TCU Football: It's The Defense, Stupid!
Sometimes, some things in life--not very many--are worth taking seriously. I don't know that this season's football team is at that point yet, but even to this merry prankster, our defense has given us reason for concern. Believe me, I'd rather be telling jokes and complaining about referees. And, on Saturday, while the referees were ever reliable for a few bad calls, particularly a pass interference penalty that, if legitimate, would render every defensive player in sports a padded statue, unaggressive and immobile, they weren't the true antagonists to TCU's game: TCU was.
Speaking of Fleetwood Mac's underrated 1979 album Tusk, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham noted that only if you have made an album that sold 25 million copies (1977's Rumours) could selling a mere 4 qualify as a disappointment. And following a season that saw us appearing in a National Championship, it does seem ungracious to come out of a game we won 41-6 with too pointed a criticism. Nevertheless, it must be said: Nicholls State dropped the ball (a lot) and the considerable disparity between the two scores isn't attributable to the quality of our play.
While our mighty Frogs could use improvement across the board, we have one particular vulnerability discernible even to me, a sports ignoramus: our defense.
About midway through the third quarter, a quarter our thoroughly inadequate opponent actually won (3-0), I experienced deja vu as the Colonels charged seemingly unopposed down the field, virtually every receiver as wide open as a gate following a stampede, one hinge dangling in sad mockery of our efforts to improve it. Was this not exactly what we witnessed a week ago, against Colorado--Shedeur Sanders unstoppable, free to hit right in the hands any receiver he happened to spot? At the time, I thought Colorado might have been that good of a team, with a stellar offense. But watching the game on Saturday, it became clear: had the Colonels under their command a single receiver with fingers more substantial than butter, that game would have looked considerably different.
This is not to say our defense did not make some terrific plays--as Damonic Williams demonstrated with a sack in the second quarter. And Johnny Hodges is always reliable for a good hit. Nor is it to say we lack in talent. We don't.
But consider this: prior to Nicholls State, in our last four games, TCU's defense gave up 183 points. Now before everyone shouts "Georgia!" subtract 65 from that sum, rendering it 118, against three teams, and ask: does that look any better? The eternal optimist (God bless them) will then counter: these are the best teams in the nation. But let's not damn ourselves by fainting with others' praise. During the same period, of four games, Georgia's defense gave up 85 points, Kansas State 100, and Michigan 99. And let's not forget that, at least with the latter two, many of those points were directly attributable to us. We're one of the best teams in the nation as well. And our defense should be competitive with any other. We're certainly capable.
I've no doubt our defense can play. The only question is: will they?
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