Keys to the Game: TCU vs. Texas Tech

The Frogs revive an old SWC showdown this Saturday as Texas Tech makes a visit to Amon Carter Stadium for the first time since 2006. Both teams are coming off big wins last week so this matchup should be a good one. Texas Tech has a high powered offense similar to Baylor, so the Frogs will need a similar game plan on defense. The difference is the Red Raiders actually try and play defense so the TCU offense will need to come up big once again. Here are the Keys to the Game.

Limit Big Plays: I said it last week, and it is the same for this week. The Frogs cannot allow Texas Tech to make big plays down the field. That seems to be the biggest weakness for the TCU secondary. They allowed two 70+ yard touchdowns last week in Waco. I don’t know if the Frogs can win if they do that again on Saturday.

Pressure Seth Doege: In the Raiders lone loss this season to Oklahoma, the Sooners were able to sack Doege two times and force three interceptions. The Frogs defensive line has been doing a better job of getting after the QB as of late. The big question mark at this point is whether or not Maponga will be able to go. If not, someone will need to step up to alleviate some of the focus on Devonte Fields.

Control Time of Possession: TCU held the ball for nearly 42 minutes against Baylor which kept the Bears offense off the field and the Frogs defense fresh. The TCU offense needs to continue their success on third down and establish the running game early on. The less time the Tech offense is on the field the better.

Protect Trevone Boykin: We saw last week that when you give Boykin time to scan the field, he can be deadly. He also has the ability to scramble and make big plays happen with his feet as well. As long as the TCU offensive line can keep Boykin off the ground, it will give him the time to make plays with either the pass or run.

I expect this to be a close, tough fought game the entire way. If the Frogs play similar to the way they did against Baylor, they can win this game. The important thing is they must take care of the small things. Don’t turn the ball over, be disciplined on defense, and don’t commit penalties. If TCU wants to win this game they can, it just depends on which Frog team shows up.