TCU 40, West Virginia 10: What We Learned

TCU improved to 8-0 with a dominating 40-10 win over West Virginia on Thursday night in Fort Worth. What did we learn? DCTF's Greg Tepper breaks it down.Boykin-to-Doctson is the great equalizer. The nation’s most electrifying pass-catch combination? Maybe. Once again, the Frogs’ Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback found their Biletnikoff Award candidate wide receiver early and often, as the pair hooked up for a 17-yard touchdown pass in the opening four minutes to set the tone for the entire evening. The duo would connect another nine times, totaling 183 yards and two scores against a suddenly reeling West Virginia secondary. Yes, the Mountaineers are banged up in the defensive backfield, but Doctson and Boykin would’ve carved up any defense in the nation on Thursday night. At some point, to beat TCU, you have to stop Josh Doctson; that doesn’t look imminent anytime soon. The defense isn’t just getting healthier; it’s getting better. Much has been made of the Horned Frogs’ defense getting key players back from injury, and that can’t be overstated — the return of guys like Davion Pierson and Mike Tuaua have been a shot in the arm for the beleaguered unit. But let’s also recognize that it’s not just that the D is getting out of the sick ward; the young players on the squad are getting better. Redshirt freshman Ty Summer was everywhere tonight, as was junior safety Denzel Johnson. Sophomore linebacker Travin Howard hauled in an interception, and breakout safety Ridwan Issahaku performed well himself. The injury excuse is going away, but so is the inexperience one, and the Frogs don’t look particularly interested in using either of them anymore. Fort Worth is home sweet home. Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth doesn’t have a reputation for being a particularly fearsome place to play on a national scale, but maybe it should. The “Blackout” crowd was in full throat from the opening kick, and West Virginia looked rattled throughout most of the first quarter. The Frogs have now won 11 straight games at home and, if you remove the forgettable first two years in the Big 12, are a whopping 49-3 at home since 2005. That’s some home cookin’. And the next two dates in Fort Worth? A likely blowout over Kansas in two weeks…and then Baylor the day after Thanksgiving.