Game Thread: #7 TCU Football at West Virginia Mountaineers

The TCU Horned Frogs head out on the second road trip of the Big 12 season to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown, WV on Saturday October 29 at 11:00 AM (Central). The game will be broadcast on ESPN and streaming on the ESPN App.

The Mountaineers have had a disappointing start to the season, losing its first two games in heartbreaking fashion, but the squad has been strong when playing at home as only one of its four losses have been in Morgantown, in OT vs. Kansas. WVU will be looking to play spoiler to TCU’s perfect season. The Horned Frogs enter the game ranked #7 in the AP Poll with a 7-0 start and coming off four consecutive wins over teams ranked in the Top-20 at the time of the game.

The ‘Eers will be without leading rusher Tony Mathis against the Frogs, after leaving last week’s game vs. Texas Tech with an injury. However, CJ Donaldson looks ready to return after sitting out last week and he’s a versatile weapon. The WVU offense is led by JT Daniels, the former 5-star QB who transferred from USC and Georgia, with an up-and-down season. He flashes talent on throws that dazzle but also has been susceptible to costly turnovers. He is surrounded with talented pass catchers, as Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Kaden Prather, and Sam James are all capable of taking advantage of any space the TCU Defense gives them. Defensively, the Mountaineers have Dante Stills back on the defensive line for a 5th season and he’s leading the unit in sacks.

TCU enters the game as third in the country in offensive yards per game, only behind Tennessee and Georgia, led by Max Duggan’s 19-1 TD-INT rate. Duggan is averaging over 307 yards per game started and over 60 yards per game rushing in conference play. On the receiving end of Duggan’s passes is a stable of skill talent led by all-world Quentin Johnston. QJ has scored in three straight games while averaging over 153 yards per game in that span. TE Jared Wiley has been the breakout weapon for TCU’s Offense the past two weeks, securing key first down catches and scoring critical TDs, including the score that sent the game vs. Oklahoma State to overtime. Kendre Miller is averaging over 120 rushing yards per game in Big 12 play and is making life miserable for opposing defenses, rarely getting stopped behind the line of scrimmage. Defensively the Frogs will try to avoid falling behind early after needing 2nd half shutouts to help the Frogs climb out of early holes. Dee Winters from the LB spot continues to lead TCU in sacks, while Josh Newton and Bud Clark each have 2 interceptions and will be looking to force the Mountaineers into mistakes.

Join the conversation in the comment section below as we ride the game day rollercoaster together. Go Frogs!