Three keys for TCU to rebound against Nicholls State
Three Reasons Why was right on point last week laying out the path to TCU being upset against Colorado.
Travis Hunter had one of the greatest performances in the history of the sport with a pick and over 100 yards receiving while playing over 100 snaps on offense and defense.
The Horned Frogs also lost the turnover battle and have more questions about the defense than previously expected.
This week we’ll temporarily switch up the format as TCU hosts Nicholls State in a game that shouldn’t be too difficult. The Colonels trailed by as many as 28 points in their opening loss to Sacramento State, so the chances of TCU dropping this one are extremely low.
Instead of three reasons why TCU could win or lose the game, let’s focus instead of three things I want to see from the Horned Frogs in what should be considered a tune-up game:
A flawless Chandler Morris
Morris’ first start of the season was uneven as he accounted for three total touchdowns and over 300 yards of offense, but threw two costly turnovers near the endzone. You could make the case that was the difference in last week’s outcome, but that’s the past and Morris has to push forward.
Many of the top teams that faced FCS competition last week rolled them without ease thanks to big performances from their quarterbacks. Bo Nix (Oregon), Carson Beck (Georgia) and Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) all threw for at least 285 yards with multiple touchdowns and no picks.
It’s not too much to want to see the same from Morris. This is a chance to build confidence before the Horned Frogs begin Big 12 play on the road and he has to make the most of it.
Better tackling
Depending on who you ask, TCU had anywhere from 18-22 missed tackles and nearly half of Shedeur Sanders’ 510 passing yards came after the catch. Sonny Dykes said the Horned Frogs had two of their more physical practices and had a heavier emphasis in tackling and Saturday would be a good time to see progress in that area.
The Colonels have an all-conference running back in Collin Guggenheim and former TCU wide receiver Quincy Brown, but this isn’t a supporting cast of skill weapons that should challenge the back end of TCU’s defense. The Horned Frogs should strive to have less than 10 missed tackles on Saturday.
The youth movement
You never know how many opportunities you’ll have to get your young players live game reps. There’s nothing more valuable to a player’s development and Saturday should present an opportunity to get most of the depth chart some playing time before the schedule toughens.
On offense that means Josh Hoover should an extended run once Morris is done for the day. If the Horned Frogs handle their business in the first two and half quarters then Hoover should be able to run the full offense and not just hand the ball off to burn the clock. Other players to watch include a pair of freshmen in Cordale Russell and Ben Taylor-Whitfield along with Major Everhart, who nearly had a kick return touchdown against Colorado.
Defensively Jonathan Bax should be one of the first off the bench at linebacker while we could also see the impressive trio of freshmen defensive linemen Markis Deal, Avion Carter and Zachary Chapman. In the secondary Jamel Johnson and Randon Fontenette could receive a good number of reps as well. All of this is dependent on TCU jumping out to a big early lead.
As tough as last week’s outcome was, there’s no reason to think the Horned Frogs will suffer another upset.
