The wait is finally over because Big 12 football is back! Thursday was opening day in the Big 12 as the conference went 4-0. But before we get to Saturday, we had a Friday night game as TCU took on Stanford in Palo Alto. Here are my three takeaways from TCU’s 34-27 win over Stanford.
The Defense Settled Down
I know that first game jitters are real, but I am not sure if I have ever seen a defense so jumpy in my entire life. On the very first drive of the game, TCU gave Stanford three free first downs due to penalties. In fact, the Horned Frogs had three third down penalties on the opening drive alone.
While they gave up 17 points and 151 yards of offense, they did an excellent job settling in after halftime. In the third quarter, TCU shutout Stanford and held them to just 24 yards of offense. If not for a bogus unsportsmanlike call, the Horned Frogs would have given up just three points in the second half.
A big reason why TCU was able to slow down Stanford was due to all the pressure they were able to create up front.
There is no Shortage of Weapons
One thing that really impressed me about TCU’s offense is the talent they have when it comes to their pass catchers. I know Savion Williams had a pair of drops, but he looks like a grown man out there. There’s a reason why so many NFL scouts are keeping an eye on him. Along with Williams, Jack Beach and JP Richardson had themselves quite the game. Those two combined for 246 receiving yards and I thought Josh Hoover did an excellent job getting the football to his playmakers. Now if this offense can figure out how to run the football more consistently then this offense would be dangerous.
Where Were the Fans?
If you were watching the game, then you probably noticed just how empty the stadium was when the zoomed out a bit with the tv camera. I know Stanford hasn’t been very good in the last couple of years, but Stanford can’t even fill 50% of their stadium for their first home game? Does the school need to partner with Starbucks to give away free tickets with every coffee order? Remember ACC, this is who you wanted to join your conference. A school and a fan base that doesn’t care very much about football.
