ECM
Active Member
Hello Frog fans! We have quite the game in store on Saturday morning. Believe it or not, there are four year old children walking this Earth who have never seen TCU beat SMU. But, that could change in 40 hours or so.
Sonny Dykes' treacherous departure has ignited quite some passion (relatively speaking) amongst the Pony Nation. Imagine if you will Gary Patterson leaving TCU for Baylor in 2007 or so and then coming back to Fort Worth for the first time the following season....that's how we feel right now. I see both fan bases acting extremely petty and childish on Twitter and the message boards, as they should be...who says this isn't a rivalry?
Alright, enough chit-chat. Here's the scoop on the Ponies: we made short work of a very bad University of North Texas team in week 1, winning 48-10 in Denton, and followed that up with a convincing albeit uninspiring win over Lamar in week 2. Last week, Maryland did everything they could to hand us the game on a silver platter committing 15 penalties for something like a thousand yards and we still somehow found a way to lose, committing two red zone turnovers in the process. Frustrating, but life goes on. I think Maryland is probably a middle of the road Big Ten team and we should have beaten them but also caught a lot of breaks...all that's to say I don't really know how good we are (or if we're good at all). I also have no idea how good this TCU team is, as Colorado and Tarleton don't tell us much. Actually, Colorado and Tarleton might be a good game if they played this season.
ECM's Keys to the Game (sponsored by your Dallas area Porsche dealers):
On offense TCU must... have success downfield. TCU would've won last year (perhaps convincingly) had Duggan been able to complete any of his deep throws. It doesn't take Knute Rockne to figure out that SMU will play the run (as our run defense has been suspect at best) and see if Duggan can beat us over the top. Last week we had to respect Tagovailoa and the Maryland receivers and in turn they ran all over us. If TCU can spread out SMU defensively early on, yours truly may be in for a long Saturday.
On offense, SMU must.... take care of the ball and spread it around. Mordecai threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the red zone at Maryland. Do that again, and TCU wins easily on Saturday. Our #2 receiver, Jordan Kerley, was hurt against Maryland and likely won't go on Saturday and I don't know if we can count on another out of this world game from Tarrant County's own Rashee Rice. I think this SMU team is less talented at the skill positions than in years past (especially if Kerley is out) and that will present a challenge for us.
On defense, TCU must... get pressure on Mordecai and force the turnovers mentioned above. If you're going to bring pressure against SMU, I recommend doing it from the right side as our right tackle is a turnstile.
On defense, SMU must... stop the run. Period. If Garrett Riley is as predictable as he was the last two years then I know exactly what's coming. Keep the TCU run game in check and SMU will be in good shape.
Prediction Time: I think this game started out as a pick 'em in Vegas, so I guess they don't have a clue either. SMU has the better player at the most important position on the field so I'll take the Ponies 38-34. If I'm wrong, I'll come back here and eat crow.
I wish you all safe travels and a sad trip home. Pony Up!
Sonny Dykes' treacherous departure has ignited quite some passion (relatively speaking) amongst the Pony Nation. Imagine if you will Gary Patterson leaving TCU for Baylor in 2007 or so and then coming back to Fort Worth for the first time the following season....that's how we feel right now. I see both fan bases acting extremely petty and childish on Twitter and the message boards, as they should be...who says this isn't a rivalry?
Alright, enough chit-chat. Here's the scoop on the Ponies: we made short work of a very bad University of North Texas team in week 1, winning 48-10 in Denton, and followed that up with a convincing albeit uninspiring win over Lamar in week 2. Last week, Maryland did everything they could to hand us the game on a silver platter committing 15 penalties for something like a thousand yards and we still somehow found a way to lose, committing two red zone turnovers in the process. Frustrating, but life goes on. I think Maryland is probably a middle of the road Big Ten team and we should have beaten them but also caught a lot of breaks...all that's to say I don't really know how good we are (or if we're good at all). I also have no idea how good this TCU team is, as Colorado and Tarleton don't tell us much. Actually, Colorado and Tarleton might be a good game if they played this season.
ECM's Keys to the Game (sponsored by your Dallas area Porsche dealers):
On offense TCU must... have success downfield. TCU would've won last year (perhaps convincingly) had Duggan been able to complete any of his deep throws. It doesn't take Knute Rockne to figure out that SMU will play the run (as our run defense has been suspect at best) and see if Duggan can beat us over the top. Last week we had to respect Tagovailoa and the Maryland receivers and in turn they ran all over us. If TCU can spread out SMU defensively early on, yours truly may be in for a long Saturday.
On offense, SMU must.... take care of the ball and spread it around. Mordecai threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the red zone at Maryland. Do that again, and TCU wins easily on Saturday. Our #2 receiver, Jordan Kerley, was hurt against Maryland and likely won't go on Saturday and I don't know if we can count on another out of this world game from Tarrant County's own Rashee Rice. I think this SMU team is less talented at the skill positions than in years past (especially if Kerley is out) and that will present a challenge for us.
On defense, TCU must... get pressure on Mordecai and force the turnovers mentioned above. If you're going to bring pressure against SMU, I recommend doing it from the right side as our right tackle is a turnstile.
On defense, SMU must... stop the run. Period. If Garrett Riley is as predictable as he was the last two years then I know exactly what's coming. Keep the TCU run game in check and SMU will be in good shape.
Prediction Time: I think this game started out as a pick 'em in Vegas, so I guess they don't have a clue either. SMU has the better player at the most important position on the field so I'll take the Ponies 38-34. If I'm wrong, I'll come back here and eat crow.
I wish you all safe travels and a sad trip home. Pony Up!
