Hi everybody! Since this is the best week to sneak anything across the radar in sports, I figured it was the perfect time to introduce myself to the denizens of this fine site. My name is Melissa, and I'm a Horned Frog. I have begged my way into becoming a contributor, and I hope to bring my own version of snarkiness and SMU Hate to the party. I promise to never refer to the QB from Baylor by his stupid nickname, to do my part to not let the world forget that #CJK5H, and to tweet obsessively about TCU (@CoachMelissaGB).
A little bit about myself; I'm a TCU graduate, spending my formative learning years in Moudy South. I was there when The Greatest Frog of Our Lifetime hit 406 and when our basketball team was actually good. Being a California Native, attending the Rose Bowl and seeing So Cal decked out in Purple was especially gratifying, even more so since I was a student during some pretty lean years. Thankfully, I'm back in the promised land now, living in FW just a couple of miles from campus.
For my first post, The Finch asked me to write up my expectations for the coming season, in light of Big 12 Media Days and our projected 5th place finish. So, without further ado...
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The up-coming football season
is kind of a big deal. With the pressures of a new conference, a new
stadium, and a little "off-season incident" (maybe you're aware?), much
has been written nationwide about whether the Frogs will continue to
play at the high standard we've come to expect in Fort Worth, or crash
and burn as they deal with the depth and talent of the Big 12.
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| Pachall dialing up another long TD? |
I think most of the Frog Faithful are taking a wait
and see approach before going all-in with their expectations - while
there is certainly reason for skepticism, there's no shortage of
optimism either. TCU returns the bulk of their skill position players on
offense, including one of the more dynamic duos in the country, QB
Casey Pachall and WR Josh Boyce. Add that to a deep backfield- even with
the loss of Ed Wesley not many teams outside of Austin can trot out a
three deep that matches what Patterson has to play with - an explosive
array of receivers that boast both size (LaDarius Brown) and speed (Skye
Dawson), and an offensive line anchored by one of the true athletic
freaks in CFB (Blaize Foltz), TCU should have no problem fitting in and
keeping up on offense in the high flying Big 12. There are of course
questions - the offensive line lost two tackles and an all-conference
guard, replacing Wesley is a potential issue, and the backup QB position
is in a bit of flux as Matt Brown and Trevone Boykin continue to battle
- but what all the pundits keep coming back to is the defense.
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| Stansley Maponga will wreck you. |
Oh, the defense. Since that fateful day in Waco
almost a year ago, some of the shine has seemed to come off of
Patterson's long standing reputation as the best defensive coach in the
country, and the once over-powering TCU D has fallen back to earth. Now,
heading into what is probably the top offensive conference in the
country, can the team that gave up almost 400 yards per game in the MWC
slow down the explosive teams they will see week in and week out? It's
easy, if you still believe in GMFP (and count me firmly in that camp),
to assume that the defense HAS to be better. After getting torched by
the Redskin's new QB (I'm pulling a Bobby Knight and refusing to use his
name), Jason Verrett and company improved significantly against the
pass. There were bumps in the road, certainly, but JV should be a steady
and reliable presence on the back end. JC transfer and early-enrollee
Keivon Gamble will have much expected from him, but much like Verrett a
year ago, don't be surprised if it takes him some time to fully grasp
the nuances of GP and Dick Bumpas' D but ultimately performs well. The safeties are a group I think
could really surprise - the freshman duo of Jordan Moore and Zach
Johnson, aka The Georgia Smash Bros, will have every opportunity to get
on the field and could be absolutely dynamic in the 4-2-5. Junior Elisha
Olabode will be counted on as the "veteran" of the group, and had a
solid 2011 campaign. The defensive line should be disruptive - all
conference DE Stansley Maponga returns and looks to build on his
impressive sophomore season, Ross Forrest is consistent and should
anchor the other end position. Sophomore D tackles David Johnson, Jon
Lewis, and Chuck Hunter , who were young and inexperienced a year ago,
come back
bigger, stronger, and with plenty of playing time to build on.
The biggest question mark is at the LB spot, where the loss of Tanner
Brock and Deryck Gildon may loom large in the middle of the defense.
Kenny Cain returns after a strong 2011 campaign, but the amount of
experience after him is severely lacking. There are some talented young
prospects more than capable of stepping in and picking up the slack, but
certainly a lot of unknowns. It also bears mentioning that TCU will
have a new LB Coach, but
if rumors are true and the job is Randy
Shannon's, the position should be shorn up by the time camp breaks.
So, what's a realistic record for this season's
team? A lot will come down to TCU's ability to win the games they should
win - Grambling, Virginia, Iowa State, Texas Tech at home; Kansas, SMU,
Baylor on the road. These aren't all gimmies, but you'd imagine the
Frogs would be favored in their first seven games. The final five game
stretch; at OK State, at
WVU, K State at home, at UT, and OU at home; may very well determine the
Big 12 champion as well as whether the national media declares TCU's
inaugural Big 12 season a success or not.
Are five conference wins good
enough for a first run through the Big 12? Are six overachieving? I
certainly have gotten used to 10+ win seasons, but I doubt many people
would be disappointed with 8-9 W's in light of everything the team has
endured on and off the field this off-season. Ultimately, wins are what
matter, but it's also going to be crucial for the program (and the fans)
to see the TCU defense bounce back from a down year in 2011 and get
back to being one of the top in the country. How quickly the young
players, especially the freshmen that will need to have an immediate
impact, pick up the system and are able to contribute will be critical.
And of course Pachall's continued growth at the QB position and as a
leader, plus his ability to put the team on his shoulders and just
outscore opponents a la Boise, could make huge difference down the
stretch.
There
are more questions than answers going into a new, improved conference,
but there's no reason not to believe that TCU won't be as well prepared,
well coached, or as competitive as any team they face. Thankfully, it's
almost time to stop the talking and the speculating, the hand wringing
over the drug scandal and the player losses, and let these men do their
talking on the field.
