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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GAMEDAY PREVIEW
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
TCU is young on the offensive side of the ball. Coach Gary Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the offense is still adjusting to the speed of the game. Senior quarterback Casey Pachall has been out for most of the season after having surgery on his injured left arm. Sophomore quarterback Treone Boykin is a quarterback that can scramble out of the pocket, but he has to improve his vision downfield in the passing game.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
QB Trevone Boykin 2 So.
TE Stephen Bryant 49 Jr.
WR Josh Doctson 9 So.
WR Brandon Carter 3 Jr.
WR Cam White 88 Jr.
RB Waymon James 32 Sr.
LT James Dunbar 56 Sr.
LG Jamelle Naff 77 So.
C Joey Hunt 55 So.
RG Eric Tausch 73 Sr.
RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai 71 Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
TCU has some outstanding returners with BJ. Catalon and Brandon Carter. The Horned Frogs ran in the top five nationally in kickoff return yards and top 20 in punt return yards. The kicking game is also solid for TCU, as Jaden Oberkrom has made 11 of his last 13 field goal attempts and 59 straight point-after attempts dating back to last season.
AT A GLANCE
Schematically the Horned Frogs are pretty straightforward. They don't run many trick plays, or line up in different formations on either side of the ball. But expect to see a talented and physical team, especially on defense, take the field against Kansas on Saturday.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF
TCU's defense overwhelms Kansas' offensive line and puts pressure on Jake Heaps. The secondary of TCU will force Heaps to be as accurate as possible, and if he is having to run out of the pocket at the same time then the Jayhawks will not have much chance to move the ball with any consistency.
QUESTION MARKS
Can TCU get a passing game going? Like Kansas, TCU will need to move the ball and give its defense some rest on the sidelines. There are no questions concerning the TCU defense, besides whether or not
star lineman Devonte Fields will be healthy enough to play.
DEFENSE
The defense is the foundation of the TCU team, and they likely will not do anything to surprise the Kansas coaches. The Horned Frogs defense is just a tough, solid unit. In five games TCU is tied for fourth in the nation with 18 sacks, and seventh in the nation with nine interceptions.
Cornerback Jason Verrett is the active leader in tackles (143) and interceptions (7) for TCU, and leads one of the top secondaries in the nation. Since the start of the 2012 season, Verrett leads the nation in most passes defended.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
LE Jon Koontx 97 Sr.
DT Chucky Hunter 96 Jr.
DT Davion Pierson 57 So.
RE Terrell Lathan 90 So.
MLB Jonathan Anderson 41 Jr.
OLB Marcus Mallet 54 Jr.
CB Jason Verrett 2 Sr.
WS Chris Hacklett 1 So.
FS Elisha Olabode 6 Sr.
SS Sam Carter 17 Jr.
CB Kevin White 25 Jr.
PLAYER TO WATCH
COACHING
Gary Patterson has 118 wins at TCU, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 in coaches at their current school and seventh nationally. Patterson coaches a team built around toughness and strong defense.
MOMENTUM
Right now, the Horned Frogs don't have much momentum coming off of a three-point loss to Oklahoma. TCU has a 2-3 record and will be looking to get the offense rolling. Trevone Boykin has shown his running ability, but will be looking to gain some chemistry with his receivers.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Junior running back Connor Embree runs the ball during the Oct. 5 game against Texas Tech.
BY THE NUMBERS
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
101 Number of rushing yards Trevone Boykin had against Texas Tech
15 TCU players with a reception this season
18 Sacks by the TCU defense this season
— Edited by Sarah Kramer
Junior quarterback Jake Heaps calls out signals before a play during the game against Texas Tech at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 5. The Jayhawks lost 54-16.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Junior quarterback Jake Heaps gets sacked during the Oct. 5 game against Texas Tech.
THI