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Since these predictions came out, the line has apparently moved from 11.5 to 13.5... maybe Max Duggan is indeed banged up? At least that’s what Gary Patterson has told us: his QB, along with Zach Evans and Quentin Johnston are all questionable on offense, and the defense is a sieve of injuries thus far. The Sooners also have some QB controversy, but we all know who will be QB1 come Saturday night.
Well, while the odds are long, there’s still a believer or two amongst the FOW staff. Here are our thoughts on Saturday’s tussle: add yours in the comments!
TCU Football at Oklahoma
| Name | Did Saturday’s win at Texas Tech make you feel any differently about the state of TCU Football? | Which non-running back player most impressed you Saturday? | What’s something you saw in Saturday’s game that surprised you, either in a good or negative way? | Does Oklahoma potentially changing starting quarterbacks make you feel better or worse about this weekend’s game? | Which player for the Sooners most concerns you? | TCU is an 11.5 dog Saturday. Do the Frogs have a chance of pulling off the upset, and if so, how do they do it? | Which matchup are you most looking forward to? | Who wins, what's the score, and how do we get there? |
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| Name | Did Saturday’s win at Texas Tech make you feel any differently about the state of TCU Football? | Which non-running back player most impressed you Saturday? | What’s something you saw in Saturday’s game that surprised you, either in a good or negative way? | Does Oklahoma potentially changing starting quarterbacks make you feel better or worse about this weekend’s game? | Which player for the Sooners most concerns you? | TCU is an 11.5 dog Saturday. Do the Frogs have a chance of pulling off the upset, and if so, how do they do it? | Which matchup are you most looking forward to? | Who wins, what's the score, and how do we get there? |
| Christian Tjoa | Not really? I think the defense has been the problem all year, and that was again the case against Tech. Their defense just happened to be even worse; I mean look at some of those holes Kendre and Zach ran through! | I’m going to give a shout-out to Coy McMillon and Andrew Coker, who both have had their struggles but were both integral parts of a rock solid OL on Saturday. | I was pleasantly surprised at how much the secondary has improved, even after injuries forced guys like Donavann Collins into action. | I will feel worse if Williams starts, but less talented QBs than Rattler have looked like superstars against us this year (see: Garbers, Chase) | Kennedy Brooks | Do we have a chance? Of course. It’s going to rely on Max showcasing more of the deep accuracy he flashed against Tech, the defense holding Kennedy Brooks to solid rather than Heisman level numbers, and a decent amount of turnover luck. | Zach Evans/Kendre Miller vs OU Front | Oklahoma wins 52-35. Not only is this the worst TCU defense in recent memory, but Lincoln Riley has owned GP even when the Frogs have had vintage defenses. Kennedy Brooks is going to run wild, and Caleb Williams scares me a ton. TCU offense just won’t be able to keep up. I’ll believe us beating OU when I see it; prove me wrong boys! |
| Ryan Bunnell | Winning is fun. | TJ Carter | Gary actually fed Zach Evans, and as we all predicted: he went off. Imagine what could be if he maintained that workload for a full game... | Worse. Caleb Williams > Spencer Rattler | Caleb Williams | I give the Frogs about a 15% chance to pull off the upset, but I do believe the Frogs cover the +11.5 point spread considering Oklahoma has played every team close this season. | Marvin Mims vs THT | Oklahoma wins 38-30. For some reason I feel like the Frogs get off to a hot start but eventually Caleb Williams will find his rhythm which is bad news for us. That being said, I'm all for a TCU upset. |
| Colin Post: lead optimist | Sort of. Before the game, there were real questions about if TCU was near the bottom of the Big 12 barrel. This game proved to us that the Frogs are a middle of the pack team, which still hurts to think about given preseason expectations. | THT, but for originality sake Nook Bradford. He's struggled to read situations well at times this year but played very well in coverage against the Red Raiders. He and THT were the only two members of the secondary that had a good game. | It surprised me how easily Kendre Miller ran the ball. He's clearly improved when it comes to reading defenses, which I expect is a result of being teammates with Zach. I love the idea of 15-20 carries for Zeke and 8-12 for Kendre every game. | It doesn't matter. Either will be the best QB TCU faces in the regular season, so I'm worried about our secondary either way. Caleb is more dynamic, but Spencer is insanely efficient. Both are scary. | Nick Bonitto: this guy is a monster, and I don't think TCU has the personnel to double team him. He was a big reason why UT led Red River slip away, and it could be a long day for Duggan/Downing if he isn't contained. | Absolutely. This OU team has little offensive identity currently and a characteristically spotty defense. Winning the turnover battle, getting to Williams/Rattler, and completing a few deep balls to Davis/Barber/QJ (if available) will present TCU with an opportunity to shock the Sooners. | Marvin Mims vs THT | I feel really good about this. TCU wins 31-24 in a game that gives them real life this season. Max finally hits a deep ball, the run game dominates, and the defense produces three turnovers and three sacks. DM me on Twitter (colinp_3) to roast me. I dare you. |
| Russ Hodges | Saturday reinforced what we already knew: TCU can run the football effectively, but the defense remains a huge problem and there isn't enough happening in the passing game. | TJ Carter finished with 12 tackles, which was nice to see considering how poorly TCU has tackled on defense this season. Carter has been a bright spot for a depleted secondary. | Ochaun Mathis has one sack through five games, far fewer than what should've been expected for a player who had eight last season. TCU will continue to struggle on defense if Mathis cannot get to the quarterback. | I don't think it matters who starts for the Sooners. I fully expect the matchup to be high-scoring. Whichever team scores last will win. | Kennedy Brooks | Absolutely. TCU nearly knocked off the Sooners in Normal two years ago, but Max Duggan struggled mightily. Duggan will need a season-best performance on Saturday. | Marvin Mims vs THT | TCU 42, Oklahoma 38 |
| Garrett Podell | I have a renewed optimism about the offense featuring Zach Evans and making the game easier for Max Duggan. The defense still has some clear issues in the secondary. | Khari Coleman looked better as he's rounding into form after his injury | I was pleasantly surprised at how consistently easy it was for TCU's offense to rip off big gains on the ground. That needs to be a staple of the offense moving forward. | It makes me feel slightly better that they aren't satisfied with Spencer Rattler's play considering he carved up TCU's defense in Fort Worth a year ago. Perhaps Gary Patterson has some tricks up his sleeve for a true freshman quarterback. | Kennedy Brooks | I think there's a slim chance if Zach Evans and Kendre Miller both go off again and if the defense can crank up the pressure on their pass rush. | Gary Patterson vs a true freshman QB | Oklahoma 35, TCU 31 |
| Melissa | Not really. It did show us that TCU can win on the road, and we did assert our will against a bad team. But man, Texas Tech is a bad team. And we didn't really work on any of the things, especially on offense, that have concerned us to this point. So I don't feel more confident heading into Saturday that I did before the Frogs beat the Red Raiders. | I thought TJ Carter had one of his better games, and getting him back was huge. I also continue to like what Blair Conwright brings to the table at wide receiver. I think he's going to have a breakout game this season. | How unwilling we were to throw the ball. I know the run game was working, I know you were missing two starters on the offensive line, and maybe Max Duggan is indeed banged up. BUT... to hear GP come out Tuesday and say "OU isn't going to let you run the ball, we're going to need to get the passing game going" after not working on that at all in live game action when they had the chance? C'mon, man. | Oh definitely worse. Spencer Rattler has had his way with TCU, but Caleb Williams is so much better. | Kennedy Brooks | Of course they have a chance, but it's a long shot at best. TCU will need to get the true freshman QB uncomfortable, hope for a few lucky bounces/turnovers, and need a huge day from Max Duggan -- who hasn't had a big game yet in 2021. | Marvin Mims vs THT | Oklahoma 38, TCU 28. Frogs and Sooners trade touchdowns on their opening drive and a turnover gives TCU an early lead. But OU adjusts in the second half and Caleb Williams and co are able to do enough to win going away. |
| Deanna Rust | Apparently we can run the ball! Who knew?!? (OK, we all knew, but we actually got to see it happen last week!). I’m still concerned about how we finish the season as a whole, but it was nice to see that it could all come together on both sides of the ball. | Carter and Winters both stepped up their tackles, but Carter had 12 tackles against Tech and only 15 across the previous 4 games. It was nice to see the secondary have a good game last week. | It was nice to see the use of our running backs (and more than just Evans) surprised me in a good way. I was also impressed with how unpredictable we kept the offense when it became clear we were going to run the ball A LOT. | I’ve thought Rattler was over-rated for a long time, so I think they’re ridiculous if they’re going to keep him in purely because they’re not ready to give up on his (read: Riley’s) Heisman dream. That being said, Williams definitely has me concerned. He seemed to have a better connection with the receivers (literally) and I think he reads a defense much better. | Marvin Mims | If we want any chance at an upset, we have to: 1. Hold onto the ball 2. Have ZERO interceptions/opportunities for interceptions 3. Run the ball 4. Limit penalties 5. Did I mention hold onto the ball?? | Zach Evans/Kendre Miller vs OU Front | 55-45 OU. I don’t think we’ll get the upset this week. I don’t think OU will completely run away with things, but I do think they’ll end up with a clear win. I expect we might keep it close in the beginning, but fall farther behind in the second half. |