Things go from bad to worse for reeling TCU
Just when you thought things couldn’t go any worse for TCU, they did — in a big way — over the 48 hours following the Horned Frogs’ 52-27 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma last Saturday.
TCU coach Gary Patterson announced Monday that starting quarterback Shawn Robinson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Michael Collins, a transfer from Penn who replaced Robinson against Oklahoma, will become the starting quarterback for the Horned Frogs (3-4, 1-3 in Big 12 play).
The Horned Frogs, who have lost three straight, have a chance to get back on track on Saturday when they travel to Kansas (2-5, 0-4 in Big 12 play).
“The kids are fighting, and they fought back once we got going,” Patterson said after the loss to Oklahoma. “We have five games left to play. We are 3-4 and we’ve got to battle. We’ve got quite a road to get through to get to four. We go to Kansas, and we haven’t played overly well when we’ve gone there.”
Robinson, a sophomore, has played in all seven games for TCU. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,334 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also has run for 230 yards and three scores.
Robinson was the starter against Oklahoma and played the entire game on Oct. 11 in a 17-13 loss to Texas Tech. He hurt his shoulder against Iowa State on Sept. 29 and tried to play through the injury.
Losing Robinson is another injury setback in a season that has had several for TCU. The Frogs lost standout defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and four-star safety Atanza Vongor to season-ending injuries in fall camp, and strong safety Innis Gaines was lost for the year with an injury in the Texas Tech game.
As bad as Robinson’s injury shook the team, another piece of news rattled it to its core. Wide receiver KaVontae Turpin was arrested for alleged assault with bodily harm of a family member on Sunday and was dismissed from the team.
Turpin had 410 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season and had excelled on special teams. He leads the country by averaging almost 20 yards per punt return and has a touchdown. Turpin also had a 99-yard kickoff return against Oklahoma on Saturday.
