5 Things We Noticed

1. Brutality

Ross Blacklock (#90) and Ben Banogu celebrate a play during the TCU-West Virginia game. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

Saturday’s game was preceded by a Wizard of Oz clip, complete with tornado footage and a warning to the visitors from Kansas: You have been Horned. By the end of the first quarter, the Jayhawks got the message. The Horned Frog D swarmed and bit at every attempt Kansas made to move the ball. The four B’s of the purple apocalypse — Banogu, Blacklock, Boesen and Bradley — will be haunting the dreams of Kansas’ offensive players for years to come. The Jayhawks were literally moving backwards, mired in negative total yardage, until the end of the game. Kansas finished with a full 21 yards on the night, a NCAA-record low since at least 2000, according to ESPN. With the surging play of the TCU defense, especially in the middle of the line, when will an opponent be able to muster much of anything?

2. Invulnerability

The Horned Frog football players have been showing they have their eyes up from the start of every game. After three seasons of close games against the molting Jayhawks (two of those seasons found Kansas in the bottom slot of Big 12 standings), this W for the Horned Frogs left no doubt about who was the superior team. Looking at the time of possession alone, it would seem Kansas could have whittled out a few points, but as Horned Frog fans remember from the season opener against Jackson State, that clock doesn’t mean much with TCU defense on the field.

3. Reliability

The epic TCU football teams of the 2000s have all featured a standout wideout. Think Josh Doctson, Josh Boyce and Jeremy Kerley, for starters. Those guys could be trusted to catch balls tossed in their vicinity and fuel the big plays when necessary. Since Doctson’s highlight-reel senior season, no TCU receiver has played the part of Mr. Reliable. Until now, when John Diarse has stepped into those shoes. Number nine finished Saturday’s blowout with four sure-handed catches for 131 yards. He’s leading the team with 342 yards and, probably, becoming Kenny Hill’s new best friend.

Coach Gary Patterson creates a pyramid of goals every season. Players sign the poster as a contract of sorts. Photo by Trisha Spence

4. Intangibility

There’s a reason Amon G. Carter Stadium gets really quiet when KaVontae Turpin is preparing to catch a punt or a kickoff. One never knows what’s about to happen when Young Turp touches the ball. His magic was on the back burner in 2017 … until his effort and skill boiled over en route to a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown against Kansas. Championship teams often have that spark-type player, the one who has indescribable skills and can and does change the course of games on routine plays. Turpin has been that dude since he stepped on TCU’s campus. As the 2017 Frogs earn a larger share of the national spotlight, let’s hope outside audiences can share in the pure awe and joy in watching him play.

5. Impenetrability

TCU is two for two in the “Draw the Line” segment of Coach Gary Patterson’s annual pyramid. That line has thickened and deepened into a ravine where other teams only climb out with an L. Kansas players, with shiny helmets that could only make a Pokémon card jealous, fell victim to TCU’s impenetrable defense and reliable offense. While some coaches may have grid calendars, Patterson shows his team the season is an upward climb. Other “Must Win at Home” games are right around the corner, and it seems like the No. 4 team in the nation is prepared.

5 Tweets that Told the Tale

Concentration at its finest. #BeatKU pic.twitter.com/qbuClQ3eNO

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 22, 2017

https://twitter.com/RiffRamTCU/status/921901385578352640

https://twitter.com/adamkkelley/status/921921606238330880

@TCUFootball over @KUAthletics 43-0, WR KaVontae Turpin scores 90yd TD run in 3rd qtr @startelegram @TCUstudentsect #TCUvsKU #tcu #Big12 pic.twitter.com/eiPU23SAoW

— Paul Moseley (@PMoseleyPhoto) October 22, 2017

💪 defense allows Big 12 record 21 yards of total offense…also fewest allowed in FBS this season #BeatKU pic.twitter.com/4QWqsT3M09

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 22, 2017