Photo from GoFrogs.com
TCU beat West Virginia 31-24 Saturday, and there’s a lot we need to talk about. Here are six takeaways from the game.
1. First off, kudos to West Virginia.
The Mountaineers are a good team — one that didn’t let up down to the last quarter. With a solid offense led by a talented quarterback in Will Grier, West Virginia is poised to have a strong finish in the Big 12.
2. Kudos to Kenny Hill too.
The Frogs’ quarterback threw a touchdown, caught a touchdown and ran for a touchdown all in one game — becoming the fourth player in Big 12 history to do so. Let’s watch all that again.
The throw:
How's that for a quick-strike offense ... 1-play drive thanks to Mr. Reagor! #BeatWVU pic.twitter.com/xCIN1sbT5C
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 7, 2017
The catch:
TRICK PLAY ALERT
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 7, 2017
The Frogs break the tie with one from DEEP in the playbook! #BeatWVU pic.twitter.com/syOHUHP1lt
The run:
Kenny Hill just 4th player in Big 12 history to throw, catch and run for a TD! The rushing TD was the game-winner! #BeatWVU pic.twitter.com/q8CI42D8EI
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 7, 2017
3. This is a mentally strong team.
You’d think there would be a momentum swing after the Mountaineers tied up the game 17-17 in the third quarter and 24-24 in the fourth. But the Frogs kept fighting, answering with a score of their own, and finishing with a win.
4. Two things to work on: Pass catching and defending.
There’s a saying in sports, “If you can touch it, you can catch it.” TCU struggled with dropped passes against West Virginia, an issue carried on from last season. The Frogs have shown that they can make some clutch catches (John Diarse, we’re looking at you). They just need to do it more often.
TCU’s pass defense could use some improvement also. The Frogs allowed 366 passing yards that day, often leaving Mountaineer receivers wide open for deep throws. They’ll face the same challenges again in coming games, especially against Oklahoma and Texas Tech.
5. And finally, shout out to punter Adam Nunez.
This guy pinned the ball within the 5-yard line three times Saturday afternoon. While punting is never fun, at least when it happens, TCU is good at it.
6. Wait, one more thing...so Oklahoma lost. What does that mean for TCU?
Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State has its pros and cons. The pro, obviously, is it opens up space for TCU to move up in the Big 12 and in national rankings. It also means the Sooners are beatable in Norman, where the Frogs are scheduled to play Nov. 11.
The con, however, is that a loss to Iowa State hurts Oklahoma’s resume — meaning that if TCU were to beat Oklahoma in Norman, the Frogs’ playoff argument will be slightly less convincing.
