LISTEN! KillerFrogs Podcast Episode 178: A Tale Of Two Halves
The Frogs showed their grit on Saturday, coming back, after down 17, to beat the Cowboys in double overtime 43-40. Shannon (Brazzell), Nathan (Hernandez), and Sean (Foushee) discuss how the game was really a tale of two halves, but more so than that, there is something special going on with this team and it’s a great time to be a Frog!
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The podcast begins by pointing out the TCU/OSU game was hardly the high-scoring one as predicted. The quality of defense is the point here, as Foushee says “There is something exciting here in Fort Worth.” Shannon agrees: “I felt really comfortable, and the switch (with defense formation) was growing on me each game, but then we faced Oklahoma State, and they’re running all over the place, and for whatever reason we can’t find the tight end, we can’t find the backfield. Man, I was pulling my hair out that first half. It was very nerve-racking, but the right adjustments were made at half time. And it was two totally different halves. And it speaks volumes from the coaching staff, how the players responded and it changed the game, luckily, for us.”
Foushee brings Nathan in to discuss offense, pointing out that the offense didn’t seem to be in sync in the first half, and asks him what was the shift in the second half. Nathan says: “People were trying a little too much in the beginning. People were trying to do a lot more than they’re giving you. And that leads to dropped punt returns, tackles for losses because we’re trying to dance in the backfield too much. Coming into the second half, it’s a top 15 matchup for a lot of guys that haven’t been in that situation before, you settle down, put your nose down and just run. And that kind of bleeds over into everyone else. Everyone wants to earn the play.”
The slow substitutions become a focal point. Foushee says he “felt the referees should have stepped in and stopped at the very beginning the lollygagging from the defensive line of Oklahoma State.” Hernandez says: “It is in the rule book that they are allowed to make their substitutions, and they’re not allowed to snap the ball until after the substitution’s made but they’re also given a lot of time. There is a number in the rule book that says if they don’t get off the field in a certain amount of time you’re allowed to snap the ball.” When asked whether that played into the frustrations of the offense in the first half Nathan says: “Yes. We trip ourselves up just trying to get going. We fight the refs and we fight Oklahoma State. You gotta understand Big 12 refs are going to be Big 12 refs. They’re gonna suck. You have to swallow your pride, and say, all right you’re not going to beat me, however much you want to. But we’re going to fight Oklahoma State.”
Foushee makes the point that going all the way back to 2015 and 2014 “this is one of the first TCU squads I’ve seen in almost a decade that has kept their composure, has battled through a lot of adversity and we can set aside the two Alamo Bowl comebacks. These guys look like they have found that chemistry early on. I don’t know what it is about this team, but you can’t count them out. They are ready to play, and nothing frazzles them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a muff punt, if they’re down by 17. These guys seem to get up, get their heads in the game and take it to the other team.”
Shannon agrees. “It’s like they’re playing for something that we all don’t know about. The way they’re playing . . . there's something special going on in that locker room that we don’t know about, and it’s keeping them going week in and week out, no matter what happens.” Foushee says, in reference to Shannon’s time with the Frogs: “TCU played with a chip on their shoulder. Now it’s a block . . . I think you’re right, they are playing for something.”
When asked if he feels the same way, Nathan responds: “Going back into 2014, no one knew what to expect. I think it’s very similar with that. Last two years, you get a lot of mediocre football. You get a new coach, new coordinators, and people don’t know what to expect. And they’ve done a good job of maintaining that expectation and anticipation. They’ve done a good job of cutting out all that outside noise and just coming into each game with the right mindset.”
The podcast ends with the question of what to expect with Kansas State. Foushee says “This game makes me a little nervous. If we handle our business, I think we can win the game. But we don’t want this game to cost us. I’m a little nervous about this game right out of the gate.” Foushee says that “the difference between Oklahoma State’s quarterback and Kansas State’s quarterback is size. And he reminds me of Max. He’s the guy that can punish these linebackers if he gets going and wears them down . . . With this sort of a game I have to imagine that Dykes and his coaching staff have something that’s going to help them with this quarterback because he's a dual threat unlike anything we’ve seen up to this point. And if we have a poor tackling day, he’s going to run over us all day long. Can’t have that. On the flipside, Kansas State’s defense against our offense is a lot brighter. It might come down to who can score quicker and who can score more, and for that my money is on the TCU offense.”
Everyone agrees it will be a fantastic game under the lights, and that the last time there was such a huge environment during a night game was the Utah game in 2014, the year of the Rose Bowl. Predicting scores, Nathan says TCU wins 38-20; Shannon goes with TCU winning 42, or 47-31. Foushee predicts TCU winning 45-32.
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