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Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs proved road warriors last weekend after a 13-7 victory in Salt Lake City against the Utah Utes. The narrow win is much in part due to the stellar defense employed by Andy Avalos, which held the Utes to just 267 total yards.
Heading into a pivotal matchup against Joey McGuire’s 5-2 Red Raiders, the Frogs will have to find a way to replicate their defensive performance against the Utes and kickstart what has been a severely struggling offense.
Pressure Behren Morton:
A key component to Saturday’s matchup with the Red Raiders will be the pressure exerted by the TCU defense. The Horned Frogs found incredible success last week against Utah, tallying four sacks against the Utes.
If the Frogs can apply pressure on the Texas Tech offensive line, Behren Morton will be more susceptible to rushing his throws and failing to go through each of his reads. The more TCU pressures Morton, the better for the defense as it will give the TCU corners and defensive backs a higher chance at making noise and possibly forcing a turnover
Morton is, very quietly, having a solid year. He’s 16th in the nation with 1,926 passing yards and 9th with 17 touchdown passes. The Red Raiders offense is one of the best in the nation as well, averaging 457.9 yards per game.
Stop the rushing game:
In addition to the Texas Tech passing game, their rushing offense is one to keep your eyes on. Averaging 167.3 yards per game, TCU will need to be aware and mindful.
Their rushing game is spearheaded by Tahj Brooks, a senior from Manor TX, who has garnered 804 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He’s eclipsed the century-mark in all six games this season.
The Frogs are coming off a terrific defensive performance that allowed a mere 68 rushing yards. If the Frogs can replicate their performance against Utah, and win the line of scrimmage defensively, they have a tremendous opportunity to contain Brooks.
Execute in the red zone:
Not a surprise but the Frogs need to take care of the football and execute on their trips to the red zone.
Last week against the Utes, the Frogs generated a promising first drive that was ultimately wasted away with a fumble by Josh Hoover. Minutes later, Shadrach Banks Jr. blocked the Utah punt, setting the Frogs up in tremendous field position to go ahead. Unfortunately, the Utes blocked Kyle Lemmermann's field goal attempt. The Frogs would get on the board their next trip into the red zone, but only with a field goal. That was three total points in three consecutive trips in the red zone.
With this in mind, it is imperative the Frogs take advantage of the opportunities they are afforded. While a team like Texas Tech is strong, the Frogs hurt themselves more than any other team in the conference.
Whether it be discipline penalties, turnovers, or lack of red zone efficiency, the Frogs are the only team that can keep themselves from reaching their limits.
Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs will host the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday with kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. on FOX.
More must-reads:
- CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
- Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin breaks silence on reported ultimatum
- The 'NFL QB rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin breaks silence on reported ultimatum
The Ole Miss Rebels reportedly gave head coach Lane Kiffin a deadline of Nov. 28 to decide whether he wants to stay with the school. That was news to him. On Tuesday, Kiffin joined "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss his future. The coach is widely considered a top candidate for the head-coaching jobs with the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. He denied that Ole Miss gave him an ultimatum, which Stewart Mandel of The Athletic first reported. Lane Kiffin calls report false "That's absolutely not true," Kiffin said. "There hasn't been anything like that at all. And so, I don't know where that came from, like a lot of stuff that comes out there." After denying the report, Kiffin reiterated how much he loves Oxford and said he's ecstatic the team is in the thick of the College Football Playoff Hunt. As of Tuesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives the 10-1 Rebels an 89.1% chance to make the CFP, the third-best odds in the SEC behind the Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) and Texas A M Aggies (10-0). "Like I said, man, we're having a blast," he said. "It just couldn't be better. Like I said, you pray for things. Our fans prayed for this type of thing, and now we're in the middle of it. So, enjoy it." Is Lane Kiffin telling the truth? While the school may not have issued an ultimatum, ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported that Ole Miss is "pressing" Kiffin and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, to inform the school of his decision soon. Schlabach added that Rebels athletic director Keith Carter wants to know his plans by this upcoming weekend. Kiffin may be able to provide an answer soon. He has reportedly met with Florida and LSU. Kiffin may ultimately stay with Ole Miss, where he has compiled a 54-19 record in six seasons. He's already making $9M this season, and the Rebels are reportedly willing to match contract offers from LSU and Florida. Still, Kiffin should make it clear what he wants to do soon. The Rebels host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-6) in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28. He doesn't want rumors about his future to distract his team, especially when it can get even closer to securing the school's first CFP berth in the upcoming rivalry game.
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In LeBron James' historic season debut, Lakers storm past Jazz
Luka Doncic scored 37 points with 10 assists and LeBron James added 11 points in 30 minutes of his season debut as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 140-125 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Austin Reaves scored 26 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 points with 14 rebounds. Jake LaRavia had 16 points as Los Angeles won its third consecutive game. However, the game was historic for James and the NBA After missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica on his right side, James took the court to become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 consecutive seasons. Keyonte George scored 33 points and Lauri Markkanen added 31 for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in their past seven games. Svi Mykhailiuk and Ace Bailey each scored 13 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 10 points with 10 rebounds in Utah's only road contest in a stretch of seven games. The Lakers didn't take their first lead until going up 89-88 on a Doncic layup with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. The basket was part of an 8-0 run that gave Los Angeles a 91-88 advantage. The Lakers dominated from there. They led 104-93 through three quarters after trailing by as many as seven points earlier in the period. Doncic scored 17 points in the third quarter alone when Los Angeles had a 37-22 scoring advantage. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as the Lakers had a 36-32 advantage and finished with a season high in points. The Jazz led the entire first half, taking an 11-2 lead 3:19 into the game and going up 16-6 five minutes into the opening quarter. James had a turnover in the opening minute and missed his only shot of the first quarter as Utah took a 36-27 lead. James' first basket of the season came on a 3-pointer with 8:20 remaining in the first half. He scored seven points in the second quarter, while going 2 of 2 from 3-point range in the period. The Jazz led 71-67 at halftime by shooting 55.3% from the floor as George had 23 points and Markkanen added 22.
Major domino falls for Yankees with Trent Grisham decision
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Jerry Jones shares reason CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were benched
Dallas Cowboys stars CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were both disciplined by the team for the start of Monday night’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and we now have a better idea of why. Lamb and Pickens both remained on the sideline for the Cowboys’ entire first drive in their 33-16 Week 11 win over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. The ESPN broadcast said Dallas made a “coach’s decision” to bench the two star wide receivers for the beginning of the game. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters after his team’s win that that there were “a couple things missed” with Lamb and Pickens, which is why neither player saw the field on the first series. Jerry Jones elaborated further during the Cowboys owner’s Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan. Jones suggested Lamb and Pickens were late to a team meeting. There had been speculation that Lamb and Pickens broke curfew, especially with the Cowboys playing in Las Vegas. Some wondered if the two wideouts had hit the casino or a night club and did not return back to the team hotel in time. It does not sound like that was the case, however. The benching seems to have lit a fire under both Pickens and Lamb. Pickens had a monster game with 9 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Lamb hauled in 5 passes for 66 yards and a score. After Lamb scored, Schottenheimer went over and playfully hugged his two star wide receivers. Whatever the issue was, it was serious enough that Schottenheimer felt he needed to take action. It did not cost the Cowboys on Monday night, however, and there is clearly no bad blood between the coach and players.
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