TCU Football: Leading rusher Darius Anderson could miss rest of season
By Dana Becker
TCU football still controls their fate in the Big 12 race, but they might have to venture on minus a key piece of the Horned Frog offense.
Head coach Gary Patterson believes leading rusher Darius Anderson could miss the remainder of the season with an injury to his right foot. The Horned Frogs lost to Oklahoma this past Saturday night, 38-20.
“I don’t know if he’ll play, probably, the rest of the season,” Patterson said. “Big loss, but like I told (the team), ‘Who’s the next guy?’ If you were complaining because you weren’t getting enough carries, now it’s your turn.”
Anderson, just a sophomore, stepped in when Kyle Hicks was injured earlier this season. He has rushed for 768 yards and eight touchdowns.
Hicks has since returned to the field and will be counted on to help replace Anderson along with Sewo Olonilua.
Anderson was limited to seven carries for 42 yards vs. Oklahoma with a touchdown. Hicks ran for 38 yards on 10 carries and Olonilua had four carries for 10.
Last year, Hicks ran for 1,042 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, but has been limited to just 93 carries for 473 yards and three scores this season.
More offensive production will also be required from senior quarterback Kenny Hill. The Texas A&M transfer threw for 270 yards vs. Oklahoma after failing to surpass the 200-yard mark in games vs. Iowa State and Texas. He has 16 passing touchdowns and five interceptions, adding three scores on the ground.
Hill has a five-touchdown game and two four-score outings, but has also failed to throw a touchdown in four games this season.
If TCU (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) wins out, they’ll earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship game in December. They face Texas Tech this weekend before closing the year with Baylor.
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The Sooners remain a game head of TCU, Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the conference standings. The Horned Frogs, though, hold tiebreakers over the Cowboys and Mountaineers thanks to wins earlier this year over both.