Editor’s note: Fall camp is over, and it’s time for TCU players to hit somebody else. The Horned Frogs open the season Sept. 2 against Colorado, which comes to Amon G. Carter Stadium with new coach Deion Sanders and essentially a completely new roster from the one TCU beat 38-13 to open last season. Oh, and a lot of hype. 

 Andrew Coker, in his diary debut, breaks down the game and what he might be feeling as he takes the field. 

We knew this was going to be a big game as soon as we started to have success last year, and it became an even bigger game whenever Deion got hired as the head coach. And it became even a bigger game whenever Colorado decided they were coming to the Big 12. So, at different instances it just became bigger and bigger and a more anticipated game.

Colorado is just completely different from last season. Wholesale changes. They have more than 50 players they’ve added after spring. That’s just unheard of. They’ve probably got a lot to figure out who they are as a team, but it’s hard to game plan.

It’s a lot easier as the season goes on. You can turn on the tape, you can watch personnel and watch the scheme. Now, it’s a little bit harder. You have to dig to find different things, to find personnel and then the tactics. Alabama is who we’ve really been watching. It’s where their defensive coordinator came from. It’s a little bit more difficult, but it’s just a task. It’s something we have to do.

We need to execute at a high level. That’s what we really need to do from an offensive perspective. We’re going to have to push the tempo. We have to go fast. That’s something we pride ourselves on. That’s one of the things we’re going to have to do from the get-go. 

So, playing fast and executing are the two most important things, and eliminating the little mistakes that we can eliminate. The stuff that we do to ourselves, try to eliminate that or keep it to a minimum because it’s probably going to happen. It’s football, it’s inevitable, we’re humans, but keep it to a minimum.

I might be a little bit nostalgic for my fifth season opener. But that’s something I’ve got to get over real quick, right? Maybe my last game here I can live in the moment a little bit longer. But for that first game, I’ll be like, ‘Wow, this might be my last here. OK, time to play.’ It’s going be really quick and back to the point.

Whenever people ask me about my college experience, this is the place where I found out who Andrew Coker was. I’ve loved every single second of it. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d do the same thing. There’s nothing that I regret here. Just meeting people and growing as people and being around, even two different coaching staffs. The relationships are most important, my teammates especially. I met my hope-to-be-wife here, and my best friends are here. It’s just been an awesome experience.

I’ve learned since I’ve been here that Andrew Coker is a very hard-working individual that will do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’s determined. He’s a guy that whenever things get tough, he’s going to persevere, and he’s a guy who loves people and loves relationships. There’s nothing more important to me in life, really, than relationships and memories, and I figured it out while being here.

I’m so blessed to be able to play for this team for five years, and I’m so honored. I love the black and purple with all my heart. I’ve seen a lot of guys come in and out, I’ve seen a lot of players grow. I’ve seen a lot of players develop it. It’s awesome to see boys turn into men.

You see a lot of young kids come in and they’re not sure really what the world is or what football really is. They come here, and by the third or fourth year you can see how far they’ve come, and that process is just amazing. It’s great to see. It’s going to keep going even whenever I leave here.