It’s desperation time for TCU against No. 9 Oklahoma
When the season began, and even after its first three weeks, Saturday’s battle between Oklahoma and TCU — a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Conference championship game — looked like it would be the first of maybe two big contests between the squads that have become the league heavyweights and constant players in the national scene.
But that’s all changed over the past three games as both the ninth-ranked Sooners and the three-loss and shuffling Horned Frogs find themselves looking up at Texas in the conference standings.
Now Saturday’s game at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth could be an elimination game in respects to earning a berth in the Big 12 title game, especially for TCU.
The Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) finish up a three-game homestand in which it beat Iowa State and lost to Texas Tech, both by scores of 17-14. Another defeat this week would push TCU to under .500 for the season with five games to play and drop them three games behind the surging Longhorns in the conference standings.
TCU is enduring the growing pains of a young, inexperienced, but talented, sophomore quarterback in Shawn Robinson, who racked up 332 yards, 290 of those passing, and both the Horned Frogs’ touchdowns. They’ve also been turnover prone, averaging 2.5 per game in six contests.
Coach Gary Patterson has seen this type of start before, with a like beginning in 2013, a year which TCU finished 4-8.
“It doesn’t look good when you’re 3-3 and you’re looking down the middle to Oklahoma and they’ve had two weeks to prepare for you,” Patterson said after the loss to Texas Tech.
“We’re going to learn just like we did in 2013. Hopefully we’ll win more than we lose.”
The Horned Frogs are last in the Big 12 at minus-9 in turnover margin. The giveaways are a big reason why TCU has blown halftime leads in all three of its losses. Nine of the 13 turnovers the past four games have come with the Frogs leading, tied or trailing by one point, or in the opponents’ territory.
“You can’t turn the ball over,” Patterson said.
“If a running back is going to complain about carries, you need to hold on to it. When you’re in the red zone, the ball bounces off a guy and they intercept it … you gotta make plays. It’s simple.”
