The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that…

Oh, wait, that’s still three months away — exactly three months — but it feels like that, doesn’t it?

Saturday, finally, we all get to open gifts from Coach P and TCU Football and it’s been slower than Christmas coming.

Cal, no wait, Prairie View A&M, no wait. OK, Tennessee Tech, no wait. OK, SMU. Nope.

Finally we get to see what the 2020 version of TCU Football looks like under game conditions against Iowa State, albeit it’s different.

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, and tomorrow the environment at Amon G. Carter Stadium will show the effects.

It will be a different-type game day, but it will be game day. So be ready.

Matthew Downing, a sophomore quarterback, will be leading the Horned Frogs on Saturday against Iowa State. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Here are some things to look for:

• TCU’s starting quarterback will be Matthew Downing, a transfer from Georgia, whose brother Michael played on the Frogs’ Alamo Bowl team. He’s good.
• TCU’s rebuilt offensive line will have to be ready to take a on a very good front six from Iowa State. ISU plays a 3-3-5 scheme that morphs into a 4-3 look at times. Their front is good, led by defensive ends #3 JaQuan Bailey and #55 Zach Petersen.
• You may see as many as five different running backs for the Frogs tomorrow. #3 Emari Demercado, a junior, is the old guy in the group, accompanied by redshirt freshmen #24 Darwin Barlow and #21 Daimarqua Foster. Add to the group two talented true freshmen #33 Kendre Miller and #6 Zach Evans, the first 5-star signee in TCU Football history and you’ve got a load of speed and options.
• The TCU receiving corps is deep with speed and size throughout. Watch for #4 Taye Barber, the Frogs’ leading returning receiver and big #81 Pro Wells, who splits out at 6-4 250. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with the ball after the catch.
• Defensively, Gary Patterson rolls out another speedy group that should have no problem getting to the ball. Defensive tackle #94 Corey Bethley is one of my favorites and #30 Garret Wallow is the best linebacker in the nation.
• The secondary is deep water and will be dangerous for Frogs’ opponents. A pair of stellar safeties in #7 Trevon Moehrig and #20 La’Kendrick Van Zandt are among the best anywhere and are ball hawks. They get Nook Bradford back and Noah Daniels returns at one cornerback spot to add experience to an already sticky group.

Sure, Iowa State is coming off of a loss to Louisiana (kicking game meltdowns), but the Cyclones are talented.

Head Coach Matt Campbell has turned a once Big 8 doormat program into a contender by recruiting speed, big linemen and huge tight ends. (When Matt Campbell arrived in Ames, Iowa, there wasn’t a tight end on campus!) Watch out for #88 Charlie Kolar, who’s a top rated tight end and should go high in next spring’s NFL draft. He’s 6-6 260 and he’s a handful.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is as good as they get in the Big 12 – coming into 2020. He’s No. 1 in school history in 300-yard passing games (9), 2nd in completion percentage (66 percent), No. 3 in passing yards (6232) and No. 3 in touchdown passes in a career (43). Last year he set just about every single-season record at Iowa State. When he’s not throwing it, he’s handing it to 215-pound pile driver, #28 Breece Hall, who will stomp his way through defenses — he ran for nearly 900 yards last year and did it in eight games!

Things I need to see from the Frogs this year:

• Be bigger and tougher in the red zone on offense — last year, the Frogs were 1-6 in one-score games. Just eight more touchdowns would have meant five more wins.
• Get solid quarterback play — they don’t have to be great, they just have to be solid. Distribute the ball to play-makers and protect the football.
• The offensive line has to develop and stay healthy.
• Be great tacklers — no missed tackles, especially in the open field.
• Secondary has to create turnovers and takeaways. This group has the speed and the talent to match the Rose Bowl team’s production in the back half. (2010 saw the Frogs get five pick-6’s.)
• Turn JD Spielman loose in the return game. He’s an extreme talent with the ability to score from anywhere on the field.

We’re on the air on the Horned Frogs Sports Network at 11:30 a.m. I’ll talk to you then.

And don’t forget to hang your stocking…

Kick ‘Em High!