Six previous times, new Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has faced the TCU defense under Gary Patterson.
He’s still trying to figure out everything TCU does running the 4-2-5 that has become a trademark for Patterson.
“They know their system very well,” Yurcich said. “He does a great job of knowing what you’re running. … He knows what you’re in, and he’ll wreck your blocking schemes.”
No. 9 Texas (2-0, 1-0 Big 12) hosts TCU (0-1, 0-1) on Saturday, and so far the hire of Yurcich has brought the results that Texas coach Tom Herman sought when he gave up primary play-calling duties. The Longhorns lead the nation in scoring (61.0 ppg) and ranks seven in total offense (582.5 yards per game) after victories over UTEP and Texas Tech. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger has accounted for 11 touchdowns. A win could give Texas a nice springboard into the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma on Oct. 10.
TCU represents a different challenge for the Texas offense, despite giving up 37 points in an opening loss to Iowa State.
In Yurcich’s meetings with Patterson when he was Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator from 2013-18, he went 3-3. The Cowboys averaged 28 points and 408.2 yards per game, under their average for that period when Oklahoma State had one of the most high-powered offenses in the Big 12.
“We’ve tried just about everything you can imagine,” Yurcich said. “In certain years, more success than others. It’s really a matter of getting first downs and staying on schedule, just like it is every Saturday that you play.”
The backbone of TCU’s defense has been outstanding safeties. This year is no exception, with Trevon Moehrig and Ar’Darius Washington.
“Tough, smart, and skilled,” Yurcich said. “That’s what those guys are. They know their defensive schemes very well.”
Of course, it’s not just Yurcich who has struggled to break down the Horned Frogs. TCU and Patterson have won six of eight meetings against Texas since joining the Big 12, going back to the Mack Brown era.
Last season, a TCU team that didn’t make a bowl beat Texas 37-27 and intercepted Ehlinger four times.
“They always have schemes for formations,” Ehlinger said. “Coach Patterson always gets them in good call for whatever tendencies are. It’s always a handful against them.”
If there is extra incentive after last season, Ehlinger wasn’t volunteering.
“No hit list. Definitely a new year every year,” Ehlinger said.
This week, Patterson repeated his mantra about always scoring one more than the opponent during a media Zoom call when asked about the 2019 meeting.
“We were fortunate in a couple of situations,” Patterson said. “We got up on them, and so they had to take some chances. You have to give credit to our kids, they played well, and did some things and made some plays.”
Earlier this week, a minor Internet controversy broke out when some TCU fans thought Herman failed to give Patterson proper respect at a media availability.
Actually it was more of a testimonial.
“It gets frustrating sometimes because Gary, to his credit and a ton of respect for him, doesn’t do a whole lot,” Herman said. "They’re extremely fundamentally sound. You have this false sense of maybe some confidence — because unlike other defenses you play where half the battle is figuring out where they’re going to be, lined up, blitzing from, and rushing from, and all that stuff — that battle is not one that’s waged a whole lot against Coach Patterson’s defenses.
“The battle is, ‘Can we play more fundamentally sound than them? Can we play harder than them?’”
