers to destroy their chance of winning. Again, stopping KU on the short field and allowing only a field goal before the half might have been the most important sequence for the Frogs, looking back. TCU defenders eventually slowed the Jayhawk rushing attack enough to force balance and open opportunities for stops through the air. Last week, the squad fell apart. This week’s game was far from clean, but they found composure when needed and obviously believed they could win.

Redemption is everywhere for the three branches of TCU football administration. Sonny Dykes’ dismissal from the Iron Skillet was embarrassing even if unwarranted — he seemed calm and collected even when things were going sideways in the swirling winds of Arrowhead Stadium. Avalos proved, to a degree, that his group can improve and compete, even when they’re covering for an offense who landed them on the wrong side of the field to begin a drive. Even Kendal Briles, the passing lunatic, showed a greater commitment to the run game, both in standard called runs and creative ways to include the receivers in the attack. The Frogs rushed for 151 yards (41 more than their best previous effort, against Stanford), and Hoover attempted fewer passes than against any other opponent. (Please note: I’ll never include paid-to-play opponents in these comparisons.) The offense finished with 31 points scored and with more balance than they’ve displayed all season, a trend that all Frog fanatics should pray continues.

I’d be remiss not to mention Bech again. The senior is everything to this offense at the moment. No. 18 logged two touchdowns and another 131 yards in Kansas City. He’s scored a touchdown in every game against a major opponent and has 647 yards on the season already. He was not on the preseason Biletnikoff award watchlist (for the nation’s best receiver), but I’d wager plenty that he will be a finalist. Fellow receiver Eric McAlister is on that list and showed his mettle with 100 yards of his own and a touchdown against KU.

The Frogs return home for Friday night lights this week hosting the Houston Cougars. As the game against Kansas was an invitation from TCU for fans to believe in this squad again, this week is a trap because Houston sucks. The Cougars are 1-4 and haven’t scored a point in eight quarters after suffering back-to-back shutouts against Cincinnati and Iowa State, respectively. The Cougs have only beaten their cerebral crosstown rival the Rice Owls — convincingly — but otherwise a close performance against Oklahoma is their only bright spot on the season. Not considering the Rice game, the Cougars have scored 19 total points this season during the other four losing efforts. Dykes, Avalos, and Briles’ charge is keeping their team’s intensity and building on the momentum gained by each phase of the game on the road last week. Personally, I’d love to see our Southern neighbors be shut out a third week in a row and for Hoover to toss the rock fewer than 30 times. Houston is dangerous, because no one believes in them, and even in early October, they have nothing to play for. It is important for TCU coaches and players to take them seriously, or a backslide upset is completely possible. I’m not forecasting doom, just identifying pitfalls.

The Frogs are off the next weekend, so I think a two-week-look-ahead situation with Utah is unlikely, but it would be nice to see Hoover take care of the ball and for Friday night to be drama-free so fans could enjoy some of the three regulars Rs.