TCU vs. Oklahoma State: Game Grades, Analysis for Horned Frogs and Cowboys

Oklahoma State pounded TCU 49-29 Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to move to 9-0 on the season. 

TCU struggled on defense as Oklahoma State shredded the secondary for numerous big passing plays and five touchdowns. The Cowboys defense was solid; although it gave up a lot of yards (665), it kept TCU off the scoreboard most of the night and forced four interceptions. 

The win puts Oklahoma State in the College Football Playoff discussion, while TCU’s hopes may be dashed. Here is a look at how each team graded out by unit.

Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	B
Run Offense	C	B-
Pass Defense	F	F
Run Defense	A-	A-
Special Teams	C	C
Coaching	D	C

Pass Offense: A wrist injury knocked out star receiver Josh Doctson just before halftime, which hindered TCU’s passing attack the rest of the game. Trevone Boykin racked up plenty of yards (445), but the offense struggled to turn those yards into points. Boykin tossed four picks, a career high, and only threw one touchdown. In the critical moments of the game, the passing offense was below TCU’s standards. The turnovers were costly, according to ESPN Stats and Info:

Run Offense: Oklahoma State went up big early, which forced TCU to focus on the passing game to catch up. After a slow first half of only 22 yards, Aaron Green ran well in the second half to finish with 97 yards and a touchdown. Boykin also contributed two scores on the ground. Yet, it was difficult for this unit to make a substantial impact with Oklahoma State scoring at such a high rate. 

Pass Defense: TCU’s secondary turned in one of the worst performances of any unit all season. It allowed touchdowns of 48, 50 and 74 yards to James Washington, and Marcell Ateman also scored from 82 yards away. The secondary looked confused and slow all night, which gave the team a minimal chance to win. The unit was laughable, according to Lost Lettermen: 

Run Defense: The defense actually did well in shutting down the Cowboys’ rushing attack. Oklahoma State finished with 81 yards on 26 carries, good for roughly three yards per carry. This was partly due to TCU’s penetration at the line of scrimmage and party because Oklahoma State figured out it could throw with ease on the Horned Frogs. Still, this unit was a bright spot for TCU. 

Special Teams: There was not much special teams could have done to change the outcome of the game, but they were still just average. Jaden Oberkrom, one of the better kickers in the Big 12, was 1-of-2 on field-goal attempts, but he missed his only meaningful kick, a 49-yarder in the first half, by a mile. However, KaVontae Turpin had some solid returns throughout the game, and punter Ethan Perry averaged 42 yards per boot. 

Coaching: When it became painfully obvious that the secondary was outmatched by Oklahoma State and Washington, it would have been smart to not leave him in single coverage. However, Washington burned TCU three times by dominating his man and running toward daylight. TCU failed to adjust on defense as the safeties were routinely caught too shallow in coverage. On offense, the unit made a nice second-half adjustment by turning to a quick passing attack to keep the Cowboys defense on its heels, but it was too late to make a difference. Head coach Gary Patterson put a lot of blame on himself following the game:

Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A+	A+
Run Offense	C-	C-
Pass Defense	B	B
Run Defense	A-	B+
Special Teams	B	B
Coaching	A	A

Passing Offense: Mason Rudolph was dominant throughout the game as he finished with 352 yards and five touchdowns through the air. Against a porous TCU secondary, Oklahoma State had its way all game. Washington was unstoppable. Here is a look at his third score of the day: 

Oklahoma State could have ended up with 600 yards passing if it kept pressing the whole game. This is undoubtedly one of the best passing attacks in college football. 

Run Offense: The Cowboys struggled to run the ball Saturday, but luckily they did not really need to. Raymond Taylor led the way with a measly 28 yards on nine carries, but J.W. Walsh was able to score on the goal line. This unit will need to do better in the future in order to balance out the offense more effectively. 

Passing Defense: Despite allowing nearly 500 yards passing, the Oklahoma State pass defense was solid. Star cornerback Kevin Peterson set the tone with his physical play, which disrupted TCU’s rhythm through the air. Chad Whitener had two of the Cowboys’ four interceptions, including this pick-six to end the game:

It would have been nice if the unit had allowed fewer yards, but Oklahoma State was excellent at keeping TCU off the scoreboard at critical moments of the game. 

Run Defense: This unit caught a break when Oklahoma State’s offense took a big lead early, which forced TCU to stick with the pass. The defense was in a preventive, pass-first strategy for the second half, so Green’s yardage comes with a slight asterisk. When the game mattered, the run defense was solid. 

Special Teams: Oklahoma State’s special teams were quiet. The team did not attempt a field goal, and the return game did not make an impact. Punter Zach Sinor was great, averaging 42 yards per boot while pinning TCU deep in its own territory multiple times, as head coach Mike Gundy noted:

Coaching: Gundy and the coaching staff quickly realized they could shred the TCU secondary and took advantage accordingly. Oklahoma State’s aggressiveness in the passing game was phenomenal and ultimately made the difference in the game. On defense, the team had an effective game plan to play physical with TCU’s receivers, which proved to be beneficial. Carson Cunningham of KOCO 5 in Oklahoma had high praise for Gundy:

Gundy is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, but people may finally start to appreciate him with another strong campaign this season.