The TCU Horned Frogs didn’t expect to be without their starting quarterback so soon, making their visit to Lubbock and their game against the quite hot Texas Tech to look a lot more complicated than they initially thought, especially when thinking about last season’s encounter between the team.
TCU tried to keep up with Seth Doege and the Red Raiders last season, but the three-overtime game ended in a 56-53 win for Texas Tech, with Doege throwing 7 touchdown passes. It seems like his replacement, Baker Mayfield, a Freshman, isn’t doing too bad either.
Texas Tech have started out their season with two high scoring wins over SMU and SF Austin, with Mayfield throwing for 780 yards and 7 touchdowns in the wins, while also being the leading rusher for the team at 82 yards on 21 carries. However, we shouldn’t expect to see too much running from Kliff Klingsbury team.
TCU will be without Casey Pachall, which forces Trevone Boykin into the game. He isn’t a bad quarterback, but Patterson would prefer his original pick to be starting, even though Boykin has done reasonably well in his two games against LSU and the win over Southeastern Louisiana, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdown passes.
The problem is that Boykin isn’t a real quarterback. The Frogs went 3-6 with him under center last season after Pachall led the team on a 4-0 start. He can make plays with his feet, and there seems to be plenty of confidence from his teammates regarding the change, but he simply isn’t as good of a passer, and the TCU running game (80th in the nation so far) isn’t good enough to make up for that right now.
Defense will have to hold the fort for them, and the key is Devnote Fields, who will be able to play only one half, still having a bit left from his two game suspension. In the win over SE Louisiana, Horned Frogs allowed three points with him on the field after giving up 51 through their first six quarters of the season without him.
Prediction – Mayfield maybe a bit special, especially considering he isn’t a pass-only quarterback on a Texas Tech team specializing in them, but he’s going to face a defense that’s a lot better than anything he’s seen this season. If he can’t give the Red Raiders a big enough lead by the time Fields comes to play, TCU come up with the road win.