The TCU Horned Frogs head into Memorial Stadium to have a good ole’ fashioned showdown with their in-state rivals the Texas Longhorns. The BIG-12 contest is set to go off on Friday, November 25th at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Lone Star State match-up can be seen on Fox Sports 1 for your viewing entertainment. Heading into this game, the Longhorns are a -3 point favorite and the over/under is notched in at 59.5.
The victor on Friday will punch their ticket to the postseason. But obviously that won’t be the story when the Horned Frogs and the Longhorns meet for the 87th time. The big story will be whether Texas coach Charlie Strong will be coaching his last game for the Longhorns.
TCU (5-5):
The Horned Frogs haven’t been much better than the Longhorns this season, though Gary Patterson has more than enough gold stars on his homework to avoid the same fate Charlie Strong is facing.
TCU has been one of the Big-12’s biggest disappointments in the nation this year. They did play their best game of the year when they manhandled Baylor to the tune of 62-22. Instead of building on that positive outcome, the Horned Frogs came out and laid another egg against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
A huge reason that TCU hasn’t been able to patch together more wins than loses, is the inconsistent play of their quarterback Kenny Hill. At times, Hill looks like a superstar by making plays with his feet as well as his arms. Other times the signal-caller looks confused and makes bad decisions with the rock. All totaled, Hill has over 2,800 yards passing with 15 scores and 12 picks.
The Horned Frogs like to throw the ball around the field as their first option on offense, but when they run they turn to tail back Kyle Hicks. Hicks has scampered for 836 yards on 155 attempts and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Kenny Hill also pitches in on the running game, running for over 400 yards and seven scores.
Four Horned Frog wide receivers have caught the lion share of Kenny Hills passes this season. Together, they have brought in over 110 passes for almost 1,700 yards and 12 trips to pay-dirt. Taj Williams leads this posse with 36 catches for 679 yards and five touchdowns.
Uncharacteristically, the TCU defense has struggled to stop anybody throughout their 2016 campaign. The front seven allows 166 yards per game rushing, ranking 63rd in the nation. the back half is even worse, giving way to over 256 yards per game (101st).
Texas (5-6):
The Longhorns are one of the youngest teams in the nation, beginning with true freshman quarterback Shane Buechele. Texas looks poorly prepared at times, which is at certain times in their games, while making too many mistakes along the way. As a result, the Longhorns have lost five of their six games by a touchdown or less.
Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele has done a pretty good job considering the pressure that has been put on him throughout the 2016 season. On the year, Buechele has completed 220 balls for over 2,700 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Longhorns like to tote the rock via their ground attack, and have been pretty successful doing just that. A huge portion of that has been accomplished by one of the nation’s best running backs, D’Onta Foreman. The overlooked stud has rumbled for 1,863 yards on 292 carries with 15 trips to the promised land.
Texas spreads the ball around to seven different pass catchers who all have over 20 grabs and all but one have three touchdowns. Not one Longhorn receiver stands out as all of them almost have equal stats. Next season, this group should be a wonderful unit for Shane Buechele to toss the ball around to.
Like TCU, Texas has struggled to stop anybody thought their 2016 season. The Longhorns rank 74th in the nation against the run, yielding to 179 yards a contest. The secondary is even worse, allowing 265 yards a game which is good for 108th in the country.
Trends and Notes:
The Horned Frogs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Longhorns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Under is 4-1 in the Horned Frogs last 5 games overall.
The Under is 6-0 in the Longhorns last 6 games overall.
Game Prediction:
TCU can write a nice ending to an otherwise disappointing season with a win against Texas on Friday. If that happens, the Horned Frogs become bowl eligible and can earn a little extra money for the program’s down year.
Texas is also in the same boat as TCU with one exception, Charlie Strong probably will be coaching his last regular season game for the Longhorns. Texas is at home and should have enough motivation to perform at their best for this game.
The problem with laying down a prediction on the Horned Frogs is that you never know what team will decide to show up to play. With a bowl bid on the line, expect TCU to come out swinging against a vulnerable Texas defense.
One thing we know about the Longhorns is, their games are usually high scoring at close. This game won’t be any different because Texas is playing for the post-season themselves.
This game should be a close affair and three point spread could go anyway. Being that as it may, don’t worry on the final spread and instead put your greenbacks on both teams to find the end zone in bunches. Take the over 59.5 as your play in this in-state grudge-match.
