TCU: Remains 2-0 After Losing Key Defensive Starters

With TCU suffering a major hit this week, losing two of their top linebackers to critical injuries, the Horned Frogs still hone a 2-0 record.

The TCU Horned Frogs college football team took a big blow on Tuesday, losing two of its key defensive players. But on Saturday in their home opener, the Frogs annihilated the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, 70-7 at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Even though the Lumberjacks weren’t really a contending match up for No.3 TCU to begin with. The Horned Frogs ran up the scoreboard and were all smiles in the process.

However, the Frogs were missing two defensive starters at linebacker and a pair of key linemen.

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Still, TCU held the Lumberjacks to just 167 total yards.

Trevone Boykin, the Heisman Trophy candidate, who finished with 285 yards passing and four touchdowns in a little more than a half, didn’t change his disposition to try to get the team going. The Frogs finished with 627 total yards, including 112 yards passing and 224 yards on the ground with 11 runners.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson, who was already looking to replace the teams’ top three linebackers a year ago, is moving forward with minimal experience on the defensive end. However, a 2-0 start should give the Frogs some sigh of relief.

In TCU’s season opener and 23-14 defeat of Minnesota last week, Sammy Douglas, one of the team’s top linebackers, suffered an undisclosed injury that will cause him to miss the rest of the season.

For a guy with so much experience at the college level, Douglas started alongside freshman Mike Freeze against the Golden Gophers and only recorded two tackles. But that was because of an early exit from the game as he was replaced by red shirt freshman Ty Summers in the second series.

James McFarland, the Horned Frogs’ leading sacker in 2014, may also be done for the season.

It has not been confirmed, but after sitting out last week with a foot injury, things are not looking good and the TCU medical staff is very close to making a decision.

With the defense now lacking upperclassmen experience, this surely isn’t the way the Horned Frogs were expecting to kick-off their 2015 college football season. But so far so good as TCU was able to get by their first two opponents.

Without their most experienced linebacker Douglas and McFarland, who led the Frogs with seven sacks last season, it’s going to be tough for TCU to have a bounce back year in 2015.

Both injuries really hurt a TCU defense that graduated five All-Big 12 players from their formidable 12-1 squad last season.

For a devastating outcome for a few of their team leaders, TCU still has some experience on the defensive end, with seniors Terrell Lathan and Mike Tuaua both starting last year.

But while they still have a long way to go, the Horned Frogs will need to step it up and fill some shoes.

True freshmen Alec Dunham, along with Freeze and Summers, will be expected to improve their level of play under coach Patterson. But most importantly, the entire group will need to step things up.

Hopefully, the TCU Horned Frogs can show the same mentality they showed in yesterday’s game. But those games won’t come any easier when they start facing more competitive and dominant football teams in the Big 12 Conference.

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