We’re only in Week 2 of the college football season but TCU and Air Force play one of the biggest Mountain West Conference games of the season Saturday outside of Colorado Springs, Colo. It’s a week TCU hoped to have as a bye, but league officials and television money dictated otherwise.
So here we are, playing a key MWC game that is likely to leave reverberations through the rest of the conference season.
TCU is coming off a head-shaking 50-48 loss at Baylor and the Falcons are flying high after opening with a 37-20 win over South Dakota.
Air Force beat writer Frank Schwab, who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette since 2003, took some time to discuss Saturday’s matchup. Here’s our conversation:
Frank Schwab: So Stefan, give us an idea what the mood is like around TCU this week. Air Force expects an angry Horned Frogs team, I’m not so sure it’s that easy to just bounce back from a loss like that. What’s TCU’s mindset going to be Saturday?
Stefan Stevenson: I’d say the mood is a little anger tinged with disbelief. TCU fans didn’t see that coming against Baylor. The team didn’t either, although I know they respected RGIII and his receivers. I expect TCU to come as aggressive as ever, both sides of the ball. Problem for TCU defense is, that aggressiveness can lead to big plays. So, according to Gary Patterson, tackling is the key. He wasn’t happy w/ Frogs tackling vs. Bears. Says they missed 20, including 10 by safeties. Can’t do that in 4-2-5.
FS: From watching it on TV, it seemed like the biggest vulnerability was the deep ball, and obviously Air Force isn’t going to throw five touchdowns this week. You talked about the tackling, is that going to be fixed in time to face the Falcons’ run game?
SS: Good question. Frogs sure hope so. The linebackers seemed to be MIA against Baylor, including starter Tanner Brock, who has battled a sore foot during August. LB corps obviously needs a big game against Falcons run game. But GP seems more worried about the safeties wrapping up tackles.
My question to you is do you think Air Force will be tempted to throw more after seeing Baylor exploit the Frogs’ secondary six times?
FS: The safeties have always been a major reason Air Force has nowhere to run against that D. I can’t imagine Air Force doesn’t take some shots downfield in the passing game. You’d be crazy not to, really. And Tim Jefferson can hit the deep ball - Zack Kauth is a good deep threat in the offense. They’re going to take some shots. And they need to hit some.
SS: Yes, I fully expect to see Jefferson look for something downfield early and regularly. If for no other reason than to at least keep the TCU defense honest and spread out more. But ... I think the game will come down to the Air Force O-line vs. the TCU D-line.
How confident do you think the Falcons are coming into this game? Do you think watching the TCU defense get lit up for 50 points is going to have an adverse or positive affect for Air Force, or is it irrelevant? They always play TCU tough at home. TCU knows this. You think the timing is ripe for the Falcons to snap their 3-game losing streak to TCU?
FS: I think there’s some concern that Baylor woke up TCU. I’d imagine Patterson has been on their behinds all week. That’s not what Air Force wanted. I think the Falcons would have been quite happy if TCU whipped Baylor and was still wondering how to stop Kellen Moore in Boise later this year. That said, I do think they’re quite confident. It’s tough to say if the Falcons can snap the losing streak - the gap between the teams was enormous last year. What about TCU? I know the head coach is manic about preparing for Air Force, but do the players have the feeling this is a dangerous game?
SS: TCU is certainly taking the stance that the Baylor result woke them up a bit, at least on defense. So that’s probably apt. As for TCU’s view of the AF game? I think it was huge in their minds even before Baylor. It’s a conference game and it’s on the road and most of the older players have frozen memories of that 2009 game, in which TCU escaped with a 20-17 win in frigid conditions. I think TCU defense could be playing Colorado Springs Community College and they’d still be treating this game like the Super Bowl. They were embarrassed last week, no question.
The reason I wonder if AF is confident or not is because they always seem to play with more confidence at home as opposed to the road. I know that’s likely true with most teams (in any sport) but is that a fair characterization specifically with the AF football team?
FS: I think Air Force is well aware of the difference in this rivalry between how it has played at home, and how it has played at Fort Worth. Jefferson brought it up Tuesday. That Air Force won in 2007 at home and almost won in 2009 at home (and didn’t almost win at TCU in the years between) is certainly in the back of their minds. I don’t think they’re any different than any other team on the home-road confidence, but it’s magnified for this game, for sure.
What about Casey Pachall, he looked phenomenal last week for sure. But I do think Air Force’s pass defense is better than Baylor, and the Falcons are going to throw a million different looks at a guy making his second career start. What do you expect out of Pachall this week?
SS: Another good question, Frank. What, are you a reporter or something? Pachall’s performance, along with the offensive line’s, were the brightest spots for TCU coming out of the Baylor game. Not only did Pachall earn the trust of his TCU coaches and players but he proved to himself that he can perform at this level. (Side note: There was never any question in my mind. He has always looked like a stud in practice and has better tools than Andy Dalton.) I think going forward Casey Pachall will obviously get more relaxed and probably put up some huge numbers (along with WR Josh Boyce). I agree, playing the AF defense is going to be a big test for Pachall. If he lacks anything skill-wise, it’s making his reads correctly and quickly, but that has more to do with lack of playing time than his natural ability. His INT to end the game at Baylor was not his fault. His intended receiver was held up on the route and Pachall saw it as soon as the ball left his hand.
Of all the aspects to this game, seeing how Pachall performs is the most interesting to me. My two cents: He needs to spread the ball around a little more. He went to Josh Boyce a little too often against Baylor. True, JB is the Frogs’ best receiver, but Skye Dawson and Antoine Hicks need to be utilized more. Also, look for TE Logan Brock (4 receptions, 2 TDs vs. Baylor) to keep getting the ball. Pachall says he loves to throw to his tight ends.
FS: Ah, that’s why I like fellow reporters - they actually answer the questions I ask. All right, you probably are heading for beers with Coach Patterson soon, so I’ll let you get to it. Appreciate the answers, look forward to catching up with you on Saturday.
SS: Yes, we do that every Wednesday. See you Saturday. Do I need to bring a parka and snow boots like Oct. 2009?
FS: Supposed to be low 70’s with isolated storms. But bring the snow boots, just in case.
--Stefan Stevenson
Frank Schwab
This was a great blog idea. Two great reports. I truly enjoyed reading the conversation.
Go Frogs!
Posted by: Frog fan | September 10, 2011 at 10:12 AM