No one said college football fandom was easy, and get ready to be loud on Saturday, Horned Frog fans. “When we expend as much energy as [we] had to last week, we need energy starting early at 11,” Gary Patterson told reporters during his weekly press conference.

His football team is busy coloring its pyramid in purple ink after a turbulent 4-0 start to the season. The No. 3 Horned Frogs haven’t beaten the weekend’s homecoming opponent Texas in back-to-back years since 1958 and 1959 — before Patterson was born.

Last year’s 48-10 Thanksgiving feast on the Longhorns, was “not the norm,” the head coach said. 2015 is unfolding with new storylines for both programs. TCU has flipped the script, as its record-setting offense is now providing breathing room for a young and injured defense. Texas is 1-3, its worst start since the 1950s, after two last-minute losses.

The 18.5-point spread in TCU’s favor won’t matter past the coin flip, he said. “As soon as that ball kicks off … it’s going to be an interesting Saturday the rest of the way.”

“The more we can practice, the more confidence we’re going to have”
Desmon White

Patterson and company have settled back to planet Earth after last week’s thrilling 55-52 victory over Texas Tech, his first win in Lubbock. “It’s not like the feat that we just pulled off was something that you just do every day,” he said about the hard-earned win in a hostile environment. Tech “wanted that one very badly.”

Redshirt freshman receiver Desmon White said the win gave the Frogs “a lot of confidence … We [now] know what we’re capable of doing.”

Saturday’s lasting memories will be of Aaron Green’s deft game-saving catch and Josh Doctson and Trevone Boykin’s highlight-reel play, but the victory cost receiver Ty Slanina for the year. Patterson also estimated that the Frogs donated 17 points due to personal fouls, including one on him for being on the wrong part of the sideline. “We can’t give gifts,” he said.

In an effort to restore fresh legs after a physical conference battle, the coaching staff let the team jog and watch film on Charlie Strong’s Texas squad in lieu of the usual Sunday practice.

Don’t expect a repeat of the shootout for homecoming, Patterson said. The Longhorns are “very athletic on defense. We’re going to have to get our stops.”

He compared Texas quarterback Jerrod Heard to SMU’s Matt Davis, who passed for 334 yards and ran for 62 against TCU two weeks ago. Heard can make plays with his feet, which will test still-settling linebackers Travin Howard and Montrel Wilson. Strong’s game plan also will call for challenging TCU’s young cornerbacks. One-time TCU commit Daje Johnson leads the 1-3 Horns, who rank a deceptive 95th in offense, with 196 yards receiving.

Doctson, who earned the player of the week distinction from both the Walter Camp Foundation and the Big 12 Conference, leads the nation with 593 yards of gravity-defying receptions. Quarterback Trevone Boykin has been quietly going about his business and is third among the young season’s national passing leaders. With three more touchdowns and 65 yards of total offense, he will overtake two more of Andy Dalton’s career TCU records.

The Frogs have scored at least 55 points for three consecutive games, a first in the program’s history. The air attack must continue to evolve with Slanina out and speedster Kolby Listenbee’s availability uncertain. Young receivers, including true freshmen Jarrison Stewart and Jaelan Austin, need more reps to get comfortable with the speed and style of Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie’s system, Patterson said.

Desmon White complimented the two freshmen and said both block well and catch everything thrown their way in practice. He also agreed with his coach’s prescription for continued improvement. “The more we can practice, the more confidence we’re going to have,” he said. This is good news, Frog fans, as the offense is the country’s second-highest scoring machine.

“As soon as that ball kicks off … it’s going to be an interesting Saturday the rest of the way”
Gary Patterson

On the other side of the ball, Patterson credited the young defenders with improvement but said they have ample room to grow after a slew of penalties and missed tackles against Tech. A nation-leading 13 defensive players made their first career starts this season. That figure includes former safety and now starting linebacker Howard, who Patterson said was exhausted after double duty on defense and special teams in Lubbock. “I asked him to do a lot.”

The youngsters jumped from the heat of two-a-days into the fire of the high-stakes Big 12, but Patterson said he is implementing more facets of TCU’s complex defensive scheme, “We ran more stuff Saturday than what we did three weeks ago.”

The defense might get a hand up the learning curve if linemen Terrell Lathan and Davion Pierson can play at full capability on Saturday, but that verdict won’t be made until later this week. Patterson said he wants Pierson to assume more leadership on and off the field. “Now you’re the senior. Now you’re the guy who’s supposed to grow these guys up.”

Aaron Green said in August that this season would be a roller coaster, and Patterson keeps reiterating his “win by one” mantra.  “I don’t have to be the best football team I need to be right now,” he said. “I just have to be that best team by the last game of the season.”

In the meantime, hold on for a wild ride.