5 Things We Noticed

1. Out of the Gates

The pregame jibber-jabber centered around how Oklahoma State was blowing away opponents, especially in the first quarter. Before Saturday’s game, the Pokes were leading the nation in opening-quarter points, point differential and yards. But TCU came to the race ready to sprint and proceeded to drive like a knife through warm butter from the get-go. In fact, the Frogs scored so early and so often, punter Adam Nunez didn’t make an appearance until the fourth quarter. Consider Oklahoma State’s gate-busting stats, well, busted.

2. Silence the Smackers

OSU was the home team, but that might have been more of a distraction than an advantage for them. With Cowboy players busy hyping up the crowd, they didn’t see the loss setting in. Paddle-whacking fans were inducing headaches across the nation before snaps. And during game play? TCU was busy capturing 39 minutes of possession and 239 yards rushing. The sea of orange drained when Darius Anderson sealed the game with his third touchdown with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter. It’s no wonder Anderson, who rushed 26 times for a career-high 160 yards, was later named the National Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. At the end of the game, TCU players took the time to cheer back at the faithful Frog section.

3. Ready for Anything

Two words: defensive tackles. At the start of the third quarter, the OSU offense spent less than nine minutes on the field. TCU defensive tackles made sure they wouldn’t clock much more. Chris Bradley intercepted a screen pass while being tackled. Late in the fourth quarter, L.J. Collier claimed another interception and the first smile from Coach Gary Patterson. The head coach showed his knowledge of OSU’s playbook and that his team was prepared for whatever they threw at them.

4. Determined Defense

Ben Banogu (left, #15) has demonstrated his athleticism every game this season, including this one vs. Jackson State. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

TCU demonstrated exactly how it gained the reputation of an outstanding defense. Here are a few people to brag about: Ben Banogu gave the team its first sack of the game that would lead to a total of three sacks. Jeff Gladney showed copious coverage of receivers while Travin Howard went after the OSU quarterback. Howard had more than 100 total tackles during his last two seasons and there’s nothing stopping him from hitting that mark a third time. Safety Nick Orr, not to be out-shined by a tackle, picked up his first interception of the season and seventh in his collegiate career.

5. Hold onto your Purple Hats

Hmmmm, four games into the season, and the buzz level in Fort Worth is already starting to become deafening. The Frogs are now players in the national conversation. Where have we seen this before? Oh, in 2003, 2009, 2010 and don’t forget 2014. Coach Patterson has a saying: Act like you’ve been there before. Hey, coach, we have been here before! We no longer have to act. And there is no reason for Horned Frog nation to get carried away by the Top 10 ranking less than a third of the way through the season. Every game is going to be tough, so let’s ignore the coming hype and instead keep our collective eyes up while we keep climbing.

Tweets that Told the Tale

Banogu!!!! Second strip sack of the year!!! Bethley recovers!!!

— Billy Wessels (@BillyWessels) September 23, 2017

TCU DBs outplaying the Oklahoma State WRs today.

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 23, 2017

THE JET! His 3rd touchdown could be the dagger!! Darius scored from 42-yards out on 3rd down. #BeatOSU pic.twitter.com/505LfaCqUM

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 23, 2017

It's not too late to jump on. 🐸⬆️ #EyesUpKeepClimbing pic.twitter.com/hjg4YarsuD

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 24, 2017