TCU: Defense Is The Key In Minnesota Victory

The TCU Horned Frogs held on for a victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers team that was more difficult than expected.

TCU entered the 2015 college football season with one of the most explosive offensive units in the nation.

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Following Thursday night’s narrow victory against Minnesota, it was actually the defense that played a greater role in the difficult win.

No, this wasn’t a repeat of last year’s meeting between these teams at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth. The offense didn’t score at the same pace, which obviously meant more of a downhill run for the Horned Frogs on the defensive side of the ball.

In this year’s matchup, which included a record crowd at TCF Bank Stadium, the TCU defense had to make plays.

Of all contributions from head coach Gary Patterson‘s younger defensive unit, not one was bigger than a second quarter fumble by Gophers running back Rodrick Williams inside the TCU five yard-line. The ball ended up shooting straight into the end zone where it eventually resulted in a touchback – and a seriously dodged bullet.

Had that Minnesota possession ended in the touchdown that it sure could have, the actual final score of 23-17, in favor of the ‘Frogs, might have been up in smoke.

Patterson has staked a reputation for solidifying some fantastic defenses in the Metroplex. That reputation slid to some degree last season as TCU showed far greater strength on the offensive side of the ball than the other way around.

In fact, The Horned Frog offense would end up averaging 46.5 points per game during a season that saw just a single loss and a surprising snub for the first College Football Playoff.

It would have been no real surprise to see TCU roll up 30-plus points on the road while maybe even holding on in a shootout up north.

Instead, this was a more low-scoring affair that saw not just missed opportunities for senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Trevone Boykin, but also a major test for the TCU defense down the stretch.

All in all, the defense held ‘Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner to under 200 yards passing. The Minnesota offense generated just two touchdowns on the night, despite the fact that TCU was without sack-specialist James McFarland and defensive tackle Davion Pierson. The return of these two standouts will be necessary sooner than later.

Also true is the fact that players like Boykin, running back Aaron Green and the rest of this potent offense will get better and better over the next couple of weeks before the Big 12 heavyweights arrive on the schedule.

TCU follows their season opening victory with back-to-back home games against Stephen F. Austin and SMU – then a trip to Lubbock to face a Red Raiders squad at Texas Tech that will certainly test the Horned Frogs young defense with it’s ability to roll up and down the field at will.

Until that time, Patterson knows that his defense will fight through adversity while being both young and short-handed. The 16th-year head coach was quoted by Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News regarding his team’s overall performance during the season-opening win:

"I’m sure that I won’t be happy by about 5 o’clock tomorrow after I watch both sides of the ball [on tape], but right now, I’m just glad I’m getting on the airplane with something in the left-hand column instead of the right."

There will be more of those left-side goodies over the next couple of weeks, but those thereafter are the ones that TCU will be counting on, and the Horned Frogs defense looks like it’s up to the challenge for now.

Next: TCU: Trvone Boykin Will Win Heisman Trophy

TCU: Defense Is The Key In Minnesota Victory

By Christian Blood | Sep 4, 2015

The TCU Horned Frogs held on for a victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers team that was more difficult than expected.

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