Smoked by a good but not great Okie State team. Squeeked by @owen12 contender Kansas (at home). About to lose their second game out of three after winning like 20 of their previous 21. No QB.
Now that I'm around a computer ...
1) Okie Lite is a good team ... but need some breaks to go their way against teams like TCU and Baylor with elite offenses. Against Baylor, they were able to win the turnover battle 3-0 but still gave up over 700 yards. Against TCU, they were able to win the turnover battle 4-0 but still gave up over 660 yards. Biggest difference in the games is that Okie Lite got chunk 5 chunk TD plays against TCU plus a late pick 6 whereas they didn't have chunk scores against Baylor.
2) Boykin was hurt essentially on the first/second series of the game against Kansas in what was clearly in a let down spot. The two TCU backup QBs are probably somewhere in the Magna Carta to Lindy skill level or thereabouts and never really have had meaningful snaps. On top of that, neither are expected to be the QB after Boykin graduates. On other words, the drop off is huge from Boykin to whoever and struggling after Boykin got hurt in a week when said players probably didn't get huge reps isn't surprising. If that wasn't enough, there was some significant OL injuries against Kansas as well ... pretty sure you watched about 0 seconds of that game.
3) Losing in Norman by 1 point by having the balls (and job security) to go for 2 and the win in a game in which you patch worked 2 very flawed QBs to overcome a 23-7 halftime deficit doesn't scream free fall to me. Keep in mind that this is the same Oklahoma team that everybody in the media has been sucking off all week about how great they were. Once they lost their starting QB at the end of the first half, and even though they went to a QB who started for them last year and has not only way more experience but more talent than the TCU QB tandem tonight, kind of makes you wonder who wins the game if it was an even up best on best game? And let's be honest, not only was TCU missing Boykin, but they also are missing arguably the best WR in college football in Josh Doctson.
So, if you want to really talk about what is causing losing 2 out of 3 after winning 20 of 21, you can probably boil it down to injuries to the 2 best offensive players and general injuries to the team. I may not have the stat exact, but it's close enough for government work ... TCU has started something like 22 different players on defense this year and 15-16 of them have made their first career start. Shit happens.
I will also say this, and those that want to call me a froooog for it can kiss my old, rich, and white ass ... losing tonight hurts and while the decision to go for 2 by Patterson wasn't the decision that I would have made, he's earned way more than enough respect to be able to make the decision that he sees best. Moreover, to go on the road as a 3 score underdog without your top 2 offensive players to a Top 5-10 team in America, to be down 23-7 at half, to never give up, to keep fighting, to keep believing, and to continue to claw back into the game as long as there was time left on the clock is something that I admire greatly about any team or program. I'm damn proud that that's the kind of effort that TCU puts forth and makes any alum or supporter of the program proud. I'd be equally (or more) proud if the UW program finds itself in a position where it never gives up, continues to fight, always believes in a winning outcome, and to fight until the end because you just never know ... particularly when said effort is in conjunction with a team that is consistently competing for conference and national honors. THAT'S the UW program that I grew up watching.
Comments
Would love to see that game
1) Okie Lite is a good team ... but need some breaks to go their way against teams like TCU and Baylor with elite offenses. Against Baylor, they were able to win the turnover battle 3-0 but still gave up over 700 yards. Against TCU, they were able to win the turnover battle 4-0 but still gave up over 660 yards. Biggest difference in the games is that Okie Lite got chunk 5 chunk TD plays against TCU plus a late pick 6 whereas they didn't have chunk scores against Baylor.
2) Boykin was hurt essentially on the first/second series of the game against Kansas in what was clearly in a let down spot. The two TCU backup QBs are probably somewhere in the Magna Carta to Lindy skill level or thereabouts and never really have had meaningful snaps. On top of that, neither are expected to be the QB after Boykin graduates. On other words, the drop off is huge from Boykin to whoever and struggling after Boykin got hurt in a week when said players probably didn't get huge reps isn't surprising. If that wasn't enough, there was some significant OL injuries against Kansas as well ... pretty sure you watched about 0 seconds of that game.
3) Losing in Norman by 1 point by having the balls (and job security) to go for 2 and the win in a game in which you patch worked 2 very flawed QBs to overcome a 23-7 halftime deficit doesn't scream free fall to me. Keep in mind that this is the same Oklahoma team that everybody in the media has been sucking off all week about how great they were. Once they lost their starting QB at the end of the first half, and even though they went to a QB who started for them last year and has not only way more experience but more talent than the TCU QB tandem tonight, kind of makes you wonder who wins the game if it was an even up best on best game? And let's be honest, not only was TCU missing Boykin, but they also are missing arguably the best WR in college football in Josh Doctson.
So, if you want to really talk about what is causing losing 2 out of 3 after winning 20 of 21, you can probably boil it down to injuries to the 2 best offensive players and general injuries to the team. I may not have the stat exact, but it's close enough for government work ... TCU has started something like 22 different players on defense this year and 15-16 of them have made their first career start. Shit happens.
I will also say this, and those that want to call me a froooog for it can kiss my old, rich, and white ass ... losing tonight hurts and while the decision to go for 2 by Patterson wasn't the decision that I would have made, he's earned way more than enough respect to be able to make the decision that he sees best. Moreover, to go on the road as a 3 score underdog without your top 2 offensive players to a Top 5-10 team in America, to be down 23-7 at half, to never give up, to keep fighting, to keep believing, and to continue to claw back into the game as long as there was time left on the clock is something that I admire greatly about any team or program. I'm damn proud that that's the kind of effort that TCU puts forth and makes any alum or supporter of the program proud. I'd be equally (or more) proud if the UW program finds itself in a position where it never gives up, continues to fight, always believes in a winning outcome, and to fight until the end because you just never know ... particularly when said effort is in conjunction with a team that is consistently competing for conference and national honors. THAT'S the UW program that I grew up watching.