Scouting Report – TCU vs Baylor
Baylor QB Bryce Petty threw for 510 yards and 6 TD’s in their comeback win over TCU.
By Dwayne Wilton
The crazy topsy-turvy 2014 college football season continued in week 7 with the TCU Horned Frogs traveling to Waco, Texas to face the Baylor Bears. TCU shocked the college football world with an upset of the Oklahoma Sooners in week 6 while Baylor was coming off a win over the Texas Longhorns. This game was in the spotlight because people wanted to see if TCU was for real and for three quarters it looked like they were, but then Baylor put together an incredible comeback to snatch the win away from the Horned Frogs.
Just like against Oklahoma, TCU got off to a fast start and jumped out to a 14-0 lead. However, the Baylor offense is built to score, and score a lot. Before the 1st quarter was complete, the Bears had cut the lead to 14-10. In the 2nd quarter, Baylor QB Bryce Petty began to attack with deep passes and at the half, the Bears had a 31-27 lead. The Horned Frogs offense continued to click in the 2nd half and the defense made enough stops to take a 51-37 lead early in the 4th quarter. With 11:38 left, TCU linebacker Marcus Mallett stepped in front of a Petty pass and returned it 49 yards for a score to take a 58-37 lead. At that point it looked like TCU might have the game in hand, but the Bears had other plans. The Bears took advantage of a pooch kick to drive 55 yards in only 4 plays to score on a 7 yard run by sophomore running back Devin Chaffin. The Bears defense stopped TCU on their next drive and Petty drove his team 92 yards in only five plays. The touchdown came on a 28 yard pass from Petty to senior receiver Antwan Goodley. The score cut the lead to 58-51 with 6:39 still left to play. After another defensive stop, Baylor got the ball at their 9 yard line and 5 plays later the game was tied. Petty completed a 25 yard TD pass to sophomore receiver Corey Coleman for the score with still 4:42 left. That completed a 21 point run in just 5:50. On TCU’s next possession they moved the ball to the Baylor 45, but the drive stalled. On 4th and 3, TCU coach Gary Patterson made a decision that cost his team the game. They decided to go for it, but did not have a good play designed and Baylor held. The turnover on downs gave the Bears the ball at their own 45 yard line with 1:11 left. Petty masterfully moved his team into field goal position and on the last play of the game, Chris Callahan connected on a 28 yard field goal to give the Bears an incredible come from behind win. The two teams combined for 119 points and 1,267 yards of offense.
The Baylor win moved them to the #4 spot in the country and in good position to get a playoff spot if they can continue to win. They still have a road game in Norman, Oklahoma and home games against Oklahoma State and Kansas State. TCU fell to #12 in the country with their first loss and will host Oklahoma State this week. They would need to win out and hope Baylor loses twice to have a shot at the Big 12 title.
Here are my notes on the draft eligible players that played in the game. I will start with the winning team.
Baylor:
Bryce Petty, QB, Sr: Second full year in the system. Is poised and patient running the attack. Competitive leader of the offense. Gets rid of the ball quickly. Good arm strength. Likes to attack deep. Does a good job reading the defense and getting the ball to the right guy. Allows his receivers to make plays on the ball. Tough to defend if he gets his feet set. Nifty runner that extends plays with his feet. Good ball handler that confuses the defense with his fakes. Recovered from a subpar game against Texas by completing 28 of 55 for 510 yards, 6 TD and 2 INT. He also had 23 rushing yards.
Antwan Goodley, WR, Sr – Receiver in a running back’s body (5-11, 220). Fastest receiver on the team. Tough red zone matchup because of his strength and physical nature. Slips tackles after contact. Fights for the ball in the air. Also played some running back due to injuries. Led the team with 8 receptions for 158 yards and 2 TD, including a 66 yarder. Also ran the ball 2 times for 6 yards.
Jay Lee, WR, Jr: Good combination of size and speed. Has the speed to run right by a defender. Had 2 catches for 68 yards and a 47 yard touchdown.
Troy Baker, RT, Sr: Good movement skills for a man his size. Able to pull and trap block.
Shawn Oakman, DE, Jr: Physical freak (6-9, 280) that moves very well. Disruptive player that creates havoc behind the line of scrimmage. Gives great effort and pursues all over the field. Plays special teams. Had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hurry and recovered a fumbled punt.
Beau Blackshear, DT, Jr: Blue collar captain of the defense. Has a good motor. Moves very well for a defensive tackle and chases plays all the way to the sideline. Had 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
Bryce Hager, MLB, Sr: Son of former Longhorn linebacker Britt Hager. Old school throwback. Good open field tackler. Uses good tackling form. Makes plays all over the field. Big hitter. Led the team with 13 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.
Collin Brence, CB, Sr: Willing to help in run support. Plays the option well. Blitzes well from the slot. Had 2 tackles and 3 QB hurries.
TCU:
Trevone Boykin, QB, Jr. Former running back and wide receiver. At one time he was an athlete playing QB, but seems to have turned the corner to become a real quarterback. Leads his team in passing and rushing and is the key to their offense. Puts air under his deep ball, allowing his receiver to make plays. Has nice touch on deep balls and good zip on shorter passes. Great at running the option. Very elusive in space. Threw a nice block on Oakman on a reverse. Completed 21 of 47 for 287 yards and 1 TD. Had 45 yards rushing on 18 carries.
B.J. Catalon, RB, Jr: Versatile player that can do a lot of things to beat you. Quick, darting runner. Good burst through the hole. Has good wiggle in the hole. Can start inside and bounce outside. Dangerous in space. Good at pass protection. A good receiver that can line up outside and run pass patterns downfield. Able to return kicks. Had a very good game. Had 13 carries for 48 yards and 2 TD. Had 2 catches for 71 yards, including a 59 yarder. Had a 94 yard kick return touchdown.
Aaron Green, RB, Jr: Very good speed. Great burst through the hole. Led the team with 67 rushing yards on only 3 carries and had 1 touchdown. Had a fumble on a 41 yard run.
Kolby Listenbee, WR, Jr: Great speed that can take the top off of the defense. Runs great routes. Makes tough catches in traffic. Led the team with 4 receptions for 146 yards and had a 51 yard touchdown.
Deante’ Gray, WR, Jr: Good speed. Makes people miss after the catch. Willing to go over the middle. Had 3 catches for 12 yards.
Josh Doctson, WR, Sr: Big target. Runs good routes. Hustles downfield on running plays. Good heads up player that recovered Aaron Green’s fumble in the red zone to set up a score. Had 5 catches for 60 yards. Had a 26 yard reception on 4th and 4. Was called for a pass interference penalty.
Tayo Fabuluje, LT, Sr: Tough for pass rushers to get around because of his size. Good heads up player that recovered a Boykin fumble after a sack.
Jamelle Naff, LG, Jr: Dominating run blocker. Has a nice short set in pass protection. Good punch to keep pass rushers from getting their hands on him. Double teams well.
Halapoulivaati Vatai, RT, Jr: Versatile player that played both left and right tackle in this game because of injuries. Good pass protection technique.
Davion Pierson, DT, Jr: Good movement skills for a man his size. One of the keys to the run defense. Had 2 tackles.
Chucky Hunter, DT, Sr: Run stuffer that is hard to move out of the hole. Stout at the point of attack. Can take on double teams and still make plays. Had a silly personal foul that set up the tying touchdown. Had 5 tackles and 2 QB hurries.
Marcus Mallett, ILB, Sr: Good open field tackler. Blitzes well off the edge. Able to drop into pass coverage. Knows how to read the quarterback and get into passing lanes. Playmaker. Had 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 3 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble and a 49 yard pick six.
Paul Dawson, OLB, Sr: Very active and athletic. Wraps up well. Tackles well in space. Does a good job playing downhill and filling holes. Has strong hands. Does a good job ripping the ball out from ball carriers. Three down linebacker. Led the team with 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a strip/recovery.
Kevin White, CB, Sr: Aggressive. Good instincts. Good in run support and wraps up well. Had 5 tackles and 1 interception. Called for a pass interference penalty and was beaten on a 67 yard TD.
Sam Carter, SS, Sr: Does it all for the Horned Frog defense. Takes good angles. Good in deep coverage. Plays with good leverage. Had 8 tackles and 1 pass breakup.
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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