A few takeaways from Week 5 across the Big 12. In case you missed my thoughts on Oklahoma State and Texas Tech from Thursday night, you can read those here.
Let's get to Saturday's games:
We're about to learn a lot about TCU. You can't take much from the Frogs' 56-0 win over an awful SMU team, but TCU is clearly an improved team from last year's 4-8 squad. How improved? Gary Patterson says the next month will tell us.
"You've got to play better than we did today and I think we will," Patterson told Fox Sports Southwest outside the locker room following the SMU win. "I think we're excited about the opportunity we've got going into October and the people we're playing and the opportunity to win ball games and prove TCU can still play a lot of football."
The Frogs host No. 4 Oklahoma next week before traveling to No. 7 Baylor and hosting No. 24 Oklahoma State. The last phrase in Patterson's quote perked my ears up a little bit, too.
Patterson's well aware of the on-field credibility TCU has lost by winning 11 games in its first two seasons as a Big 12 member. The Frogs were used to winning 11 games a season in the Mountain West. It's too early to tell TCU is anything close to a Big 12 contender this year, but the Frogs are one of just three undefeated teams in the conference and earned three blowout victories in nonconference play, including a rout of Minnesota who rolled over Michigan in the Big House on Saturday.
TCU was just happy to get on the field Saturday after two bye weeks in the season's first four weeks. Heading into the SMU game, TCU had been practicing for eight weeks and played just two games, counting fall camp.
"Usually you get better from the first games to second game, but with all the bye weeks, that's not true this time around," Patterson said. "We'll get better as we start playing week by week by week. Ours is coming at (weeks) four, five, six."
Patterson's been very impressed with Oklahoma's start this season in advance of its trip to Fort Worth next weekend. He called their offensive and defensive lines some of the best the Sooners have had in recent years.
"Good football team, physical, they're back to playing like some of the older teams I remember," Patterson said. "Run the ball, still have great skill, big up front and play great defense. They're really physical and really fast and they play good on special teams."
Texas' offensive line is a major, major issue. Tyrone Swoopes was cramped in the pocket far too often. The Longhorns' running backs averaged just 2.92 yards per carry. This is all against the worst team and worst defense in the Big 12 that had been giving up 6.18 yards per play so far this season. Texas is obviously without starting center Dom Espinosa (ankle) for the season and playing without starting tackles Desmond Harrison (suspended) and Kennedy Estelle (dismissed), but this is the reality of its situation for awhile. Those 23 points won't be enough to beat many teams in the Big 12. Especially not against Baylor and Oklahoma and especially not when you win the turnover battle 4-1.
Texas can get away with this against Kansas, but it will be routed by Baylor and Oklahoma in the next two weeks if the O-line can't start widening holes for Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown and giving Tyrone Swoopes more space and time.
Texas Tech's expects to get Davis Webb back pretty soon. In case you missed our news story from Saturday, Webb is a game-time decision for next week's game at Kansas State after undergoing an MRI. That's great news for the Red Raiders. If they're going to bounce back this season, they have to have Webb. Patrick Mahomes may mature into a good player, but he looked like a true freshman in his spot duty against Oklahoma State on Thursday after Webb left the game with a separated shoulder.
Kansas' offense continues to confuse. Kansas is banged up at running back, but the running game is still one of its biggest strengths. Montell Cozart, meanwhile, hasn't proven himself as a passer who can complete more than 50 percent of his passes.
Why in the world is Kansas calling 40+ pass plays? Texas' defensive line is stout, but Cozart threw four interceptions and completed just 12-of-31 (38 percent) of his passes. KU never got the quick pass game going (I suspect Texas' speed and physicality at corner had a lot to do with that), but Kansas is asking Cozart to do things he can't do and not putting him in a position for success.
And please, don't get me started on KU trying to throw a fade route on a fourth down at the goal line. I don't understand what Kansas is doing or trying to be. It all flies in the face of its personnel. (Tony Pierson, by the way, got just four touches again today. He turned them into 34 yards.)
