Sonny Dykes and TCU have a lot of work to prepare for Saturday’s game against Long Island University at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
TCU’s victory over Stanford in Week 1 was far from perfect. The same mistakes that plagued the Horned Frogs last year resurfaced, but Dykes is sure the team can work out the kinks against LIU.
Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s press conference.
Receiving corps rounding into form
Dykes entered Week 1 with questions at the inside receiver position, cycling through different combinations looking for the right fit. WR Jack Bech filled this position to a tee and Dykes said he expects JoJo Earle and Dylan Wright to return.
“I think it’s going to give us a solid three deep and allow us to rotate some guys,” Dykes said. “Jack played 70 plays, which is probably too many, but he has an ability to do that. The interesting thing about the wide receiver position is some guys can play every play and some guys get tired.”
Dykes said redshirt freshmen Jordyn Bailey and Eric McAllister will see increased reps at practice. As for Major Everhart, Dykes said it might be a few weeks before he sees the field again, but is keeping in tune with his development as a receiver.
TCU’s offensive line seeing improvement
The offensive line looked solid against Stanford, but struggled to find the groove for the run game.
Dykes said he was pleased with sophomore left tackle Ben Taylor-Whitfield’s reps. As a whole, Dykes said the line needs to be more aggressive at the point of attack. Stanford’s defense caught TCU by surprise by running a different scheme than what was anticipated, but the Frogs did well to adjust and help RB Cam Cook break through in the second half.
“I thought our guys adjusted well and did some good things,” Dykes said. “We’ve got to just be physical and consistent. I love the rotation we have right now, and I think it’s a big deal when you can keep those guys fresh and and create some competition. And there’s a lot of competition going on right now, and so I’m pleased with the group.”
The good and bad on defense
Although there weren’t any pre-snap penalties, penalties on the defense put TCU at a disadvantage against Stanford. Dykes was unhappy with some of the calls and commented on the “soft officiating” during the game, but was pleased with how physical the defense was.
“The lack of discipline, we’ve got to get fixed. That’s been the big focus this week, is to fix those lack of discipline penalties, because we can’t do that,” Dykes said.
He said TCU could’ve pulled away from Stanford numerous times throughout the game, but was unable to do so.
The defense allowed Stanford’s QB Ashton Daniels to rush for nearly 90 yards, and a few of those were for 10 or more yards. Improvements are needed to contain the opposing quarterback and not letting him out of the pocket, Dykes said.
“Most of it was quarterback scramble or keeping a play alive and and complete a pass to convert,” Dykes said. “We have to ensure that it doesn’t happen.”
Dykes said he was pleased with cornerback JaTravis Broughton’s effort against Stanford.
“I was really pleased with how he played,” Dykes said. “I thought he played his tail off honestly. He was our defensive player of the week and it was very well deserved.”
