TCU football notebook: Horned Frogs could get key defensive player back for UCF game Saturday

One thing that’s made TCU’s early performance on defense so impressive is the fact the Horned Frogs have been without one of their best defensive linemen.

Defensive end Paul Oyewale was arguably TCU’s top lineman last year with three sacks, but Oyewale missed all of training camp and the first two wins over Stanford and Long Island.

However, as the Horned Frogs prepare to face UCF in the Big 12 opener Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium, there could be good news on the Oyewale front.

“Paul practiced (Tuesday),” Sonny Dykes said at his weekly press conference. “It was good to see him out there practicing. We’ll kind of see how he feels tomorrow, I’m pretty optimistic that we’ll see him this week. Hopefully we will.”

Oyewale went through warmups last week against the Sharks before being held out of the game. The Horned Frogs will need all the bodies they can manage against UCF’s top-ranked rushing attack.

Safety Bud Clark was another that was held out against the Sharks, but Dykes said after the game it was because Clark was sick and didn’t practice that week. He should be available against the Knights.

While TCU could have Clark and Oyewale back the defense will likely be without another playmaker for a third straight game with Cam Smith’s status in the air.

“Cam, I don’t know yet (if he’ll play),” Dykes said. “We’ll learn more probably as the week progresses. I think I would say he’s questionable at this point.”

The Memphis transfer was one of the top playmakers on defense during spring camp and was solid in the fall, but he’s been unable to take the field as the Horned Frogs have leaned on Jamel Johnson in his place. A source with knowledge of the situation said Smith should be back by the SMU game next week at the latest.

Offensively, the Horned Frogs got JoJo Earle back in the lineup last week and the Alabama transfer scored a touchdown. But what about Dylan Wright, the talented receiver’s status is still up in the air.

“It’s kind of the same thing (as Cam),” Dykes said. “As the week progresses we’ll know a little bit more by Wednesday, Thursday.”

Wright missed nearly half the season in 2023 and could miss his third straight game with TCU still somewhat thin at outside receiver. Jack Bech has emerged as a go-to option in Wright’s place while Boise State transfer Eric McAlister had two receptions for 54 yards against LIU.

In what could be a game featuring a lot of plays, TCU will need to keep its receiver rotation fresh.

Offensive line looking to take next step

Offensive line remains a question mark for TCU entering Big 12 play with the unit being exceptional in pass protection with just one sack allowed, but being lackluster when it comes to opening up running lanes in the ground game. TCU ranks No. 12 in the Big 12 with an average of 115.5 yards per game and only 3.3 yards per carry.

There were going to be some expected growing pains with so much of the starting offensive line coming out of the transfer portal and the season-ending injury to likely starter Cade Bennett.

On the other hand, the Knights have excelled at stopping the run so far as they’re second in the Big 12 with only 67 yards allowed on the ground per game. The Knights’ pass rush has left something to be desired with just one sack against Sam Houston State and New Hampshire.

In many ways both units will find out if they’re trending towards being elite or average.

Alabama transfer and starting center James Brockermeyer said the onus will be on him to get the unit playing up to their standards against the Knights.

“I think it starts with me being good at communication,” Brockermeyer said Tuesday. “Making sure everybody is on the same page. A lot of teams will do a bunch of movement and create a lot of confusion up front so it’s important for everybody to be on the same page so we can handle that movement and give our backs some holes to hit.”

If LIU and Stanford had success using late movement, you can expect UCF to follow the same blueprint. Another thing TCU has to be mindful of is the fact the Knights likely were able to just play base defense against their first two opponents because of the talent gap.

UCF will likely use looks TCU hasn’t seen on film yet, so being able to adjust on the offensive line and on the sideline will be imperative for TCU to start fast.