Gary Patterson is 120-44 in his career as headman of the TCU Horned Frogs, so last year’s 4-8 season was a stunner for this team. This year 16 starters return, while they lose just 18 lettermen overall and that should signify a return to the postseason for this very proud team. Preview & schedule are below.
TCU had no problems scoring points in the MWC, but since joining the Big 12 they have put up just 28.3 and 25.1 ppg the last 2 years. The Horned Frog brought in a new Co-OC in Sonny Cumbie to help run the offense and he will install an up-tempo offense that should help create more scoring for this team. Parts of this offense have been taken from Mike Leach’s fast paced offense. Matt Joeckel transferred from Texas A&M and looks to have a handle on the QB job. He will have some solid returning talent in Josh Doctson and David Porter, who combined for 875 yards receiving and 9 TDs last year. Also in the mix will be Florida transfer Ja’Jaun Story, who was the #37 WR to come out of HS in 2012. BJ Catolon returns after leading the team in rushing last year, but it looks like the starting nod will go to Aaron Green, who transferred from Nebraska and was the #8 back out of HS in 2012. The OL is decent with 2 starters back this year. The defense is always a staple of this team, but last year they struggled, allowing 25.3 ppg. This year with 8 starters back, they should return to playing the tough defense that TCU has been known for. The DL is stacked and is rated at #5 in the nation. 3 starters are back, including Devonte Fields who missed 9 games last year, while being named Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2012. The LB corps is another strength and is led by Paul Dawson, who led the team in tackles (91) and TFL (9.5) last year. The secondary has playmakers all over it, including Sam Carter, who led the team in INTs with 5, while also grabbing 4 sacks and 3.5 other TFL.
The Horned Frogs are not used to losing seasons under Gary Paterson, but I don’t expect them to stay down for too long. The Offense may take a few games to get acclimated to the new style of play, but by season’s end they should average over 30 ppg for the season. The defense is loaded and is probably the number 2 defense in the league, with playmakers at every level and a top 5 DL in the nation. The early non-conf slate should help this team get going and while their toughest 3 games are at home vs Oklahoma and on the road vs Baylor and Texas. They should do very well in the rest of their schedule and at the very least go 8-4 on the year. KEY TREND: 0-6 ATS their last 6 games after playing Texas.
2014 TCU Football Schedule
Sat, Aug 30th, 2014 Samford
Sat, Sep 13th, 2014 Minnesota
Sat, Sep 27th, 2014 at SMU
Sat, Oct 4th, 2014 Oklahoma
Sat, Oct 11th, 2014 at Baylor
Sat, Oct 18th, 2014 Oklahoma State
Sat, Oct 25th, 2014 Texas Tech
Sat, Nov 1st, 2014 at West Virginia
Sat, Nov 8th, 2014 Kansas State
Sat, Nov 15th, 2014 at Kansas
Thu, Nov 27th, 2014 at Texas
Sat, Dec 6th, 2014 Iowa State
Info gathered From Phil Steele's CFB Preview and Athlon Sports
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Golden Nugget Games Of The Year
Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com takes a look at some the games of the year that have been released by the Golden Nugget, along with some tips for handicapping them.