Number 15 Texas travels to Fort Worth to play unranked TCU this Saturday in another Big XII matchup. The Horned Frogs are favored by two-and-a-half points, likely due to the Longhorns narrowly escaping Kansas at home last week. Texas dominates the overall record between these two schools at 63-25-1. TCU leads Texas 5-2 since joining the Big XII. They have won four of their last five games against Texas. The Longhorns won last year 31-16. Let’s take a closer look as we preview Texas at TCU.
What To Expect From TCU
TCU has a 3-3 record this season including a loss to rival SMU. The Horned Frogs are coming off of a two-game losing streak on the road against Iowa State and Kansas State. They currently rank sixth in the Big XII. TCU has the number one defense in the conference, allowing only 281 yards per game. However, they didn’t register a sack or even a tackle for loss last week against Kansas State. Their offense is led by true freshman quarterback Max Duggan who is hoping to spark a stagnant passing game. He averages 141 passing yards per game and has a completion percentage of 56%.
The State Of Texas
Texas narrowly escaped Kansas at home last week in an offensive shootout that came down to a Cameron Dicker field goal in the final seconds. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger finished the game with 399 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He has now thrown for 2,057 yards this season with 21 touchdowns to only three interceptions. Of Ehlinger and the Texas offense, TCU head coach Gary Patterson says, “He’s just a good player. He’s a finisher. He’s really grown up, he’s been the difference in their offense. They have good skill players, they have their offensive line back, been banged up at running back so they’ve kind of had it by committee, they’ve gotten a couple wide receivers back, but he’s really done a good job.”
The Longhorn defense, riddled with injuries, ranks 126 out of 130 in total passing defense. They allowed 301 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air against Kansas. Jayhawks quarterback Carter Stanley posted season highs in total passing yards and touchdowns against Texas last week.
Injury Update
Cornerback Jalen Green (shoulder) and safety BJ Foster (hamstring) are both practicing this week but remain questionable to start on Saturday. Safety Demarvion Overshown is being evaluated for a back injury. Safety Caden Sterns (knee) will not be available to play this week. Running back Jordan Whittington (torn adductor) is running but remains questionable against TCU. Additionally, wide receiver Brennan Eagles is rumored to have missed some practices this week due to personal reasons, and his status for Saturday remains unclear. Head Coach Tom Herman has not publicly commented on Eagles this week.
Preview and Prediction
The Longhorns can expect to be challenged by defensive guru Gary Patterson in Fort Worth. Sam Ehlinger has already sustained 22 sacks for the season, the most in the Big XII. With a mangled defense, the pressure will be on the Texas offense to pull off the win.I expect strong performances by running backs Roschon Johnson and Keontay Ingram with a 31-24 Longhorn victory.
