Scouting Report – Oklahoma vs TCU
TCU QB Trevone Boykin had a career day as he led his Horned Frogs past the Oklahoma Sooners.
By Dwayne Wilton
What a great weekend of college football! Starting on Thursday night, Oregon (#2 in the country), Alabama (#3 in the country), Oklahoma (#4 in the country), Texas A&M (#6 in the country) and UCLA (#8 in the country) all lost. It was definitely upset Saturday in college football! Maybe the biggest upset was when the Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Ft. Worth, Texas to play the 25th ranked TCU Horned Frogs. Since beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, the Sooners and quarterback Trevor Knight have been media darlings and some people even had them as their #1 ranked team in the country, but the Horned Frogs had other ideas and gave the Sooners a dose or reality.
TCU took a quick 14-0 lead by scoring on their first two possessions, but then Oklahoma came to life to score on their next two possessions to tie the game at 14 all at the end of the 1st quarter. The lead continued to see-saw back and forth in the 2nd quarter and the Sooners connected on a 32 yard field goal just before the half to tie the game at 24 apiece. Oklahoma regained the lead 31-24 to start the 3rd quarter on a 7 yard run by freshman running back Samaje Perine. However, at this point TCU took the game over. On their first possession of the 3rd quarter, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin hit receiver Deante’ Gray for a 29 yard touchdown to tie the game again at 31-31. From that point on, the Horned Frogs swarming defense shut down the Sooners offensive attack. Early in the 4th quarter, TCU linebacker Paul Dawson made a spectacular interception and returned it 46 yards to take a 37-31 lead, but Sooners defensive tackle Jordan Phillips blocked the extra point and Zack Sanchez scooped up the loose ball and returned it all the way for 2 points to cut the lead to 37-33. The Sooners had the ball twice in the red zone in the 4th quarter, but they turned the ball over twice on an interception by TCU safety Chris Hackett and then turned the ball over on downs when Perine was stopped on a 4th and 1.
The win boosted TCU all the way to the #9 ranking in the country and tied for the top team in the Big 12. We will know a lot more about them this week when they travel to Waco to meet the #5 ranked Baylor Bears. The Sooners will now go to the Cotton Bowl to play their rival the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry.
Here are my notes on the draft eligible players that played in the game. I will start with the winning team.
TCU:
Trevone Boykin, QB, Jr. Former running back and wide receiver. Has been the starter for the better part of three years. Was always a good athlete, but he is improving greatly as a passer. True dual threat with good speed. Quick release and strong arm. Runs the option very well. Looks poised and comfortable in this offense. Very elusive and extends plays with his legs. Competed 20 of 38 for 318 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. Ran 22 times for 77 yards, but fumbled once. The 318 passing yards and 395 total yards are both career highs.
B.J. Catalon, RB, Jr: Quick, darting runner. Has good burst through the hole. Knifes through traffic. Good hands and has the ability to split out as a receiver. Carried 11 times for 48 yards, 1 TD and 1 fumble. Had a 39 yard TD reception.
Kolby Listenbee, WR, Jr: At times has lapses in concentration. Willing to give up his body and layout to make the catch. Led the team with 103 receiving yards on 5 catches.
Deante’ Gray, WR, Jr: Good speed. Makes people miss after the catch. Had 3 catches for 52 yards and a 29 yard TD.
Josh Doctson, WR, Sr: Good size (6’4” 190 lbs). Gets good yardage after the catch. Led the team with 6 catches for 76 yards.
Cliff Murphy, FB/TE, RS Sr: Used as a blocker and so far has no receptions for the year. Lines up as both a tight end and fullback. Recovered Boykin’s fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
Tayo Fabuluje, LT, Sr: Has the size you like in a left tackle (6’7” and 360 lbs). Moves pretty well for a man his size. Can get to the second level and block linebackers.
Davion Pierson, DT, Jr: Plays the run and the pass well. Active player that makes plays. Gets good inside push on the pocket. Was injured late, but has been practicing this week and should play against Baylor. Had 4 tackles, 2 ½ tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hurries.
Chucky Hunter, DT, Sr: Run stuffer. Tough to run against up the middle. Had 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Marcus Mallett, ILB, Sr: Versatile linebacker that has played both outside and inside. Always around the ball. Great A gap blitzer. Does a good job dropping into coverage. Had 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hurry and dropped an interception. Made a huge 4th down stop late in the 4th quarter.
Paul Dawson, OLB, Sr: Very athletic. Former high school wide receiver. Good A gap blitzer. Knows how to get into passing lanes. Had 11 tackles. Made the play of the game with a leaping 48 yard pick six to put TCU up for good.
Kevin White, CB, Sr: Plays tight man coverage. Physical. Battles larger receivers. Knows how to use the sideline as an extra defender. Had 6 tackles and 3 pass breakups, one of them in the end zone.
Derrick Kindred, FS, Jr: Comes up quickly in run support. Tackles well in space. Had 5 tackles.
Chris Hackett, S, Jr: Versatile safety that is good in stopping the run or the pass. Does a great job in the box. Very good ball skills. Led the team with 13 tackles, 1 pass breakup and had an interception that stopped a Sooner drive in the red zone.
Sam Carter, SS, Sr: Likely a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick in the 2015 draft. Former quarterback. Has good size. Has the ability to force runs inside. Had 3 tackles and ½ tackle for loss.
Oklahoma:
Trevor Knight, QB, RS Soph: Split time with Blake Bell as the starter in 2013, but grabbed the starting job with a very good game in the Sugar Bowl. Better runner than passer. Able to move the chains with his feet. Does a good job eluding the rush and extending plays. Does a better job on deep balls than on shorter throws. Puts a lot of air on his deep balls, allowing the receiver to run under them. Nice touch. Spreads the ball around. Needs work on his accuracy (40% completion pct. against TCU and only 54% for the year). Shorter passes sailed on him on several throws. Only completed 14 of 35 passes, but had 309 yards passing with 1 TD and 2 INT. Ran the ball 13 times for 61 yards.
Alex Ross, RB, RS Soph: Good size and speed (220 lbs). Runs with good pad level. Has the ability to return kicks. Only had 4 carries for 4 yards.
Duron Neal, WR, Jr: Has very good body control. Has the speed to get deep. Had 4 catches for 71 yards and had a 41 yard catch.
Sterling Shepard, WR, Jr: Able to move around and play split out or in the slot. Playmaker. Shows good footwork along the sideline. Doesn’t have great size, but he knows how to screen off defenders. Has the ability to return punts. Led the team with 7 catches for 215 yards and had a 75 yard TD.
Jordan Phillips, DT, RS Soph: Massive size (6’6” 334 lbs). Ties up blockers in the middle of the defense. Had 4 tackles and blocked an extra point that was returned for a 2 point conversion.
Charles Tapper, DE, Jr: Has the body type of an NFL 3-4 defensive end (6’4” 281 lbs.). Knows how to get his hands up on the pass rush. Had 4 tackles, ½ tackle for loss and a batted pass.
Eric Striker, OLB, Jr: Natural pass rusher and playmaker. Creates havoc. Doesn’t have great size, but has good speed. Had 2 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Zack Sanchez, CB, RS Soph: Aggressive player that breaks hard on the ball. Had 5 tackles and returned a blocked extra point for a 2 point conversion. Called for face mask and personal foul penalties.
Julian Wilson, CB, Sr: Very good size (6’2” 201 lbs). A tough player that doesn’t give up on plays. Had 4 tackles and 2 pass breakups, one of them in the end zone.
Quentin Hayes, SS, Sr: Big hitter. Enforcer of the secondary. Had 7 tackles, 1 pass breakup and 1 forced fumble.
Come back next Wednesday as I discuss another of the big games from this weekend. If you like what you read, like us on Facebook and tell your friends. See you next Wednesday!
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