The Sooners are coming off the biggest comeback victory in school history. TCU comes off a nice road win at Texas Tech. Saturday will tell which team will carry that success forward. With that in mind, we present the Oklahoma vs TCU preview.
Oklahoma vs TCU Preview
TCU
TCU’s season has been a roller coaster ride this year. TCU has arguably the best defense in the conference. The problem has been a very inconsistent offense. As is the case for most teams, quarterback play is behind the offensive issues for TCU. Secondly, TCU has limited talent at wide receiver. Jalen Reagor is one of the best playmakers in the conference. Other than Reagor, TCU has been very inconsistent at the wide receiver position. TCU has had ups and downs during conference play. The success includes a double-digit victory over Texas. In contrast, TCU has a 25-point loss to Iowa State, as well as giving up a late lead at home to Baylor in an overtime loss. Clearly, TCU has the talent to beat any team in the conference. But they just haven’t exhibited consistent good play as evidenced by a 5-5 record.
Oklahoma
The Sooners have a lot of momentum heading into the game with TCU in Norman Saturday night. Oklahoma has much more to play for than TCU. Oklahoma is now in the driver’s seat to play in the Big XII championship game for the fifth straight year, an unprecedented feat.
Defense
Oklahoma had played sub-par defense for the previous two and a half games, until the second half of last Saturday’s game with Baylor. In the second half of that game, the Sooners played absolutely lockdown defense. Oklahoma’s defense held Baylor’s offense scoreless and only three first downs. Obviously, the Sooners’ defense showed that they have the talent and skill to play championship-level football. The question remains is, will the defense exhibit the same aggressive effort they played with the last two quarters. Clearly, the key to the Sooners’ continued success is the play of the defense.
Offense
The Sooners offense has pretty much carried the team most of the season. The Sooners scored a season-low 34 points against Baylor. With that being said they played their poorest half of football the first half last Saturday. Quarterback Jalen Hurts played his poorest game of the year for a little over two quarters against Baylor. To Hurts credit, despite being down and playing poorly, he showed a lot of character and heart bringing the Sooners from behind for the victory. After Hurts fumbled the ball going into the endzone early in the third quarter, he played flawlessly the remainder of the game. While many were calling for Hurts to be replaced by freshman Spencer Rattler, clearly that wasn’t in the team’s best interest. Hurts showed his leadership, he proved that he doesn’t know what it means to quit.
Another issue that was evident Saturday, when it comes to clutch time the coaches have tremendous confidence in the freshmen receivers and tight end. Without question, those young players proved that the moment was not too big for them. The future definitely looks bright for the Oklahoma offense.
The Final Word
Both Oklahoma and TCU still have goals left for this season. TCU still has a chance to get bowl eligible with one more win, against either Oklahoma or more likely West Virginia next week. The Sooners need to continue winning to play in the Big XII Championship and an outside chance to make it into the CFB playoffs.
Oklahoma clearly has the most to play for. Oklahoma and TCU have a history of playing close games regardless of records.
In conclusion, Oklahoma simply has too much talent for TCU to remain competitive with the Sooners for four quarters.
Prediction
Oklahoma 41, TCU 23.
