5 Things That Stood Out

1. Bend, Don’t Break

Oklahoma State seemed to move the ball at will from the get-go. The Horned Frog defense was able to contain the damage in the first half, when the squad held the Cowboys to 10 points. But the wheels came off in the second half when OSU stormed to 21 unanswered points. Cowboy quarterback Mason Rudolph, who is fifth in the nation in passing yards, had another spectacular game, this time at the expense of the vaunted Frog D. By the final whistle, TCU seemed both bent and broken. Let’s hope they manage to put the pieces back together by Friday’s game in Austin.

2. On Hill’s Legs

Way back in August, Kenny Hill won the starting quarterback job because of his ability to scramble and get himself out of tough situations. That skill was on full display on Saturday, when Hill made the most of limited pocket time by scrambling for 79 yards – a team high. We’re not sure how many of those runs were called that way, versus how many were mad scrambles, but the effort of the deceptively speedy Hill was impressive nonetheless.

3. Don’t Pass the Blame

We sure wish Coach Patterson’s 200th game at the helm of the Frog program could have been more memorable than a 31-6 loss to Oklahoma State, but the cards dealt a chilly morning and the worst home loss in his tenure. Were the plethora of arm tackles or consecutive goal-line wildcat plays to blame? A young team? Lack of leadership? Hard to say from a fan’s perspective, but at this point, it is safe to say the 2016 season has been a bit of a disappointment, though we’re still hoping for three strong wins to finish. And in the off-season, the older and wiser Coach Patterson surely will have figured out what went wrong and how to fix it.

4. Denzel-a-Thon

The defensive backfield has seen better days, but several guys continue to improve with each game. Denzel Johnson has stepped into the strong shoes of Sam Carter and Derrick Kindred by assuming leadership on defense. Johnson’s numbers are reflecting his skill. Against Oklahoma State he was responsible for a team-high 15 stops and two tackles for loss. Shane Buechele, the freshman quarterback at Texas, and the Longhorns’ star running back D’Onta Foreman will both be charging in Johnson’s direction on Friday, and judging by Saturday’s performance, he’ll be ready.

5. A Rhodes Scholar!?!

Safety Caylin Moore missed Saturday’s debacle, but for an excellent reason. The young man from Carson, Calif., was selected that night to be among the 32 geniuses in the country to be a Rhodes Scholar. Moore is only the second TCU student in university history to earn the honor, and definitely the first football player. Moore has overcome unthinkable obstacles to climb so high on the mountain of achievement, and watching him shine makes all the football losses in the universe seem like tiny details. Congrats, Caylin! Horned Frog Nation couldn’t be prouder of you.

Thousands touched. Millions more on deck. Congratulations to our Rhodes Scholar, Caylin Moore! pic.twitter.com/ik2021FKXu

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 20, 2016

5 Tweets That Told the Tale

Rise & shine, #FrogFam! Beautiful day of 🏈 ahead of us! #BeatOSU pic.twitter.com/g1aLEMX9NC

— TCU Athletics (@TCU_Athletics) November 19, 2016

TD @TCU! #gofrogs #TCUvsOSU pic.twitter.com/vF3OE4tj3K

— Emily Allen (@emehlee) November 19, 2016

TCU has 155 yards of offense. Hill has 71 rushing yards to lead all rushers. OSU only has 212 yards.

— Billy Wessels (@BillyWessels) November 19, 2016

TCU went from driving to make a 3 or 4 point game to being down 18 in the span of under a minute.

— Grant McGalliard (@grantmcgalliard) November 19, 2016

Today's 31-6 OSU win over TCU was the most lopsided loss for TCU at home since 1997, worst loss at home in the Patterson era. #okstate

— Dave Hunziker (@Gopokesvoice) November 19, 2016