Horned Frogs prepare for first true road test
Last season Kansas gave TCU everything the Horned Frogs could handle and more, though TCU pulled out a 23-17 victory.
And Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said he sees a better Jayhawks (1-3, 0-1) when he examines film of them this season in preparation of this year’s 11 a.m. kickoff Oct. 8 on ESPNU.
What has really stood out to Patterson, he said, is the KU defense.
“They play very physical, and they play hard,” he said. “I see the difference in special teams. I think coach (David) Beatty and his group have done a great job of rallying the troops. They haven’t had the success they wanted, but they played awfully hard. I saw some big time hits in the Texas Tech game. That’s what it’s all about. I think they’re playing very good defense.”
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong is tied for first in sacks with four.
Patterson may have had an indirect hand with the defensive improvement since co-defensive coordinator Kenny Perry was the TCU (3-2, 0-1) cornerbacks coach in 2014.
Kansas’ offense starts with quarterback Montell Cozart, who has completed 57 of 90 passes for 581 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Ke’aun Kinner has 33 rushes for 179 yards and a score.
“They’ve moved the football, they’ve kind of shot themselves in the foot, but they given themselves an opportunity offensively,” Patterson said, “they’ve just got to keep moving forward. But I see a lot of progress at KU.”
Patterson’s biggest concern is this is his team’s first true road trip of the season. The only other one was when they drove through Fort Worth to play SMU.
“With a younger football team, you always worry how they’ll handle themselves,” he said. “This will be their first time going on the road, going away from home. Not as many Horned Frogs fans.”
