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Preview: Horned Frogs at Texas

October 2, 2020

Greetings from the Capital City!

Game 2 has gotten here quickly and the story lines are stacked for the Frogs’ trip to DKR-Memorial Stadium.

The Frogs have plenty to prove against a team that TCU has had success against since joining the Big 12, going 6-2 against the ‘Horns (and five out of the last six). Austin media has been reminding Texas of that record this week. They’re tired of hearing it.

For TCU, shoring up the defense and turning the offensive weapons loose through solid execution will be the goal.

Big plays plagued the Frogs last week against Iowa State, but those are correctable.

There’s big talent on that D and I’m looking for huge improvement, especially against the run. Texas will try to establish the run game with a solid running back in #26 Keaontay Ingram and running quarterback #11 Sam Ehlinger. The Frogs’ front seven has to be good.

Keep an eye on Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger — he has a lot in common with TCU's quarterback Max Duggan. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Photo by Ellman Photography

Keep an eye on Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger — he has a lot in common with TCU’s quarterback Max Duggan. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Photo by Ellman Photography

Texas is 2-0 with wins over UTEP and on the road last week in overtime in Lubbock. The Texas offense is averaging 61 points per game so far. The Longhorns had to score 63 last week and they did it. I mentioned QB Sam Ehlinger, who the Frogs confused into four interceptions last year. Ehlinger is a true dual-threat quarterback and he and Max Duggan are very similar — this should be a fun QB matchup. Texas coach Tom Herman hired a new offensive coordinator in the off-season and he’s a familiar face. Mike Yurcich was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2013 to 2018. Yurcich was 3-3 vs TCU, losing the last two. Yurcich is an aggressive play caller who wants to run the football and sling it into the flat to make the defense work, then he’ll take long shots down field to some of Texas’ fleet of receivers, among them #6 Joshua Moore and #14 Oregon/Arizona transfer Brenden Schooler. The offensive line for Texas has been reworked since struggling at times against Tech. In the third quarter last week in Lubbock, UT’s offense went dead, allowing Tech opportunities that the Red Raiders cashed in for 21 points.

In the defense, the Horns have a new boss, too. Tom Herman cleaned house on both sides of the ball and brought in a defensive coordinator, Chris Ash, the former head coach at Rutgers. Herman and Ash worked together at Ohio State. It’s a 4-2-5 scheme that masks linebacker problems. The best player on the field for Texas defensively is #46 Joseph Ossai, who TCU’s offensive line will have to figure out.

Another O-Line performance like the one TCU had against Iowa State, and it will be a long day for the Frogs.

The Frogs have to be solid up front.

Tech had success throwing to underneath crossing routes and was able to make physical plays against the Texas secondary. The Red Raiders amassed 441 yards, 59 points as the Texas defense melted in the fourth quarter. The TCU offense looked good in spots last week and with Max Duggan at the helm. There’s a lot of speed on this side of the ball and I’m looking for Nebraska transfer JD Spielman to get more touches on Saturday. At least fifteen sound good to me.

There’s room for the Frogs to work here. Make the most of it.

I like the early start for TCU in this situation. They can get up, eat breakfast, get taped and go play. DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium will not be the same with just 25,000 fans spread out all over the stadium. The Frogs will be able to communicate and hear each other and they’ll need to for the full 60 minutes.

Physicality will rule the day in this one, which will be a shootout.

A great matchup of two very good quarterbacks, defenses with a lot to prove and a chess match between Gary Patterson, a defensive mastermind, and Tom Herman, who has been described as an offensive genius.

We’re on the air for breakfast on the Horned Frogs Sports Network at 10 a.m. CDT on WBAP 820 AM, KTCU 88.7 FM, XM392, TuneIn and the Riff Ram app. Get your coffee, cinnamon roll and tune in. You can even stay in you PJs!

Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!