Last year, Texas Christian struggled through one of their toughest years in Gary Patterson’s tenure.  Their offense was anemic for most of the season as they shuffled between Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin at quarterback.  And even their defense, Patterson’s specialty, struggled to tame the up-tempo Big 12 offenses, allowing more than 25 points per game. 

That team went 4-8, giving them a 6-12 conference record in the Horned Frogs’ first two years in the Big 12.  The uncertainty regarding TCU was palpable, and Patterson knew that he must make a change.

Immediately after the 2013 season ended, he scrapped the traditional balanced offense he had relied on so much in the past.  In an effort to match some of the other potent offenses in the Big 12, he hired two Air Raid disciples to revolutionize the TCU offense into a contender.

TCU lured Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham from Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, respectively, to be co-offensive coordinators.

What followed has been one of the most dramatic transformations in recent memory.  The TCU offense leads the nation in scoring and trails only arch rival Baylor in yards per game.  That production has translated into team success as well, as the Horned Frogs were ranked seventh in the nation in the first College Football Playoff rankings that were unveiled on Tuesday.

And had the Frogs not let a fourth quarter three-touchdown lead slip away against Baylor, they would be undefeated and likely a top-five ranked team.

A lot of that credit has to go to the tandem of Cumbie and Meacham, who have teamed up to infuse an abundance of firepower into the TCU offense.  Cumbie, who led the nation in passing yards and total offense in his one year as Texas Tech’s starting quarterback in 2004, and Meacham have both benefited from coaching under several well respected offensive minds.

Meacham spent eight seasons at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy.  For one of those seasons he had the privilege of learning from Dana Holgorsen, who served as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator in 2010. 

Cumbie played under Mike Leach and Holgorsen at Texas Tech, and then coached under Lincoln Riley, Neal Brown and Kliff Kingsbury at Tech. 

Meacham and Cumbie have experienced instant success in their first season in Fort Worth.  They have found a way to convert Trevone Boykin from a turnover-prone athlete who happened to play quarterback into a quality decision-maker and a solid pocket passer. 

Last season, Boykin took snaps at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, and he never looked comfortable behind center.  This year, he has finally had the opportunity to concentrate solely on quarterback.  The results have been incredible.

Boykin has thrown 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions in 2014, and he has not lost his running ability.  He has rushed for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns so far this year, and his unique blend of speed and arm strength has him as a legitimate Heisman contender.

Cumbie is the Horned Frogs’ quarterbacks coach and deserves a ton of credit for Boykin’s turnaround.  But it is Meacham who has the final say on play calls during the game.  He is on the field, while Cumbie is in the booth, relaying down to Meacham what he sees.

It has worked so far, as TCU scored at least 24 first half points in its first seven games.  The offense was on full display against Cumbie’s alma mater, when the Horned Frogs amassed 735 yards and 82 points against Texas Tech’s beleaguered defense.

Ironically, Holgorsen, the common denominator of these two fine coach’s success, was the latest to fall victim to TCU’s magic.  The Horned Frogs struggled for most of the game against West Virginia’s aggressive 3-3-5 blitzing defense, but a late barrage of points erased a 27-14 deficit for TCU.

The TCU offense got the ball back with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter trailing by two points, and that was plenty of time to mount a drive.  Boykin made a few nifty runs and then found Kolby Listenbee on a broken coverage by the Mountaineers.  A few running plays later got the ball well within range, and a field goal as time expired improved TCU’s record to 7-1.

In the past two years, the Horned Frogs likely wouldn’t have had the necessary offensive firepower to come back from two scores down like they did on Saturday.  But now, they have a high-flying attack that can score in the blink of an eye.

Meacham and Cumbie are a big part of that efficiency, and they will also play an integral role in TCU’s future success.