Postgame Debrief: California

The California Golden Bears were not what the Horned Frogs expected. The game almost became Cheez-It Bowl 2.0.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

TCU defeated the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday, 34-32, to move to 2-0 for the season. That’s the good news – the Frogs got the win. However, it was not pretty, it was hard fought, and it certainly was not expected.

How is the temperature of the Frog fans in the days after that game? Frog fans have a right to feel nervous. The team raised our collective blood pressures on many occasions Saturday. There are, though, signs of hope that can hopefully lower our temperatures in the games still to be played.

After having an easy time to open the season versus Duquesne, and showing creative offensive formations, Frog fans entered Week 2 with high hopes and expectations of the season. Those quickly faded on Saturday, as Cal scored on their second possession of the game to take the early lead. A bad snap on the PAT resulted in a 6-0 score to start the game. That missed conversion would become a factor for both teams later in the game.

The first quarter was dismal for the Frogs. There were unnecessary penalties on both the defense and then special teams. The defense gave up a 54-yard bomb from Cal QB Chase Garbers to Trevon Clark. Zach Evans only had three carries for a total of 13 yards. And Max Duggan just didn’t look good. He threw five incompletions before finally connecting to J.D. Spielman on an 8-yard toss with 2:42 left in the quarter on the Frogs’ third possession. He did run the ball a few times, but also go sacked for a 12-yard loss, negating most of the rushing yards he had gained.

Problems with the secondary continued to give the Frogs trouble throughout the first half. This was supposed to be the year that C.J. Ceasar II had a breakthrough season. He struggled in the secondary and also had issues on special teams. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson also was not as sharp as he had been the week before. Frogs are clearly missing Trevon Moehrig and Ar’Darius Washington, both of whom made their NFL debuts this week. The defense needs to find answers, or this will be a very long season.

Duggan has struggled his entire career with throwing the long ball. He continued to have that problem in Saturday’s game, missing wide open receivers on many occasions. The offensive line also seemed to struggle, missing some key blocks, and allowing Duggan to be sacked three times.

However, there were several key bright sides to the game, which if the Frogs can fix the issue with the secondary, and if Max can start connecting on those long balls, this team could still bounce back and reach the expectation levels we think are possible. Sophomores Zach Evans and Quentin Johnston are beasts. They just need to be fed. This duo, along with Duggan, can be a threat to any team in the Big 12.

Evans ended the day with 190 yards on 22 carries. In the last 11 seasons, his total on Saturday ranks as the third best, only behind Sewo Olonilua’s 194 yards also against Cal in 2018 and Kyle Hick’s 192 yards against Baylor in 2016. Give Zach the ball. Let him loose.

Johnston ended the day with 95 yards on only five catches including two touchdowns. His 45-yard catch in the 4th quarter to give the Frogs the lead was a pivotal moment in what already was a very close game. When he and Duggan can connect, it works.

And Duggan has speed. He has an innate ability to know just how many yards are needed when he carries the ball. His running improved as the game went on, especially in the critical 4th Quarter, where he had 61 rushing yards. His sheer willpower and speed will be beneficial in future games.

Though Gary Patterson did not change his shirt at halftime, he clearly gave one of his infamous speeches, as the defense took notice and had a much better second half. The Frogs had possession of the ball for 20:45 in the second half. In their last eight possessions of the game, Cal only had one possession for longer than 1:48. The Frogs defense did what it had to do.

The game was a lot closer than anyone hoped. The final line on the game had TCU favored by 11.5 points. The difference at the end of the game came down to a fumbled 2-point conversion attempt by the Golden Bears late in the game. Yes, there were other opportunities earlier in the game – had Duggan connected on one or more of those missed long balls; had Griffin Kell not missed a 39-yard field goal attempt late in the 4th quarter; or had the Frogs’ secondary played a better first half, we would not have had to worry about that final conversion attempt.

The team played as the Cardiac Kids on Saturday. We did not need to be in the position we were in at the end of the game. But we know Zach and QJ have the strength and skill to make our offense better. Let’s just hope in this bye week, Patterson works on the secondary’s issues. And let’s hope coaches Kenny Hill and Doug Meacham work with Max so those deep balls don’t become hold-your-breath moments.