MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — TCU coach Gary Patterson has been in the business a long time, so he tries not to dwell on the “what could have beens,” but last week’s loss on the road at Oklahoma has been eating at him.
On a 3rd and 1 for the Sooners, quarterback Jalen Hurts appeared to be short of the first down marker, but the officiating crew gave Hurts a friendly spot and the first down. Even after review, which still looked like Hurts was short, the call was upheld. OU was able to run out the clock, winning 28-24, and the Horned Frogs missed a chance for a major upset and their sixth win to become bowl eligible.
“I’ve talked to everybody, but I mean, I’ll let them tell you,” Patterson said. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t, and so we just need to move on. And, you know, they’ve got a hard job. I’ve got a hard job. Everybody’s got a hard job. We’re all trying to win.”
But after missing out on its sixth win against the Sooners, TCU (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) needs a win today against West Virginia, and on a short week, linebacker Garret Wallow had to turn the page quickly.
“It’s football. Things happen,” he said. “Whatever happened on that field is in the past. It’s time to move on to the future. It’s time to move on to the next game. This game is the most important of the season right now.”
Under Patterson, who became TCU’s head coach in 2000, the Horned Frogs have only missed a bowl game twice (2009 and 2013). They’re playing for their postseason lives, while the Mountaineers (4-7, 2-6) lost their shot at a bowl game last week in a loss to Oklahoma State.
But Patterson isn’t fooled by WVU’s losing record — he knows how dangerous a team with nothing to lose can be, especially when it wants to play spoiler.
“It’s a really good 4-7 football team to be honest with you,” Patterson said, crediting the job WVU coach Neal Brown has done changing the offense to favor Jarret Doege, as well as Vic Koenning’s job with the defense.
Patterson and Koenning were college teammates at Kansas State in the early 1980s.
The Horned Frogs have a similar offensive philosophy to what West Virginia’s done most of this year, but the difference is they are experienced up front with four senior starters. With a veteran offensive line, TCU’s been able to run the ball effectively all year — ranking 28th nationally, averaging 209 yards per game — with seniors Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua.
The ability to run the ball has helped take the pressure off freshman quarterback Max Duggan, who has played admirably in his first season of college football. He’s thrown for 1,933 yards and 15 touchdowns, but can make plays with his legs, too, rushing for 532 yards and six scores.
“He’s got a super fast release and I saw him run away from a lot of guys for Oklahoma that can fly,” Koenning said. “He’s getting better and better, and I think they’ve ran him 50-something times in the last four games. Any time you have a quarterback that’s a running threat, it’s tough.”
Brown also warned that his defense will have to make sure it knows where star receiver Jalen Reagor is at all times. He has 37 catches for 554 yards and five touchdowns.
