Thoughts on Thursday: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Texas Tech Prediction
By Rich Lynch
Thoughts on Thursday: No. 24 TCU Horned Frogs(1-1) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders(2-0)
I am thinking of a letter between A and Z. What is it?
Come on now, “T.”
The TCU Horned Frogs HAD one of the best helmets in college football but their tradition has lost out to the Nike sports marketing machine. TCU has also lost the services of embattled senior Quarterback Casey Pachall. Pachall missed last season because of off-field issues and will miss the rest of this season on account of a broken arm.
Sophomore Trevone Boykin replaces Pachall. Boykin did a great job relieving Pachall last season and the Horned Frogs offense will not miss a step with the sophomore under center.
TCU lost the first game of the season to the perennially dominant LSU Tigers at the neutral field Cowboys Stadium in Arlington all of 18 miles from TCU’s campus, 37-27. The Frogs rebounded mightily with a 38-17 beating of SE Louisiana last weekend. Coming off that win, this is an important game for TCU. A road victory proves to the voters that it belongs in the top 25, but more importantly goes a long way toward a chance to play for the Big 12 championship. And this year, anything can transpire in a conference that is known for “wide-open” play and “wide-open” pay.
Texas Tech is coached by former Red Raiders quarterback Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury did a good job babysitting Johnny Manziel as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator last season. Now the training wheels are off, and Kingsbury gets to manage — literally — his own program.
Texas Tech is still uber-productive offensively in the spread formation as evidenced by the combined 102 points it has scored in two wins over SMU and Stephen F. Austin. A win here is key, as this is the marquee game in an early season slate that has Texas State, Kansas and Iowa State ahead, before Tech runs through the gauntlet of the Big 12. The Red Raiders have to build up the wins at home while they are able.
Expect a high scoring tilt. The key to this game is one player: TCU senior Cornerback Jason Verrett. Verrett can cover anyone, and is a surefire first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Ask Odell Beckham what he thinks of Verrett.
If Verrett can set the tone to disrupt Tech’s high-powered offense and force Texas Tech freshman quarterback Baker Mayfield to throw away from his side of the field often, rendering the freshman one-dimensional TCU wins. Otherwise, this game comes down to the wire.
Final Score: Texas Tech 30, TCU 29