TCU got some devastating news after the 38-20 loss to Oklahoma: Lead running back Darius Anderson is out for the season, including any and all possible bowl games.
GP confirms that Darius Anderson is out for the year, including a bowl game. He finishes with 768 yards.
— PurpleMenace.com (@TCU_Rivals) November 14, 2017
Anderson suffered an injury in the second quarter of the game against the Sooners, after he had already compiled 42 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He still finished as TCU’s leading rusher on the night. Anderson finishes the year with 768 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
So the question now becomes, how does TCU replace his production? The easy answer is just to give Kyle Hicks the bulk of the work. Hicks, after all, is a proven back, who ran for over 1,000 yards a season ago, and has 483 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns so far this season. He’s also caught 16 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Giving Hicks the nod as a featured back would make sense in many regards, as he’s as complete a back as TCU as had in recent years.
On the other hand, Hicks is injury prone, and the coaches may be hesitant to give him 20-25 touches a game. If that’s the case, Sewo Olonilua would see a significant uptick in his touches outside of the WildFrog formation.
Behind Olonilua, things get a little hazy. Freshman Kenedy Snell saw some significant playing time early in the season, but has taken a backseat over the last month or so, and while Kenny Hill has run well this season, (324 yards gained, before you factor in sack yardage), he appears to be banged up a bit, and is “probable to questionable” for this weekend’s matchup against Texas Tech.
This could also mean we see more of the offensive plays designed around quarterback Shawn Robinson, of which most are running plays (at least from what we’ve seen to this point).
For now, I think Hicks will get the bulk of the work, but things will be on Sonny Cumbie and Curtis Luper’s shoulders to try and figure out a way to keep the running game going in Anderson’s absence.