Frogs O’ War Roundtable: at Arizona State Sun Devils

In defeating SMU to earn the Iron Skillet, what impressed you most and what gives cause for concern?

• Anthony: The mental resilience was impressive. To surrender the lead in the 4th quarter of a rivalry game with the high stakes and even greater emotion yet never waver. Eric McAlister committed the cardinal sin of getting big-bodied by a defensive back in the end zone for an interception and later get jobbed by the officials on an obvious bad call, only to bounce back with the second best receiving game in TCU history.So many teams wilt under that situation; TCU not only took it in stride, it flourished. Now what’s concerning is how you get backed into a corner like that in the first place: the abundance of penalties, especially the wholly avoidable mental lapses; the coverage busts that deliver explosive game-breaking blows from the opposing offense, especially ahead of a game with the conference’s leading receiver.
• Austin: The Horned Frogs were gashed by SMU’s ground attack a year ago to the tune of 238 yards and three scores. This time around, TCU displayed a stout run defense, holding the Mustangs to 94 yards on 27 rushes, without a touchdown. TCU has yet to allow a foe to average more than 4.0 yards per rush; it’s a revelation from last year’s unit that allowed 4.2 yards per carry and 160.5 rushing yards per contest. The Horned Frogs’ linebackers and defensive line are much improved. Also, it’s impossible not to give props to Eric McAlister who eviscerated SMU’s secondary, recording eight receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns. TCU’s secondary, however, still warrants attention. While the Horned Frogs recorded two interceptions, both came late in the game as SMU was attempting a comeback. Kevin Jennings passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns, keeping SMU competitive throughout.
• Caleb: I was thoroughly impressed with the run defense, I liked what had been shown in previous games but SMU poses more of a threat that other teams hadn’t tested TCU with just yet. Additionally, keeping Kevin Jennings confined to the pocket in crunch time was a strength, earning Jamel two easy read interceptions, they need to replicate that with Leavitt this week. The offensive line took a step back and it looks like they got dog walked a bit by SMU’s defensive line. That’ll need to be shored up if they’re going to get a road win this week.
• Drew: What has impressed me the most has been the creativity from Andy Avalos in dialing up pressure on obvious passing downs through stunts and blitzes. While TCU has not done a great job of getting pressure when rushing four, Avalos has been great at mixing up looks and sending pressure from different areas to create havoc in the pocket. TCU has a number of versatile players at all three levels that allows Avalos to send unexpected blitzes and drop unusual players into coverage which has kept opposing quarterbacks off balance all season. What I am concerned about, however, is the performance of the offensive line in the second half of the SMU game. I didn’t feel like the Frogs ran the ball well in the second half and SMU was able to generate plenty of pressure on Hoover down the stretch. Arizona State has an athletic defensive front and the offensive line will need to play well on Friday for the Frogs to come away with a win.
• Russ: TCU has continued to defend the run well, which was an area the team struggled in last season. I was also impressed with how Trent Battle and Jeremy Payne stepped up at running back with Kevorian Barnes sidelined. Eric McAlister’s performance at wide receiver obviously stands out, but the Horned Frogs once again showed they can be balanced on offense. My biggest concern at the moment is the pass coverage in the secondary. Although Jamel Johnson intercepted two passes toward the end of the game, I thought TCU gave up too many big plays. Credit to Kevin Jennings for some great throws, but the Horned Frogs haven’t played as well in the secondary as I thought they would, particularly against Abilene Christian.

As the Horned Frogs begin Big 12 play, where do you see TCU’s chances in the league?

• Anthony: TCU has to be considered among the threats at the top of the league, but Friday’s game will go a long way in determining who will end up in Arlington in December. It’s one of the most important games in the conference all season, along with the Frogs’ home games vs. ISU & Baylor. With Texas Tech likely to be heavy favorites the rest of the way, avoiding TCU, ISU, and Baylor, it’s hard to see the Red Raiders falling out of one of those title game spots. The Frogs are in that next tier of teams jockeying for position and hoping the tiebreaker numbers wind up in their favor. Friday’s winner jumps up to co-favorite status.
• Austin: Plenty has changed since the preseason. While there was always a belief that the Horned Frogs could compete with the perceived powerhouses, two impressive wins—and the rest of the Big 12’s early struggles—have made it clear: TCU is a legitimate contender for the Big 12 Championship. The team has made significant strides from a season ago, especially on defense, complementing an already potent offense. Don’t be surprised if TCU finds itself in Arlington.
• Caleb: TCU looks like a top 5 team in the league, with the clear favorites being Iowa State & Texas Tech at the top. Winning a game like this could potentially vault them out in front of Iowa State, considering their opening win against K State looks weaker every week. The threats on TCU’s schedule have diminished as they’ve put more weaknesses on tape and a win this week would push them past the 2nd largest hurdle they face, behind BYU in Utah in November.
• Drew: I think the Frogs have a solid chance to compete for a spot in Arlington this season with other teams in the league stumbling and TCU dodging both Utah and Texas Tech in the regular season. The trip to Kansas State looks much less daunting and the Frogs get Iowa State at home late in the season. The road will by no means be easy with the trip to Tempe being a difficult test and Baylor’s offense looking very good, but the Frogs are in a good spot to compete at the top of the league.
• Russ: It’s too early for me to figure out who the clear frontrunners are, but there’s no doubt that this team can be competitive in the top half or even the top quadrant of the conference. Kansas State isn’t nearly as good as we thought, while Baylor has already suffered two losses, albeit against quality opponents. Iowa State and Texas Tech are, to me, the biggest threats for the Big 12 championship. The Red Raiders are explosive on offense and the Cyclones make very few mistakes. Kansas and Utah are two sneaky good teams that could make a run under the right circumstances. Lastly, Arizona State made the CFP last season and should remain near the top of the conference with players like Sam Leavitt and Jordan Tyson back.

Offensive MVP vs. ASU

• Anthony: The TCU WR elite game carousel comes back around to Jordan Dwyer. With all eyes on Jordyn Tyson for the Sun Devils offense, it’s Dwyer that delivers the haymakers for the Frogs. Despite allowing 238.8 pass yards per game, ASU has some confirmed strength in the secondary and will look to shut down Eric McAlister to try and prevent him from surpassing Tyson for top pass catcher in the league. Dwyer will be left to feast
• Austin: Arizona State ranks second-to-last in passing yards allowed per game—coincidentally, just behind the Horned Frogs. That said, I’m rolling with Jeremy Payne. Like Russ said, Hoover is the safe pick, and sure, he’ll have a good game—but if Payne breaks off a few big runs and adds some balance to TCU’s offense, the Horned Frogs will have a much better shot at knocking off the Sun Devils in Tempe.
• Caleb: Jeremy Payne will have a spotlight on him, as ASU surrenders very little in the intermediate pass game and Hoover has utilized his check-downs well this year. Along with the lion’s share of carriers, I expect Payne to be the x-factor on offense this week.
• Drew: I’ll go with the leader of the offensive line in Coltin Deery. Against SMU, TCU committed far too many penalties on the offensive line and the environment in Tempe on Friday night will be loud which means limiting presnap penalties on offense will be key. I think Deery leads his group to limit penalties against ASU, keeping TCU ahead of the chains and out of long third downs, making it much easier on the skill positions to execute.
• Russ: Josh Hoover. This is a cop-out choice, but I think Hoover’s stats from the SMU game look a lot better than how he actually performed. Hoover wasn’t as accurate in the Iron Skillet as he was against UNC and Abilene, throwing multiple passes that could’ve been intercepted. Hoover completed only 55 percent of his passes (22 of 40) and he’ll need to be much sharper with his accuracy against the Sun Devils.

Defensive MVP vs. ASU

• Anthony: Sure, slowing Tyson is of paramount importance, but the winning plays will be made in stopping RB Raleek Brown. The speedy back was one of the top RB prospects out of high school is averaging 6.6 yards per rush and is the type of explosive play dynamo that has tortured TCU defenses in the past. TCU has held each of its FBS opponents to under 95 rushing yards as a team. The Frogs will need to contain Brown and backfield mates Kanye Udoh and Kyson Brown along with QB Sam Leavitt; I’ll target Namdi Obiazor as the engine for that effort. Obiazor will get his first multi-TFL game of the season, swarming to the ball and ensuring that explosive play out of the backfield never materializes for the Devils.
• Austin: Whoever defends Jordan Tyson is the answer. However, we don’t know if he’ll be followed or what the game plan will be. Thus, I’ll go with Jamel Johnson, who picked off Jennings twice last week. The versatile safety will surely be tasked with playing over the top of Tyson and baiting Sam Leavitt to throw it his way.
• Caleb: Kaleb Elarms-Orr has another tall task this week in containing Sam Leavitt at the second level. The pass rush needs to get home but, unlike Kevin Jennings, Leavitt will be looking to take off instead of create passing lanes with his legs. Covering sideline to sideline will be imperative to eliminating the scramble from ASU’s offensive strengths.
• Drew: Austin Jordan. The Texas transfer has been one of the most effective blitzers for this defense and created pressure on Kevin Jennings multiple times last week. I think Avalos uses Jordan a lot on big third downs on blitzes to make Leavitt uncomfortable and Jordan comes up with a big time sack.
• Russ: Channing Canada/Vernon Glover. I’m not sure which of these corners will have the tall talk of defending Jordan Tyson, but the Horned Frogs will have a hard time winning on the road if they are unable to shut down Arizona State’s top pass catcher. I’d imagine TCU will be throwing double teams (or even triple teams) his way, but there will likely be some 1-on-1 scenarios where the corners will have to win.

Final Score

• Anthony: TCU 34, Arizona State 30
• Austin: TCU 38, Arizona State 34
• Caleb: TCU
• Drew: TCU 28, Arizona State 27
• Russ: TCU 35, Arizona State 31