Monday, August 21, 2006
An Opponents View: A TCU Fans Take on the Baylor-TCU Game
This is something that I tried to implement last year, but could never find a fan that was willing to write something that wasn't filled with biting, sarcastic, stupid comments. Thankfully, our guest author was the complete opposite of that and has written a very good, insightful article clarifying something for Baylor fans who don't live and breathe TCU Football.
I appreciate your help, Michael.
Enjoy!
TCU Defensive Line:
They rotate players like crazy on the Defensive Line so who starts and who doesn't isn't as important as some may think. Other players that will be heavily involved are Sr. Jared Retkofsky, Sr. Jarrecea Williams and Sophomore James Vess. Most of our lineman are undersized ( except for J. Williams and Lorenzo Jones ) but they are very strong and Patterson's defense is built on speed instead of the more traditional plodding lineman. We had a lot of trouble with the wider splits at Tech in 04 so you may have a valid point in thinking we will struggle. I just know that this will be a key aspect of the game because if TCU can't get pressure up front it usually leads to big plays. The entire defense is predicated on pressuring the Quarterback and hurrying him into bad decisions.
TCU Linebackers
As mentioned this is our strongest group. Jason Phillips and David Hawthorne will start and Robert Henson and Darius Ingram will back them up but get a lot of playing time. Phillips is a really smart player and he is always around the ball. He was a quarterback in High School and he just seems to have a great feel for the game. There is also a newcomer named Daryl Washington that sat out a year after High School but apparently has looked amazing in practice. I would be surprised to see him contribute at Linebacker but he will be on Special Teams without a doubt.
TCU Secondary
I can see where you are coming from in feeling that TCU's cornerbacks will be a weak spot but I think you will be surprised. Priest and Sanders are both Redshirt Freshman. ( I believe you had mentioned that Sanders was a true frosh ) The thing that Frog fans love about Gary Patterson is that he isn't afraid to start a young kid ahead of an upperclassmen. He has stated numerous times that these corners have outstanding talent and he is starting them over Seniors for a reason. It all boils down to the fact that we won't know until game day how these kids react. TCU puts their corners on an island consistently so they have to be good cover guys. I know that Baylor has great talent at Wide Receiver so I am concerned about this area. In regards to Safety the Frogs are really deep. Marvin White is an animal who will knock your head off and make people think about coming over the middle again. He is TCU's best DB and has improved his cover skills greatly since coming over from the JUCO level. Other names to look for are Steven Coleman, Stephen Hodge and Brian Bonner. This group is rotated a lot to keep them fresh.
TCU Quarterback
If Ballard gets hurt we are in big trouble. Losing Chad Huffman to pro baseball depleted TCU's depth in this area. The main backup in Marcus Jackson but he is a big unknown. Behind him are two true freshman. Ballard manages games well and doesn't get rattled easily.
TCU Running Back
Not much to mention that you didn't already cover. Aaron Brown is the most talented of the bunch. Hobbs has stayed hurt the last few years and they are moving him to fullback this year so look for Merrill and Brown to get most of the carries. Apparently Merrill had off-season back surgery so hopefully he is up to speed by Sept. 3.
TCU O-Line
This is a big worry for TCU fans but I also want to point out that most of these guys have had significant playing time…they just haven't started yet. When you call Matty Lindner a " career backup " it has a negative tone to it. The coaches love him and he has just been behind some really good lineman his last few years. He's got a nasty streak which all lineman need in my opinion so I think he'll be fine. Giles Montgomery is also a guy that the coaches are really high on. He started and played really well in the Bowl game last year. It all boils down to the fact that we can't afford injuries in this area. Our depth is really thin but I think the starters will be good. If we get a few guys hurt though we could be in big trouble.
TCU Receivers
Once again these guys are rotated on almost every play. Losing Cory Rodgers hurts a lot as he was TCU's go to guy last year. I agree with your assessment of most of these guys. The one that you didn't write up that I think will have a break out year is Donald Massey. He has a ton of talent and will do his best to replace Rodgers as the " playmaker " for the offense. They run him on reverses a lot and if he gets space he is a home run threat. The other receiver to watch for is Walter Bryant. He is a larger possession type receiver that is good at moving the chains.
Final Game Assessment
I think this is going to be a hard fought game. I can see TCU's offense having trouble scoring on Baylor's D. The reason I think that TCU will win is because of it's Defense. Even though Guy Morriss has said that installing the new offense isn't that complicated I just feel that a team's first game running a system like this is tough. Look at Tech's first season as an example. Guy has gotten his team sky high for this game. I have no doubt the Bears feel they will win and they very well could. It will all come down to turnovers and who can capitalize on them. I'll predict a 24-20 TCU win with one defensive touchdown. The Frogs are used to not getting respect because of the non-bcs conference but I think you'll be surprised at the talent level of this team. Regardless I'll be back to either eat crow or pat myself on the back. Good luck! ( In every game but this one of course :) ¶ 8/21/2006
This is something that I tried to implement last year, but could never find a fan that was willing to write something that wasn't filled with biting, sarcastic, stupid comments. Thankfully, our guest author was the complete opposite of that and has written a very good, insightful article clarifying something for Baylor fans who don't live and breathe TCU Football.
I appreciate your help, Michael.
Enjoy!
TCU Defensive Line:
They rotate players like crazy on the Defensive Line so who starts and who doesn't isn't as important as some may think. Other players that will be heavily involved are Sr. Jared Retkofsky, Sr. Jarrecea Williams and Sophomore James Vess. Most of our lineman are undersized ( except for J. Williams and Lorenzo Jones ) but they are very strong and Patterson's defense is built on speed instead of the more traditional plodding lineman. We had a lot of trouble with the wider splits at Tech in 04 so you may have a valid point in thinking we will struggle. I just know that this will be a key aspect of the game because if TCU can't get pressure up front it usually leads to big plays. The entire defense is predicated on pressuring the Quarterback and hurrying him into bad decisions.
TCU Linebackers
As mentioned this is our strongest group. Jason Phillips and David Hawthorne will start and Robert Henson and Darius Ingram will back them up but get a lot of playing time. Phillips is a really smart player and he is always around the ball. He was a quarterback in High School and he just seems to have a great feel for the game. There is also a newcomer named Daryl Washington that sat out a year after High School but apparently has looked amazing in practice. I would be surprised to see him contribute at Linebacker but he will be on Special Teams without a doubt.
TCU Secondary
I can see where you are coming from in feeling that TCU's cornerbacks will be a weak spot but I think you will be surprised. Priest and Sanders are both Redshirt Freshman. ( I believe you had mentioned that Sanders was a true frosh ) The thing that Frog fans love about Gary Patterson is that he isn't afraid to start a young kid ahead of an upperclassmen. He has stated numerous times that these corners have outstanding talent and he is starting them over Seniors for a reason. It all boils down to the fact that we won't know until game day how these kids react. TCU puts their corners on an island consistently so they have to be good cover guys. I know that Baylor has great talent at Wide Receiver so I am concerned about this area. In regards to Safety the Frogs are really deep. Marvin White is an animal who will knock your head off and make people think about coming over the middle again. He is TCU's best DB and has improved his cover skills greatly since coming over from the JUCO level. Other names to look for are Steven Coleman, Stephen Hodge and Brian Bonner. This group is rotated a lot to keep them fresh.
TCU Quarterback
If Ballard gets hurt we are in big trouble. Losing Chad Huffman to pro baseball depleted TCU's depth in this area. The main backup in Marcus Jackson but he is a big unknown. Behind him are two true freshman. Ballard manages games well and doesn't get rattled easily.
TCU Running Back
Not much to mention that you didn't already cover. Aaron Brown is the most talented of the bunch. Hobbs has stayed hurt the last few years and they are moving him to fullback this year so look for Merrill and Brown to get most of the carries. Apparently Merrill had off-season back surgery so hopefully he is up to speed by Sept. 3.
TCU O-Line
This is a big worry for TCU fans but I also want to point out that most of these guys have had significant playing time…they just haven't started yet. When you call Matty Lindner a " career backup " it has a negative tone to it. The coaches love him and he has just been behind some really good lineman his last few years. He's got a nasty streak which all lineman need in my opinion so I think he'll be fine. Giles Montgomery is also a guy that the coaches are really high on. He started and played really well in the Bowl game last year. It all boils down to the fact that we can't afford injuries in this area. Our depth is really thin but I think the starters will be good. If we get a few guys hurt though we could be in big trouble.
TCU Receivers
Once again these guys are rotated on almost every play. Losing Cory Rodgers hurts a lot as he was TCU's go to guy last year. I agree with your assessment of most of these guys. The one that you didn't write up that I think will have a break out year is Donald Massey. He has a ton of talent and will do his best to replace Rodgers as the " playmaker " for the offense. They run him on reverses a lot and if he gets space he is a home run threat. The other receiver to watch for is Walter Bryant. He is a larger possession type receiver that is good at moving the chains.
Final Game Assessment
I think this is going to be a hard fought game. I can see TCU's offense having trouble scoring on Baylor's D. The reason I think that TCU will win is because of it's Defense. Even though Guy Morriss has said that installing the new offense isn't that complicated I just feel that a team's first game running a system like this is tough. Look at Tech's first season as an example. Guy has gotten his team sky high for this game. I have no doubt the Bears feel they will win and they very well could. It will all come down to turnovers and who can capitalize on them. I'll predict a 24-20 TCU win with one defensive touchdown. The Frogs are used to not getting respect because of the non-bcs conference but I think you'll be surprised at the talent level of this team. Regardless I'll be back to either eat crow or pat myself on the back. Good luck! ( In every game but this one of course :) ¶ 8/21/2006
