Carson Wersal and JD Andress, both KillerFrogs writers, discuss the fallout of the loss to Kansas State and what it could mean for the rest of the TCU season.
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00:00 Hey, welcome to the Killer Frogs postgame show.
00:06 My name is Carson Wursel.
00:07 This is JD Andres.
00:10 We're here to kind of break down the obviously the TCU 41 to 3 loss at Kansas State, but
00:18 to also kind of break down some other stuff going on in the TCU football world.
00:24 Maybe kind of the remaining schedule and just some questions that me and JD wanted to address.
00:31 So JD, what was kind of your first takeaway after the thrashing that that was?
00:40 I think thrashing is not even the right word for what happened during this game.
00:45 I mean, just all around, I can't even say sloppy, because it wasn't sloppy.
00:50 It was just like they it was literally like a freshman team playing a varsity team at
00:54 times, like Kansas State was moving the ball at will.
00:57 Their defensive line was going through unscathed.
00:59 TCU had 19 missed tackles on the game, tying their season high against Colorado.
01:06 I mean, Imani Bailey, 100 yards rushing, only bright spot has been in every game, regardless
01:12 of win or loss.
01:14 But we do.
01:15 That was really the only takeaway that I truly had this game besides, hey, you know what,
01:21 whatever we're doing not working, let's start from scratch.
01:24 I mean, I'm talking we got to rethink offensive line personnel, we got to think plays, we
01:29 got a defensive scheme, I want to, well, I'm sure we'll touch on that in a bit.
01:34 I think a lot of it was just, hey, you know what it happened.
01:38 TCU is on a bye week this week, which means they can't lose.
01:41 So that's the only thing I'm looking forward to right now.
01:44 I saw a Twitter post and it was just a guy that was praising not having to watch the
01:51 3-3-5 defense this week.
01:53 Yeah, hey, there's baseball at Lupton, the stadium and no football.
01:57 That's a win in my book.
01:59 We won the bye week.
02:00 I'll be at the baseball game.
02:02 Yeah, I will be there after the rifle event.
02:05 You want to dive straight into questions?
02:08 Did you have anything you want to go, you want to talk about on the game before we go
02:12 into the questions?
02:14 On the game itself, one thing that I looked at was red zone trips.
02:20 TCU had six red zone trips and could not get points out of five of them.
02:28 But that's kind of been the identity of the TCU offense all year.
02:33 Like even going back to the Colorado game where TCU put up 42, I think TCU only scored
02:41 in the red zone in that game twice.
02:43 I think the rest of it was like big plays, like 25 yard, 30 yard chunk plays.
02:48 Yeah, John Lamore said two interceptions at the red zone that game.
02:51 So I mean, yeah.
02:55 So I guess my I guess my question kind of leading into the Kendall Bryles conversation
03:01 is why doesn't this offense have an identity?
03:05 Right?
03:07 Last year, we had the identity.
03:09 It was we're going to air it out on you and have Quinn Johnston go up and get it.
03:15 And then we're just going to ground and pound once we get a lead until you can't do anything
03:19 about it.
03:21 Right?
03:22 So I think, I think what you texted me the other day when you said that Kendall Bryles
03:29 is coaching for his job.
03:31 I think that's fairly accurate, because a good offensive coordinator should not have
03:36 to take nine weeks to figure out his own offense.
03:42 I think and even touching back a little bit on what you were saying about the red zone
03:47 offense, I was bringing up the numbers right here.
03:50 TC is 127th in the country.
03:52 I believe there's only 136 FPS teams even.
03:57 So we are in the bottom 10 red zone offense.
04:00 We scored 21 out of 32 trips to the red zone 65% success percentage.
04:06 And out of those 32 trips, only 15 have been touched out.
04:11 So if you're if you're walking away, okay, you know what getting a touchdown in the red
04:15 zone, whatever.
04:16 If you're scoring a touchdown 46% of the time, it's still not good.
04:19 But if you're 11 trips in the red zone, you're still leaving on the table with even three
04:24 points.
04:25 I mean, that alone is 33 points right there.
04:27 And shockingly enough, that would have been enough to win this game.
04:30 But the identity saying that the identity of the TCU office is struggling in the red
04:36 zone, I feel is a little bit of a stretch because this team has no identity period.
04:41 There's not there's not an identity between the 20s.
04:44 There's not a red zone identity.
04:46 There is not a Hey, you know what, we're struggling to get the ball throwing.
04:49 Let's run the ball to Monte Bailey because then this game they start.
04:53 Roy Sanders comes in and starts running the ball, which I understand fresh legs, whatever.
04:57 But I'm on a daily have like six rushing attempts at that point.
05:00 There was no reason for fresh legs.
05:03 It's a lack of an identity.
05:05 And while I hate saying that a coach is coaching for their job or might get fired, I truly
05:10 think the Kendall Bryles experiment is coming to an end.
05:14 I mean, Danny knows was just fired from Arkansas and Arkansas's offense is basically right
05:20 on par with TCU's right now, which if you watch in the Arkansas games, that's not a
05:25 good thing.
05:26 And I wasn't I wasn't expecting, you know, can also come in and be this world beater
05:32 and change the system and everything is going to work flawlessly.
05:35 Of course, there's going to be hiccups.
05:37 But putting up three points against a Kansas State defense that allowed I believe it was
05:42 like thirty five last week.
05:45 It's not you can't you can't allow that to happen.
05:48 It's something that.
05:49 It needs to be changed and the fan base is slowly, slowly started getting to that point
05:54 where they're full on board with a whatever needs to be done needs to be done.
05:58 Yeah, I've I've been kind of monitoring a lot of social media, specifically Twitter,
06:04 Instagram and Facebook.
06:07 And that does seem to kind of be the consensus that everybody's kind of like, well, we're
06:13 not sure.
06:15 But if you wanted to make a move, that's OK with us.
06:20 That seems to be the consensus on Bryles.
06:23 I know that there's a lot of past like turmoil with him and his family.
06:29 And I I'm kind of half and half on that.
06:34 Like, I get it.
06:35 He was there with the Arbryles fiasco, but I'm not really holding him for it, honestly.
06:44 But the perfect way to put that is that.
06:47 If you want to I understand that he wasn't part of it, everything.
06:50 But the fact that it's still brought up, if it's still brought up and everyone's like,
06:54 well, I don't know if he's worth the hire.
06:56 You have to prove you're worth the hire.
06:58 He hasn't done that.
06:59 Right.
07:00 Yeah.
07:01 Yeah.
07:02 I think.
07:05 Again, we see this stat all the time where TCU's offense is supposed to be better or
07:13 as good as last year's offense.
07:16 I just don't see how that can be true with what we've seen, even with Kendall Bryles
07:23 and his play calling.
07:24 That seems to be questionable.
07:25 I think we still see bigger plays from like bigger plays, bigger just skills, I guess
07:33 I would say from some of those top notch guys like Savion Williams, Chandler Morris.
07:39 You can throw him in there and then you talk, talk about the TCU offensive line.
07:44 That offensive line has not looked the same as last year.
07:48 There was a there was a play where I understand Ben Taylor Whitefield, the true freshman.
07:53 But there was a play where a nose guard stunted and he was completely lost on the play.
07:58 He had he was stood straight up wondering who his assignment was.
08:03 I get it.
08:04 There's going to be growing pains.
08:05 But that's an offensive line with Willis Patrick, whose experience Brandon Coleman, who's a
08:12 second day, maybe third day draft pick in the NFL this year.
08:17 Like there are players on that offensive line who should be helping them.
08:20 And it's like we don't see it.
08:21 And it's like a lot of the big gripes is, oh, well, he doesn't have, you know, Quentin
08:26 Johnson or Kendrick Miller.
08:29 But like Savion is kind of Quentin Johnson like or at least he should have been this
08:33 year.
08:34 And Danny Bailey is basically Kendrick Miller 2.0.
08:37 Like, yeah, the pieces are there that while they're not the same, I mean, Chandler Morris
08:42 was going to be the starter last year.
08:44 Josh Hoover came in and threw for over 400 yards last week.
08:46 And then you put up three points like it's just I it's too late in the season to say,
08:55 hey, well, they're they're not understanding the system.
08:57 And that's a coaching issue and not a player.
09:00 So one thing that so I watched the game with my parents on Saturday.
09:07 Just I just went over there, just spend time with them.
09:11 And I said to my dad, I would almost rather them have a predictable offense, but be very
09:19 good at that specific scheme than try and grab at straws the entirety of the game.
09:26 Because it seems like we like we kind of just shoot ourselves in the foot.
09:32 Basically, I'll see a drive where we'll get maybe one first down.
09:37 It's like we got the one first down based on luck, just on missed tackling or something
09:42 like that.
09:43 Or penalty.
09:44 Yeah, or just a penalty.
09:46 And then it seems like we instantly try and air the ball out or try and do some kind of
09:51 misdirection play.
09:53 That doesn't make sense.
09:56 Right.
09:57 I just I don't like the all or nothing mentality that this offense has right now.
10:02 And I think I think that transitions perfectly.
10:04 What I wanted to talk about next with the offense is I understand TCU's defense did
10:09 not play well to start the game.
10:12 But when you've been gashed for I mean, they're running power runs up your gut all day and
10:17 your defense can't stop them.
10:19 And then you come out and have the fastest offense in the country.
10:22 Hey, you know what?
10:23 Take a break.
10:24 If you're going three and out, you're giving them no time to rest.
10:27 They're just going to get scored on way more.
10:29 I've talked about it all season is the defense has been been not break.
10:32 They're good enough to not break.
10:34 But their cardio might not be good enough.
10:36 That's human nature.
10:37 I mean, they can't adjust that.
10:38 But when you have legitimately the number one fastest offense in the country, and you're
10:44 going three and out or even getting one first down, but it's on the first place, so you're
10:47 running four plays.
10:49 You have to slow it down.
10:51 The offense clearly isn't working.
10:52 So you can't say, well, we need to get the rhythm going.
10:55 That's not you can't use that excuse.
10:57 There has to be some give and take.
10:59 And it seems like it's a sunny issue that he's not saying.
11:04 And he I credit to Sonny.
11:06 He has said, hey, something has to change on the offense.
11:08 Yeah, but I feel like after you've given up two touchdowns and then you go and you drive
11:13 for a little bit and then you give up a third touchdown and a fourth touchdown.
11:17 Sonny should have said, hey, you know what?
11:18 Let's slow it down here.
11:19 Like the defense has been on the field for almost 15 minutes and we're not even halfway
11:23 through the second quarter.
11:25 Like we need to give them a break or else it's just going to get worse.
11:28 Right.
11:29 And it just didn't happen.
11:31 Yeah, I.
11:32 I what do you what do you think of Josh Hoover so far?
11:39 Because I mean, he went twenty three for fourty three for one hundred eighty seven yards.
11:44 What kind of.
11:46 I mean, what are your thoughts?
11:49 I think I mean, Sonny Dykes talked about it in his press conference and he was asked
11:53 what his thoughts are and his with the same exact ones as mine is he looked like a front
11:56 a brand new quarterback playing in a hostile road environment like that.
12:01 If I know he looked great against BYU and maybe that says more about BYU, but the offense
12:08 as a whole looked complete.
12:09 But when you go into Manhattan and Kansas State always plays TCU well, just look at
12:14 both the games last year.
12:15 Right.
12:16 And you're relying on a quarterback making his second career start to go in and be the
12:19 one to lead.
12:21 You got to start it.
12:22 You got to you got to install a ground game to start the game.
12:26 Let them get comfortable into it.
12:27 This first road game and night game in Manhattan is there.
12:31 I can't think of that many harder places to play in the night game in Manhattan, especially
12:35 against TCU when there's now like a little bit of a rivalry between us like.
12:40 He looked like a quarter and experienced quarterback, which he is, and that's not even a shot at
12:44 him like he I feel like he did all he could.
12:47 There were some throws that he missed.
12:49 Yeah, but.
12:50 He played about as reasonably as I expected to.
12:55 That's kind of my my thoughts as well.
12:58 I didn't expect him to go in and throw for 350 yards or anything like that.
13:04 Like you said, I do wish we would have established more of a running game or at least tried.
13:10 Inside zone more than once in a row, maybe.
13:14 But I think we do have to give credit to Kansas State's game plan, which was we're going to
13:21 run the ball down your throat until you just don't want to play football anymore.
13:28 I mean, the combination of Avery Johnson and Will Howard both being able to use their legs.
13:35 I mean, that is awesome.
13:37 Just just looking at it as a football perspective, an offensive perspective.
13:43 That is huge.
13:45 You OK, that I this leads into the question I want to ask and appear second question of
13:49 it.
13:50 What do you think was wrong with the defense?
13:53 Is it a defensive scheme?
13:55 Is it coaching?
13:57 You know, malpractice?
13:58 Is it the players?
13:59 What do you think it was?
14:01 I think it is a combination of scheme and then lack of motivation.
14:07 First, there are all these kind of circulating thoughts in press conferences all around and
14:15 then social media as well, kind of speculating.
14:19 But there have been multiple people that have come out of TCU practices that have said that's
14:25 like a different team from last year.
14:28 And part of that reason, obviously, is because you have no shot at making the final four
14:32 anymore.
14:33 Right.
14:34 So I don't even have a shot at the play or the ballgame, but we'll get into that.
14:39 We'll get to that.
14:40 Yeah.
14:41 But yeah, you have no these guys don't have any motivation to try and go win out.
14:48 Right.
14:49 I mean, you worry when you're fighting for a ball game at four and four and your remaining
14:54 schedule isn't very easy.
14:56 Like I mean, there's only so much that you're going to try and do.
15:01 But I do think that the three three five defense from Joe Gillespie last year, I criticized
15:08 it a lot, but I was never like, let's get rid of it.
15:13 Now, I don't know how you can keep that in, because that's three times now where you've
15:22 had the three three five defense against a fairly good offense.
15:27 With run game that you've gotten torched on the ground.
15:32 So I don't know, I don't really understand keeping it where five or six plays, I believe,
15:39 in the K-State game.
15:42 We put four down linemen on the defensive line, and we were able to stop them.
15:48 So maybe maybe it's just me kind of ranting, but I I'm not high on the three three five
15:56 anymore.
15:57 It's I wrote about it in my what did we learn article that I put out every Sunday after
16:03 the game.
16:05 But a lot of people think to get rid of the three three five, I don't think it's a scheme
16:09 issue because when a team's forced to throw our secondaries there, they look good.
16:13 I mean, do you want to pause or so you can fix your light or whatever?
16:19 It just the ball burned out.
16:20 I don't have any more.
16:23 Oh, yeah.
16:24 It's not a scheme thing like the other three five has its issues.
16:30 But like, let's say we revert to Gary Patterson has this team that runs his four to five defense.
16:35 He runs right.
16:36 The defensive line is not good enough.
16:39 They don't get a push.
16:40 There's no stunts.
16:42 There's no blitzes.
16:43 I mean, it just seems like, hey, the pieces aren't there on the defense line.
16:49 If you would have taken last year's defensive line and paired it with this year's secondary
16:53 and the and Chad Banks and Jamoie Hodges and Nnamdi Obraser like that is a like that's
16:59 a great defense.
17:01 Like we're not looking at all these rushing issues.
17:04 And I kind of figured it was going to happen when we played SMU, when they were running
17:08 down the gut like, hey, someone's going to expose this big time later on.
17:13 And I mean.
17:15 I don't know if you have any more thoughts, but I want to it's kind of going to transition
17:19 into more is like the rest of the season schedule, like Texas comes here in three weeks and they
17:26 just lost Quinn Ures.
17:28 They are going to run the ball so much on our defense.
17:30 And unless we make stops, they might rush for 250 yards.
17:35 Well both TCU and OU.
17:37 Well, I mean, granted, those are top 15 teams.
17:40 Yeah, it's typical that that's going to be a tough game, even if it's at home.
17:45 Right.
17:46 Yeah, to add on the fact that Quinn Ures won't be there and that they're going to be
17:53 pointed towards running the ball.
17:56 And I mean Malik is Malik Johnson is a great Russian quarterback too.
18:00 So like you're just going to get both ends of it.
18:03 You basically got a preview of what's going to what might happen against the Texas game,
18:06 which I know, hey, the team can make adjustments.
18:09 But and we always play Texas tough, but we always play Kansas State tough.
18:13 This wasn't tough.
18:14 Yeah.
18:15 Yeah, that's that's worrying for sure.
18:19 The OU game, I've I think that was kind of a shot in the dark to try and win that game
18:27 because OU obviously doesn't like throwing the ball with Dylan Gabriel unless they have
18:32 to.
18:33 I mean, we saw that in the Texas game.
18:35 Well, I mean, let's let's go over it at this point.
18:38 Let's let's talk about this.
18:39 TCU become eligible at any point this season and the remaining schedule difficulty that
18:45 TCU will have to face.
18:46 I mean, all right.
18:47 TCU is on a bye this week and they get Texas Tech at Tech on a Thursday night.
18:51 Do you think they win or they lose that game?
18:56 I think.
18:57 I don't know.
18:59 Tech obviously has not looked.
19:03 They have not looked good so far, but I still don't think that their offense is something
19:10 to scoff at.
19:12 So if they develop a game plan offensively where they don't have to throw the ball all
19:17 that much, I think they will beat us quite handedly.
19:21 I think right now I think I have TCU losing by seven.
19:26 I think it is a close game that kind of comes down to the last possession, but I can't after
19:31 watching the game against K State, I can't pick TCU.
19:35 OK, I think TCU wins that game just because Texas is coming up by week.
19:41 I think they win.
19:42 Well, let's go with let's go with your predictions for the rest of the game.
19:44 After that, Texas comes into town last time.
19:47 Who knows when they come into town on November 11th?
19:50 Win or loss?
19:51 Loss.
19:52 OK, TCU is at four and six on the year.
19:54 They have to win out to be bowl over.
19:57 Yeah, they get Baylor at home the following Saturday.
19:59 Win or loss?
20:00 That is a win.
20:01 OK, they're at five and six.
20:03 Then they go to OU on Black Friday.
20:06 Last game of the season.
20:07 Win or loss?
20:08 Oh, Black Friday, man.
20:09 Yeah, hang on.
20:10 That changes things.
20:11 Yeah, the day after Thanksgiving, they go up to Norman.
20:16 Yeah, no, I again, it's it's one of those games where I can't pick them when it's when
20:21 it's if it was if it was here at TCU because TCU plays them really well at home.
20:27 Yeah, but since it's in Norman again, I can't pick them.
20:31 So you're talking about four games the rest of the season against Tech who hates you.
20:37 Davis, who's a top 10 team in the country, Baylor, who's your number one rival.
20:41 And then you have Oklahoma, who's the top five team right now.
20:45 Probably the hardest schedule.
20:47 It's probably a top five hardest or probably top 10 hardest schedule in all of college
20:51 football the rest of the way.
20:52 I think it is.
20:54 And the only person the only one I could immediately think of the top of my head hires Penn State
20:58 because of theirs coming out.
20:59 But you're looking at a five and seven TCU team who will be the only team since 2020
21:05 LSU to make the national championship and then miss a bowl game the rest of the year.
21:10 Only one other team has done it.
21:12 And then TCU by joined them.
21:14 And I think TCU will join them.
21:15 I don't think that.
21:17 Okay, you know what, Tech and Baylor, those I favor TCU and just because Baylor has been
21:23 down a Baylor is looking for revenge.
21:25 Dave Aranda is kind of coaching for his job a little bit.
21:28 Right.
21:29 But and Tech has been in such disarray.
21:31 Hey, you know what, maybe they get that they get a win all.
21:34 So you I have in no way, shape or form that there is maybe 5% of me that's like TCU wins.
21:41 And that's because they're my team.
21:44 But I just I just don't see a way that TC becomes if they lose to Tech, they're not
21:50 getting a ballgame.
21:51 Oh, yeah, I agree with that.
21:54 I mean, yeah, I just think that's the unfortunate truth.
21:57 Yeah, I mean, we'll have to wait and see.
22:01 Obviously, I mean, there's still four games left by a week could change things for the
22:07 offense.
22:08 Maybe they figure something out.
22:10 But I mean, we'll just unfortunately, we'll have to wait and see in two weeks.
22:14 Well, okay, well, let's I got one last question.
22:17 And then we'll kind of hit this thing off is we're talking about the rest of the season,
22:21 right?
22:22 It could be Chandler Morris maybe comes back in two weeks, maybe against Texas.
22:28 Do you start Chandler Morris?
22:30 What's the rest of the season quarterback outlook?
22:34 So as Chandler Morris, is he expected to be back?
22:37 He was expected to miss for four to six weeks when he became injured.
22:42 That'll be four weeks when they play tech.
22:45 So then you're looking at potential window between Tech, Texas and Baylor.
22:50 But if he's not backed by Texas, I assume he's sitting out the rest of the season.
22:53 That's only two more weeks.
22:55 I think you do sit him out the rest of the season.
22:57 I think you try and get Josh Hoover as much experience as possible.
23:02 Kind of planning for the future because I think I think there will be a legitimate quarterback
23:07 battle here in Fort Worth next year because Chandler Morris still has another year of
23:13 eligibility.
23:14 I don't think the winner of that quarterback battles even on campus yet.
23:17 But really, Hasan Jay is.
23:20 Oh, yeah.
23:22 out of Aledo.
23:24 Yeah, boss is good.
23:25 Oh, no, he's very, he's very good.
23:27 I'm very excited.
23:28 And I think he challenges it.
23:30 And but I think a lot of it too is you hope that, hey, you know what, if this happens
23:36 and Chandler Morris is out the rest of the year, the transfer portal is a big thing.
23:39 You can transfer out.
23:40 That's a big veteran presence that he's been with the team this second year.
23:44 Like, yeah, big presence, you don't want to lose.
23:47 And like, we've talked about all day about, you know, maybe Kendall Browse is gone.
23:53 Maybe something changes.
23:54 But if Kendall Browse comes back, you want to hope Chandler Morris stays.
23:58 I mean, I know you have Josh Hoover, but Chandler Morris, like, although he had his up and downs,
24:03 he was consistent during the games.
24:05 Right.
24:06 Right.
24:07 Yeah, especially on like, kind of managing the offense as well.
24:13 He was very, very good at that calling audibles at the line.
24:16 Now, he was good at that.
24:18 But I think I think the only thing that Hoover has over Chandler Morris right now is Hoover's
24:26 ability to throw the ball outside the numbers and honestly, just stretching the field over
24:32 the top of the defense.
24:34 I think he beat Chandler in those two categories, but everything else, I think Morris still
24:39 has the edge in.
24:41 Yeah, that's that's that's what I was just about to say is Morris, when he was the quarterback,
24:46 was the heartbeat of the offense, his ability to scramble when he became confident in it.
24:52 You saw it would rally the team a little bit.
24:54 But right now, there's not a clear leader of the offense.
24:57 And that's not Josh Hoover's fault at all.
24:59 Like it's he just made his second career start.
25:02 Like he's still trying to get adjusted.
25:04 He's still a little bit scared.
25:05 That's human nature.
25:06 And I'm just worried that we might run into an issue that we had this year where Chandler
25:13 Morris goes down and then we have an inexperienced quarterback behind him who we're hoping, hey,
25:18 you know what, maybe you have a few good games, maybe not.
25:22 So I think huge hope that if Chandler Morris wants to come back in the season might be
25:28 done.
25:29 If it keeps him away from transferring, I'd say just keep him in.
25:32 I'd rather have the veteran presence and experienced quarterback next year that can challenge Josh
25:37 Hoover and Sanjay for the starter role next year.
25:40 Right.
25:41 Okay.
25:42 Yeah, I like that.
25:43 Haas, I definitely will.
25:44 I'm interested in Haas for sure.
25:45 Yeah, he's a little undersized, but he's got the intangibles.
25:46 So yeah, he does.
25:47 Do you have anything else you want to add before we close this one out for the Ranger
26:00 game kicks off?
26:01 I think we've really covered everything.
26:04 Yeah.
26:05 I mean, TC is on a bye week this week and then there'll be a Texas Tech.
26:10 So this post game show probably come out on the Friday because it's a Thursday night game.
26:16 So probably might come out that Friday.
26:18 We'll kind of figure it out.
26:19 Most likely.
26:20 Yeah.
26:21 Thanks for tuning in.
26:23 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram.
26:26 And see you guys next time.
26:30 Thank you, guys.
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