Frogs eager to move on from hoopla to playing games
The pyramid in the on the wall in TCU's Four Sevens Team Room has the motto "Prove Them Right" at the top of it.
That's in reference to the lofty expectations that have been placed on the Frogs after a huge 2014 season. TCU's 12-1 campaign has them in rare air as they start the 2015 season Thursday night at Minnesota. The Frogs are the No. 2 team in the country according to the Associated Press. They have a Heisman frontrunner in senior quarterback Trevone Boykin.
And a year after the motto was "Prove Them Wrong," TCU is now circled on everyone's schedule as their game of the year.
That's just fine with head coach Gary Patterson, who knows it comes with the territory. Just don't expect him to abandon "Prove Them Wrong" if he feels like his team needs a little extra motivation in its nationally televised game against a Minnesota team that's coming off an eight-win season of its own.
"There's half the country you're trying to prove right in that everybody believes in us," Patterson said. "There's a whole bunch of them you've got to prove wrong. For us we can only have as good as season as we can control. If we make stupid mistakes and give games away that's our fault. If we play as good as we can play and we don't win because a guy outplays you, you can't ask any more of that. I do believe that you're still doing both (proving right and wrong)."
TCU's proving ground starts at Minnesota, which went 8-5 last season despite getting thumped by the Frogs last year 30-7 in Fort Worth.
The game will serve as a reminder of what Boykin and the Frogs can do. Last year in his first full one as a starter Boykin finished fourth nationally in total offense, averaging 354.5 yards per game. He set eight school records in the first season of up-tempo offense run by co-offensive coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham.
Now with a year in the offense under his belt, expectations for Boykin are high. He isn't getting wrapped up in that though.
"We have talent," Boykin said. "It's the same talent we had a year ago when we were (coming off) 4-8. Nothing's changed. It's all about want to. I've always had confidence in myself. Nothing has changed with me. I'm all about winning games. At the end of the day that's all that really matters."
So does winning games by one point, which is all Patterson preaches publicly in the era of style points.
There might not be many style-point chances against the Gophers. Minnesota has a talented secondary that could give Boykin trouble. The Frogs are also breaking in several new starters on defense and must replace a unit that lost six of its top seven tacklers.
With defense a calling card for Patterson, there's some uncertainty with the unit. Patterson hopes to know more Thursday.
"You have to wait and see," Patterson said of his defense. "We pushed them to do everything we needed them to do, try to play at the level of where we are. We'll see where we're at when we're done with the ballgame and then we'll go forward. Anytime you're playing freshman it's always hold on to your coattails."
Patterson has reiterated to his team the importance of getting off to a good start. He also pointed out that Ohio State won a national championship last year despite suffering an early loss. The No. 2-ranked Frogs would like to avoid that scenario Thursday.
They just have to prove some people right and others wrong.
"The worst thing that can happen to us is we worry about having to play like the No. 2 team in the country," Patterson said.
MORE FROM FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST:
- PHOTOS: Cowboys Cheerleaders Auditions
- Preseason predictions for 2015 MLB season
- Ranking NFL quarterback salaries
- Oldest player on every NBA team
- College football's highest paid coaches in 2014
- Highest paid player on every MLB roster
