The TCU Football Depth Chart Defied Logic Against Iowa State
When TCU released its depth chart last week, I legitimately thought it was a joke.
Gary Patterson loves gamesmanship, and so his depth charts are often less than fully honest about what his primary lineup will actually look like, and he usually only updates it like three times a year anyway. But even by the TCU head coach’s standards, the depth chart he released on Wednesday ahead of the Iowa State game seemed comical.
Max Duggan was listed as a co-starter at quarterback with Matthew Downing, though that was no surprise given that Patterson had already announced on Tuesday that Downing would start against the Cyclones. It was elsewhere on the depth chart where things got weird.
Emari Demercado, a career backup, was listed as the starter at running back, ahead of Darwin Barlow, the team’s leading returning rusher, Daimarqua Foster, and 5-star signee Zach Evans.
Dylan Thomas, a rotation receiver who had played almost exclusively in the slot throughout his career, was listed as the №1 “X” receiver on the outside. Te’Vailance Hunt, who started nine games in 2019, was third on the depth chart behind Thomas and freshman Quentin Johnston. Nebraska transfer J.D. Spielman, who boasts more career collegiate receiving yards than anyone on the roster, was listed third on the depth chart at one of the slot receiver positions.
There were fewer surprises on defense. Marcel Brooks, the LSU transfer and another former 5-star recruit, was listed as a backup at defensive end and linebacker. That fell in line with what had been reported during camp, though, with Brooks playing multiple spots and still acclimating to a new scheme. Two other highly touted young players, Jaquaze Sorrells and Patrick Jenkins, were listed third and fourth at defensive tackle, respectively, but they were behind a well-established starter in Corey Bethley.
All of that came across as an effort to just give Iowa State a few extra things to prepare for ahead of the game. And of course Patterson released the depth chart after his weekly media availability, so no one was able to ask follow-up questions about it.
However, the real surprises came when the game actually started, as the Horned Frogs largely held to that depth chart like gospel.
Not only did Downing and Demercado actually start, they got a ton of snaps. It was only after a full half of Downing’s struggles (11-of-21 passing, 159 yards, a passing touchdown, 4 sacks taken, and a fumble) that Duggan finally entered the game.
Spielman returned punts but did not get significant opportunities on offense, recording just 2 receptions for 16 yards to go with 5 rushing yards. Hunt didn’t play at all. Neither did Evans. Barlow and Foster combined for just five carries. Johnston, one the Frogs’ highest-rated recruits in the 2019 class, saw limited snaps but made the most of them with 2 receptions for 50 yards and touchdown.
In one of the few examples of TCU straying from the depth chart, tight end Pro Wells didn’t start and didn’t record a catch or a target, despite being listed as a starter at “Y” receiver. He saw the field for at least one play, according to the participation report, but he was clearly surprised by how little he played.
Brooks played some special teams and saw only spot duty on defense, even though the Frogs desperately needed a pass rush. Jenkins and Sorrels didn’t play at all, despite TCU’s trouble stopping the run and controlling the line of scrimmage with Soni Misi starting at defensive tackle next to Bethley.
Kee’yon Stewart had been listed second on the depth chart at cornerback and was expected to be featured heavily in the rotation this season after starting six games in 2019, but while he was mentioned in the participation report against the Cyclones, he recorded no stats and was sidelined in favor of Tony Wallace and C.J. Ceasar for most of the game.
This was not a paycheck game against an FCS opponent where you can tinker with your lineup and get a mulligan for bad personnel decisions. It was a Big 12 conference game. It was one of only nine games the Frogs currently have scheduled for this season, if COVID-19 cancellations even allow for that many.
Yet TCU wasted the opportunity to get a win by keeping many of its best players off the field for much of the game en route to a 37–34 loss. Why?
Let’s rule out the possibility of positive COVID-19 tests. If that were the culprit, none of these players would have played at all rather than some seeing limited snaps. With enough positive tests, the game might have been canceled altogether. The only plausible explanations for those decisions are:
- Patterson and his staff grossly misjudged which of their players gave them the best chance to win, and then they took far too long to make adjustments to their lineup. If that’s the case, they all deserve every bit of criticism, scrutiny and second-guessing they will receive this week.
- Those players were kept out for reasons other than the quality of their play, whether related to health or off-field conduct, and Patterson simply refused to acknowledge that publicly. Health seems unlikely because, again, some of them did see the field (and in Duggan’s case, looked excellent). If Wells’ tweet is to be believed, some players had no idea before the game that they wouldn’t play significant snaps, which would be impossible if they were being held out for injuries. That leaves off-field conduct.
The former — just abysmal personnel management — could be possible. Patterson and his assistants have made a few bizarre, highly questionable personnel decisions in recent years, particularly at quarterback, and it’s possible Doug Meacham and Jerry Kill thought some of those choices would benefit their new-look offense. Additionally, given Patterson’s tendency to favor experience, it’s reasonable to think he might not immediately hand starting roles to players such as Brooks, Johnston, Spielman and Evans, who are still relatively new to the program, especially considering how the pandemic truncated their practice schedule ahead of the season opener.
However, it’s still extremely odd that some of the most notable players to be held out for some or most of the game, including Duggan, Wells, Hunt, and Stewart, have started a lot of games for TCU in the past. Benching them for less proven commodities whom they had beaten out for starting jobs previously would be a drastic reversal.
Therefore, the latter — some sort of phantom suspension — weirdly seems more likely, at least for those players who had been major contributors for the program before this offseason.
Patterson’s lack of transparency with the media is well documented. He has always been withholding when it comes to injuries, player rotations, and depth charts. He has even temporarily taken away starting roles and suspended players for games or portions of games without telling reporters.
This would admittedly be an entirely new level of nondisclosure: benching multiple starters and rotation players (apparently without telling at least one of them) for most if not all of a game and not acknowledging why in any way before or afterward. But then again, being cagey about things is a lot easier this season when most of Patterson’s interactions with the media are virtual, making it harder for reporters to press him on anything.
If Patterson was more forthright about why certain players didn’t play, maybe he’d be facing less scrutiny this week. If it was truly because of something off the field, all he would have had to say was, “Hey, these players are going to be benched for some or all of the game because of a violation of team rules.” Done. The story is over. Instead, he’s invited speculation about the nature of their absence and questions about his own competence as a coach.
Regardless of the reasoning, there is no escaping the reality that TCU’s personnel decisions cost them a chance at a win against the Cyclones. If Duggan had played both halves, the Frogs might not have entered halftime down two scores. If Barlow, Foster, and Evans had gotten more touches, maybe Iowa State would have had to respect the run game and the pass rush wouldn’t have been able to pin its ears back and go after Downing and Duggan all game. If Johnston, Wells and Spielman had gotten more opportunities, the offense might have scored more points.
If Brooks had been allowed to get after Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, the TCU pass rush might not have looked so woeful. If Jenkins and Sorrels had played at all, Breece Hall might not have run all over the defense, and the Cyclones might not have averaged 7.6 yards per carry as a team. If Stewart had gotten meaningful snaps, he might have been able to help when Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson was struggling.
Now the Frogs have to go on the road to face a top-10 Texas team as they try to avoid an 0–2 start. The Longhorns boast the most talented roster in the Big 12 besides Oklahoma. It may seem like an unconventional idea, but TCU may want to consider actually fielding its best and most athletic players if it wants to have a chance in Austin.
Quick Hits:
1. When the offense’s best players were on the field, the Frogs actually looked promising on that side of the ball. Doug Meacham’s fingerprints were all over the game plan as TCU’s passing game demonstrated route concepts it hasn’t effectively utilized in years.
Two of the Frogs’ touchdowns came on seam routes up the hashes, with another score coming on a crossing route by Johnston. They just generally utilized the middle of the field more, forcing Iowa State to defend more space. In short, they did what the Air Raid is designed to do. They also threw in some end arounds and screens to make it easy to get their athletes the ball in the open field.
The result was that Downing was able to keep the offense afloat for a little while, at least until TCU got into scoring territory. Duggan had his most efficient day ever as a Frog, finishing 16-of-19 for 241 yards (12.7 yards per attempt) with 3 touchdowns (2 before garbage time) and an interception, and that pick was off a dropped pass by Taye Barber. His three incompletions tied for his fewest ever in a game at TCU. The revamped offense appears to suit him so far.
Maybe even more surprising was the diversity in the run blocking. The Frogs have been a pretty staunch zone blocking team since Meacham and Sonny Cumbie first came aboard in 2014. But against the Cyclones, they toyed with some man blocking and pulling lineman concepts.
Jerry Kill, you tricky minx. Or maybe this came from Bryan Applewhite. Who knows! Again, TCU’s opacity with the media is great.
2. The offensive line, maybe the only position group where there weren’t any players surprisingly sidelined, needs some help. Following the departures of Lucas Niang and Cordel Iwuagwu for the NFL, the line was often manhandled in its first game on Saturday. Iowa State consistently got pressure with only three down linemen, racking up 7.0 sacks in the game.
Left tackle Austin Myers received a 0.8 grade in pass protection from Pro Football Focus for his performance against the Cyclones. Full disclosure, I didn’t know their grades could go that low. It’s not what you want.
Meacham and Cumbie can help the front out with screens and the quick passing game. The threat of the Frogs’ talented group of running backs could also keep defensive linemen from just charging upfield at the quarterback on every down. But the Frogs need some players — maybe redshirt freshman Marcus Williams or 4-star freshman Garrett Hayes — to develop among that group.
3. Let’s just watch this play again.
