TCU Football: What Did We Learn From The Kansas State Game?

The Horned Frogs suffered a crushing 41-3 defeat, but what can be taken away from the game for the rest of the season?

Let me start by saying that this will be the most brutally honest "What did we learn article" that I will write this season. There are subjects I have preferred to avoid after losses, but some words should be said when you suffer an embarrassing loss like this. 

TCU Football before kickoff against Kansas State / X: @TCUFootball

The TCU Horned Frogs had their worst loss of the season, losing 41-3 in Manhattan against a Kansas State team that has struggled at times this season. However, I believe this will not even be the worst season loss. If this season's Horned Frogs team does not figure out their identity or even show some fight, this could be the beginning of a rough stretch of games. With that said, continue reading below as I break down the game's negatives and one singular positive. 

The Positives

Jordy Sandy

The only positive of the game was the beloved, longtime Horned Frog punter. It's no secret that Jordy Sandy has struggled this season, but this weekend's performance was the best he has turned out this season. Sandy had five punts and averaged 46 yards with a longest of 54 yards, and with an offense struggling as much as they have, you need every yard you can get when turning the ball over. 

The Negatives

Kendall Briles

Something has to change. It simply has to. The past is the past, yes, but when the hiring is this controversial, you have to bring something to the table in return. Briles has not done it yet. Sure, there are some built-in excuses, such as the players don't understand the system with less than one season played. Or the starting quarterback was injured, and now you have the backup quarterback playing. This is unacceptable. The offense didn't need to be the best in the NCAA, but this is embarrassing. Something needs to change, and it needs to change fast. 

The Defensive Scheme

This is a tough one; I believe the 3-3-5 allows TCU to play as well as they do on defense, allowing the secondary talent to control the game. Compared to last year, the only difference this season is that the defensive line is nonexistent, and I believe it makes the scheme seem inadequate. Let's say, for example, TCU maybe even tried to switch to Gary Patterson's 4-2-5 defense; the team does not have a great D-line player who can disrupt an offense in any way. Against BYU, the defense saw success by bringing pressure and stunting, essentially hiding the weakness of the d-line. Yet, against the Wildcats, we barely saw that come into play. Honestly, I'm not sure what the defense can change, but something will have to be fixed after allowing almost 600 yards of offense.

Missed Tackles

The TCU defense has only given up over 40 points twice this season, at the start of the season against Colorado, and now after their embarrassing defeat to Kansas State. Oddly enough, both games had 19 missed tackles during the game. 19. The Horned Frogs were not going to win the game by only putting up three points regardless, but multiple times, a TCU defender had a Kansas State player within reach but put their head down and whiffed on the tackle. Maybe the players just had terrible form, but if they want to attempt to tackle with their heads down, they should keep their heads down after failing to wrap up and complete the tackle.

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This game was neither pretty nor enjoyable to watch, yet I did not miss a single snap because it is still the beloved Horned Frogs I will continue to cheer for, no matter the final score. With that said, if this TCU team fails to find its rest-of-the-season identity, this could get ugly before it gets better. 

On the bright side Frog fans, TCU is on bye this week, and they have a chance to rest and regroup. This could be a critical week for the players to get healthy and re-focus, and more importantly, a week for TCU fans to not worry about a loss. 

TCU Football: What Did We Learn From The BYU Game

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