TCU’s first game was a success, but you won’t see coach Gary Patterson — or his players — jumping up and down in excitement because of it.
"When it’s all said and done, we didn’t play that great,"
Patterson said Sunday after reviewing the Horned Frogs’ 26-3 victory against New Mexico. "We played hard and we played physical, but we didn’t play real smart on either side of the ball."
For one, TCU’s offense didn’t have a drive longer than 33 yards, and that one ended with its only turnover of the game, an Andy Dalton interception that should have been thrown away.
By jumping to a 16-0 lead, the Frogs didn’t feel the need to do too much and didn’t want to commit any crucial mistakes.
TCU rarely threw the ball vertically — only three of Dalton’s 16 completions went for 10-plus yards — but that was partially because of New Mexico’s experienced secondary. The Lobos usually had six defensive backs on the field.
"That’s a normal thing for New Mexico to do to people,"
Patterson said.
Sophomore receiver Jimmy Young had receptions of 18 and 11 yards, and Bart Johnson had an 18-yard catch.
The ground game didn’t do anything "fantastic,"
Patterson said, "but we held on to the football and got the yardage that we needed to."
Defensively, Patterson was mostly pleased, but wants his players to make better decisions and tackle better, especially considering the big backs TCU will face against Stanford and Oklahoma in the next month.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes had a big game with a sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble, fumble recovery and interception, and caught the eye of Patterson.
"The only thing he didn’t have in an extra category is a pass breakup,"
Patterson said.
What stood out most to Patterson was the Frogs’ solid special teams play, highlighted by Jeremy Kerley’s 53-yard punt return that set up a fourth-quarter Dalton touchdown run.
Briefly
Safety Tejay Johnson went through Sunday’s walkthrough. Gary Patterson said Johnson underwent an MRI, but it showed only tendinitis in his right lower leg.
Senior linebacker Jason Phillips aggravated an unspecified injury that he suffered during camp and caused him to miss a few practices. Phillips did not participate in the walkthrough Sunday.
