Patterson Not Happy with TCU’s Defense After Scrimmage

Published: 12^th Mar 12 2:50 pm

by Jay Beck
Jay Beck

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Patterson Not Happy with TCU’s Defense After Scrimmage

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

It’s goes without saying, TCU will take a big step up in competition when they join the Big 12 this fall after playing most recently as a member for the Mountain West Conference. They’ll enter the Big 12 after three straight Mountain West titles. They’ve played in a BCS bowl game two of the past three seasons. They haven’t lost a conference game since they fell to Utah on November 6th, 2008.

One of the biggest changes facing the Horned Frogs will be defending the pass-happy offenses in the Big 12 who have, well, been known to put a few points on the board from time to time. The good news for TCU is that they’ve become accustomed to having one of the best defenses in the country under Gary Patterson (former defensive coordinator himself) and defensive coordinator, Dick Bumpas. TCU has given up 21.5, 12, and 12.5 points per game over the past three seasons – impressive numbers to say the least.

The challenge facing TCU on defense got even tougher prior to the season when linebacker Tanner Brock, D-lineman D.J. Yendrey, and safety Devin Johnson were arrested for allegedly selling drugs and dismissed from the team as a result. All three had made significant contributions to the team in the past and were expected to do so once again this fall.

If the early reports coming out of Fort Worth during TCU’s spring practice are any indication, it appears TCU still has some work to do on defense, and a lot of it at that. TCU held a closed scrimmage on Saturday and it didn’t sound like Patterson was all that happy with the results of his defensive unit. “They ran around us, they ran through us, they threw it over our head,” Patterson said. “We’ll give up about 50 points a game in the Big 12 if we play like I just saw us play today.”

There’s probably nothing to be alarmed about just yet. After all, there isn’t a team in the country that is or is expected to be the finished product after 15 spring practices. Patterson is probably just trying to get his team’s attention more than anything, and here’s guessing he did just that. “Some of these guys came here because we were really good on defense. Well, they better start living up to it because right now we’re not very good,” Patterson said. “When you go into a [scrimmage], that’s where you’re supposed to be special and we weren’t. We were bad.”

Saturday’s scrimmage was the eight practice of the spring session meaning they still have seven left to iron out some of the kinks. Then they’ll have fall camp to get everybody on the same page and will be helped by a scheduled that is heavily loaded on the back end. The Horned Frogs won’t play the best offenses in the Big 12 (let’s say Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and OU) until the second half of the season. By that time, the new starters on defense should have plenty of game experience under their belt to help weather the storm.

Until then, it wouldn’t be shocking to hear about a few more tongue-lashings from their head coach who expects a lot out of his defense. He’s also well aware of the challenges his team will face during year one in the Big 12.