LISTEN! KillerFrogs Podcast Episode 176: Oklahoma Was (Insert Verb Here)!
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Destroyed. Embarrassed. Pummeled. Those were the headlines Saturday night after the unranked Horned Frogs absolutely dominated the #18 Oklahoma Sooners 55-24 in a game that was controlled by TCU from the very first series. The win sets up a top 20 match up in Lawerence this Saturday between the #17 Horned Frogs and #19 Kansas Jayhawks as College Gameday hosts. Sean (Foushee), Nathan (Hernandez) and Ryann (Zeller) are joined by Special Guest, Sports Illustrator writer Nate Cross, to discuss the game, abysmal officiating, and take a look at this week’s game at Kansas.
The podcast begins with Sean taking pride in TCU’s performance against the Sooners—that we absolutely “dominated for four straight quarters.” Sean was the only one who believed TCU would score over 40 and keep the Sooners under 30, but even he “did not see the absolute shellacking that TCU gave the Sooners in Fort Worth.”
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Foushee brings Cross into the discussion first. He asks whether the game revealed that the Frogs performed well or the Sooners poorly. Cross responds that “It’s both. But a little more of the Frogs. The defense shut down what we needed to shut down. Which were Marvin Mims and Dillon Gabriel. But I also feel our Horned Frogs continued to shine. I feel we saw the real Max Duggan that we’re going to see the rest of the season. I don’t think we have a receiver that can’t catch a ball.” Foushee replies: “Isn’t that a change from the last few seasons,” to which Cross agrees.
After Cross, Foushee asks Hernandez whether he sees a shift in how the team is playing. Hernandez’s reply hinges on the team dynamic off the field, that “the last time we beat Oklahoma was 2014; the year we ran out of fireworks against Texas Tech was also 2014. We’ve gotten rid of a lot of those egos, and people are not complaining when they’re not getting the ball. We’re seeing a lot of coming together inside and outside of the locker room.” Foushee says: “If they weren’t believing in themselves before, they certainly are now.” Upon being asked what unit surprised him the most, Hernandez says: “The refs. No. I can’t believe they’re getting away with it. But the biggest thing for me is the defense. Because TCU, under Gary Patterson, has always been known for its defense. That is what has defined us, one of the biggest reasons we got into the Big 12, one of the reasons we were successful in the Big 12. So to see that coming back, I think rejuvenates a lot of offense as well.”
Foushee points out that 2013-2014 was the last time we had that “hard-hitting, fast-flying, everyone-going-for-the-football defense TCU was known for.” Recognizing Cross’ youth, he asks how he recognizes TCU’s change of defense from last year to this one. Cross says “It’s a night and day difference. This year they’re ready to roll. I remember that 2014 season, we had players that were going to make the hit and get off the field. These players are reminding me of that, and it’s, as you say, rejuvenating.”
After Cross, Foushee addresses Zeller, who says: “Some of us were worried about the SMU game, and we led from the beginning. We were all worried about the OU game and we led from the beginning . . . We had some amazing years with Patterson, but the last few years have just fallen off. The guys weren’t completing tackles, and you could see the players were sick of being talked down to. It felt that team didn’t want to win it for their coach, and now we see a 180 and they really do want to win it for each other. But the true test is when we start losing. Because the chance of us winning every single game is pretty slim. That’s the test for he (Dykes) to keep the locker room. But I couldn’t be happier.”
The Podcast ends with anticipation for the Kansas game this Saturday. “As of today,” Foushee says, “both Kansas and TCU are in the top 20 in the AP Poll . . . I did not have on my bingo card Kansas hosting a Gameday, any time in the future. This is going to be one story line for the future.”
Cross begins first, when asked by Foushee if Kansas is for real. “I would definitely say they’re full real. They have a great quarterback. And I think what Kansas has done is stuck with a coach that believes in the team. We haven’t seen them play that big of opponents yet, but the way they’ve handled Iowa State and Houston, which are decently talented teams, shows that they’re ready for TCU.”
Hernandez agrees with Cross. “Their offense has been clicking. They won in West Virginia, which was very hard to do. And they beat a Duke team that was undefeated, who had momentum. They’re undefeated, so they’re a legit team.”
Foushee adds a caveat: “I’m not willing to elevate them to the top echelon of the Big 12 teams this season. I think they will definitely be bowl eligible. I think they will give the rest of the slate that they face this season a very tough time. I think Oklahoma and Texas better be worried, because I think Kansas is going to be very hungry to beat both of those teams. But I think where they match up poorly is actually against TCU. Obviously . . . they have a lot of key injuries, notably to their running backs. But then they have Daniels. You have to watch out for him because he can definitely burn you with his feet.”
When asked whether a mobile quarterback is a big threat for the TCU defense, Hernandez says: “A running quarterback is hard when they have a good running game . . . if the other running backs aren’t doing well, it’s easier for us to focus on the quarterback. So I think that might help us out with their running backs being out. Now, it our corners are having a hard time, it’s going to make it a lot harder to contain him. Because if they’re focused on him running, people will be open behind him.”
Everyone agrees that the game against Kansas will be a great one, but that TCU is the smarter pick for the win.
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