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When ESPN talking head Lee Corso predicted on television Saturday morning that Texas Christian would lose to Oregon State by three touchdowns, Gary Patterson picked up his cell phone.
The Horned Frogs coach then fired off a quick text message to ESPN GameDay host Chris Fowler that said, “Lee: Three touchdowns?”
“I just wanted to make sure they knew I was listening,” Patterson said.
And with No. 6 TCU’s 30-21 season-opening victory Saturday night against No. 24 Oregon State at Cowboys Stadium, those with a clue might want to stop disrespecting the Horned Frogs, who entered the season with their highest preseason ranking ever.
After all, there’s a real possibility this season will be the first that a team from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference will make the leap to the national title game.
Because on a day in which many of college football’s top teams had their struggles against lackluster teams, TCU won the toughest game of its schedule and seems primed to romp through the Mountain West Conference on the way to an undefeated season.
“As usual, no matter what we do and how we do it, we’re always having to prove ourselves and that’s OK with us,” Patterson said. “That’s where we’re going to be. So if we’ve got to do that, we’ll do that. We don’t care.”
But the rest of college football should. Against an Oregon State team that last season was a win away from making the Rose Bowl, TCU impressed by limiting the Beavers to just 255 yards of offense, 169 of which came in the first half.
That included the Horned Frogs falling behind 14-7 in the second quarter after uncharacteristically surrendering two touchdown passes of 30 yards or more.
But then their stout defense stiffened and the Horned Frogs offense got on track. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw a 1-yard touchdown pass and tailback Ed Wesley had an 8-yard touchdown run for a 21-14 halftime lead.
Oregon State tied the game at 21 with 5:33 left in the third. But Dalton then answered by calmly leading a 12-play, 71-yard drive that he capped with a 1-yard touchdown run.
It was the most impressive drive on a night in which TCU rolled up 453 yards of total offense.
“I was really proud of our offense and how physical they were,” Patterson said. “I thought they did a great job.”
The Horned Frogs though have their warts. Dalton threw for 175 yards and rushed for 64 yards, but had two interceptions.
That’s troubling because he threw three interceptions to end last season in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, TCU's first BCS bowl game appearance. And just like in that game, the Horned Frogs were victimized again Saturday by a pass off a fake punt.
Oregon State used the trick to pick up 23 yards on fourth-and-1 from its own 43-yard line in the second quarter and quarterback Ryan Katz then threw a 34-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
“We can definitely still improve,” TCU safety Tejay Johnson said.
But Patterson didn’t seem as concerned and shouldn’t be considering his team’s most difficult game left could be at Utah on Nov. 6.
When he walked in to his post-game press conference, a handful of rabid TCU fans beyond a bank of windows cheered wildly and beat on the glass. He grinned and then gave them a quick fist pump.
“That’s better than them calling me names,” Patterson said.
And according to Patterson, Corso actually did him and his team a favor with his prediction because it provided them with even more motivation. He also talked about the victory resonating for his team, which went 12-1 last season and possibly could have played for the national title if not for a last-second field goal by Texas in the Big 12 championship game.
“It’s a big deal for us,” said Patterson, who is now 4-0 against the Pac-10. “I think it’s a confidence game for us.”
Yet TCU’s confidence has been on the rise for the last several years. In 2008, the Horned Frog’s motto was “Make It Personal” and last season it was “Don’t Back Down.” This season, it’s “Make It Happen.”
“Now, we have to prove that we can belong,” Patterson said.
Dalton thinks that TCU already does. He believes that the Horned Frogs can play for the national championship.
“The way we’ve set ourselves up, there’s a chance if we’re able to take care of business throughout the season,” Dalton said.
After mentioning the lack of respect for TCU several times during his press conference, Patterson was asked if he’s bitter about it. He denied such, and said, “I’m just giving you my opinion.”
Patterson also made sure to point out that a national championship tops his team's pyramid of goals for this season.
“It’s those out there that say we could never play for it,” he said. “So we’ll find out if we can or can’t someday. Maybe it’ll be this year.”
Indeed, it could, but Patterson’s also being careful to not look too far ahead.
“Once we get to the end of the season,” he said, “then it’ll be interesting to see what everybody has to say.”
