By Will Martin
Make no mistake Gary Patterson wanted this win. Badly!
All off season long he stewed with the knowledge his team missed a postseason bid for only the second time in a decade. Four losses by a total of 11 points, a 4-8 mark that could very easily been 8-4.
The knowledge that a majority of his players were returning in 2014 gave him confidence his squad could compete against the Big 12 and others, beginning with Samford.
Trevone Boykin led the offense with two touchdown passes and a third via the rush in a 48-14 defeat of the Bulldogs.
It was a decked out all-Purple gathering at Amon Carter Stadium August 30. It was also deemed ‘Heroes Day’ for this TCU lidlifter.
Boykin would complete 29 of 41 passes for 320 yards in connecting 38 yards to Kolby Listenbee for one score and David Porter for 19 on the other after the TCU defense created a turnover when Paul Dawson caught an air born pigskin.
B.J. Catalon also got into the end zone on a two yard scamper early in the first half of a game thoroughly dominated by the Frogs with 555 total yards of offense compared to only 143 for Samford. B.J. for the game had 38 yards on ten carries.
TCU would score double digits in each quarter with 14 in the 1st and 4th quarters, 10 in the second and third quarters.
Kolby Listenbee would accrue 76 yards on three receptions. After the game coach Patterson talked about how he felt Kolby was the fastest player on the Horned Frog team. A possible dark horse to impress in 2014.
“Our operation needs to keep getting better. The great part about it is we didn’t play our best football tonight. I told y’all about Kolby Listenbee, he’s fast. We have other guys that can catch the football. We just need to keep moving forward. The number one thing I was not happy about was the quarterback scrambling. He had 64 yards rushing. We have a lot of quarterbacks in our league that can run and we need to be able to control people and do a better job of tackling. Our safeties and corners did a better job of tackling than our defensive line and linebackers.”
More importantly Coach Patterson was happy with the win.
“It was a good win. That’s what the goal was for us, period. We had too many penalties. Offensively, we can’t turn the ball over. We have a week to get better and now we get started on Minnesota. We need to keep going faster with the offense. We need to get the ball to the official and get it out quicker. I told them before the game that all I care about is a win. Start the new season; last year is gone. We just need to go about our business and get better.”
There were numerous drives in which a score happened in less than three minutes. Which is exactly what Coach Patterson wants to see and Trevone Boykin was equally open to.
“Coach Cumbie told me told me to go in there and play my game. It was fast and some of the stuff we did related to my game in high school. It is a much bigger and faster game now, you just have to go out there and respect everybody.”
Prior to his 38 yard strike to Kolby Listenbee, Boykin had just missed with long bomb to Listenbee. I asked Trevone if he said anything to Kolby.
“We do this all the time, you got to have a short term memory. I know he’s going make those catches when the ball hits his hands. I really don’t think twice about going back to him. Overall, he had a pretty good game. It’s probably going to be like that every week, he’s one of the fastest guys in the Big 12, so after this week he will get the respect he deserves.”
Kolby Listenbee also discussed his speed after the game with the assembled media.
“It’s technique. Everyday in practice we work on our goal line fades, so I will try to work on my craft to beat people with a slant or go route. I have to make sure that I hold a complete package and open up for a big change. Most of the stuff before was just confidence. Now I have confidence from track, Coach Patterson and repetition. I feel like now it’s just me working on the little things and being more focused on the ball. So now I have the confidence to make anything happen.”
On the defensive side of the ball it was Marcus Mallet helping to keep Samford in check with ten tackles (four unassisted) in the 48-14 win. Mallet responded to the notion of so many returning regulars.
“That all comes down to practice, knowing what habits and tendencies your guys on your first team and second team know what they’re going to do. Maybe we have a call and we just know that one of the D-line is going to play that call a certain way and that makes our offense better. We do things off the field that makes our bond on the field even better.”
While Gary Patterson kept close to the vest about naming a starter all week long he did allow for Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel to play a good part of the 4th quarter. Joeckel went 8 for 15 with a touchdown and 1 pick six which led to a 55-yard touchdown for the Samford Bulldogs.
Samford also without the services of one time TCU coach Pat Sullivan as he recovers from neck surgery.
Congratulations also in order to kicker Jaden Oberkrom as he set the new record for consecutive point after attempts made (85). A model of consistency.
The Horned Frogs now get a week off to prepare for the Minnesota Gophers. They come to Ft. Worth on September 13 for an afternoon game before TCU gets another two week break then go to SMU for the yearly battle for the Iron Skillet at Ford Field.
TCU starts 2014 in grand fashion. Now its back to work and prepare for game two in two weeks. This was everything Gary Patterson wanted to have happen!
