To say TCU head coach Gary Patterson was not happy after his Horned Frogs dropped a home Big 12 game against Oklahoma would be a bit of an understatement. He was ticked and firing shots at the Big 12 officiating in the game in his postgame comments, and he even took a shot at Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Patterson was not pleased with a sequence toward the end of the game that ultimately resulted in an intentional grounding penalty on his quarterback Kenny Hill. Making the moment even more infuriating was the fact the initial call was for no intentional grounding, which was soon overturned by the officials on the field after a brief discussion after Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops threw his headset down in anger and lobbied for the call.
“The bottom line to it is, in his estimation, [Hill] didn’t have anyone to throw to,” Patterson said, referring to the official who threw the initial flag for intentional grounding. “Mine was he got hit, so I don’t know how he can tell he couldn’t throw it to him.”
Patterson also lamented over some missed holding calls on Oklahoma, which every coach can probably gloss over following a game. But what was a bit eye-opening was what Patterson appeared to say in relation to Mayfield.
“We talk about sportsmanship in this game, and I’ve got a quarterback that writes a whole article on me, how I treated him wrong. But I can’t talk about officials. Bottom line to it is, I wasn’t happy with the officiating.”
Last December, Mayfield shared his side of the story about his previous recruitment process with TCU. According to Mayfield, TCU was going to offer him a scholarship that never came his way.
“They kind of hung me out to dry right before signing day,” Mayfield said in an interview with USA Today, suggesting Patterson does not like him. Mayfield ended up walking on at Texas Tech before ultimately transferring to Oklahoma. Mayfield is now 3-0 against TCU.
It would appear Patterson has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and a 3-2 record with two home losses can do that to a coach. TCU will get a chance to bounce back and get back in the Big 12 hunt this week when they head to Kansas before taking on West Virginia on the road on October 22 (after a bye week).