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.
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.
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.
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.
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The Michigan Wolverines' decision to open the 2026 football season in Frankfurt, Germany, has received plenty of buzz, but not everyone is thrilled about it. Former Wolverines quarterback David Cone, now a co-host on the “Crain Company” podcast, had a blunt reaction to the news, expressing clear dissatisfaction with the choice to take the game overseas. “This is worse than in-person scouting,” Cone said. Cone’s reaction reflects a growing concern among traditionalists who see international games as diluting the essence of college football. Michigan was originally scheduled to host Western Michigan on Sept. 5, 2026, at Michigan Stadium. That game will now be played a week earlier, on Aug. 29, at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, a first-of-its-kind move for the Wolverines. This will mark the first international game in Michigan’s 145-year football history. It’s being billed by coach Sherrone Moore and athletic director Warde Manuel as a cultural and branding opportunity. Moore emphasized the “educational experience” and the program's past spring trips to Italy, France and South Africa. Manuel framed it as a chance to “teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany.” The matchup will be the 29th between Michigan and a MAC opponent, but it will be the first not held in Ann Arbor. Michigan is 8-0 all-time vs. Western Michigan, with the most recent victory coming in 2021. The Broncos, meanwhile, become the first MAC team to play a regular-season game outside the U.S. Cone’s criticism adds a layer of skepticism to what Michigan views as a progressive move. While fans may be intrigued by the novelty of a game in Germany, there’s no denying the loss of a Saturday in the Big House has rubbed some the wrong way.
Now in her second WNBA season, Angel Reese is averaging a league‑leading 12.5 rebounds along with 13.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She recently returned from a midseason leg injury and immediately picked up where she left off, posting her 16th double‑double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) on Tuesday night even as her Chicago Sky fell, 91-68, to the Minnesota Lynx. Then, on Wednesday, Reese showcased her brand power on Instagram, posting a pregame photo dressed head‑to‑toe in Gucci with the caption, "Don’t worry about me… life is GUCCI @gucci #guccipartner." The image quickly lit up her feed and drew an immediate response from one of the game’s all‑time greats, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who commented, “Yessss it is❤️." Despite flashes of elite play, the Sky have struggled mightily through 23 games, standing at just 7-16 and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their 77.6 points per game rank 12th in the WNBA, and opponents are torching them for 86.5 a night (11th in the league). With head coach Tyler Marsh searching for consistency, every bright spot has been a welcome reprieve for a franchise that won the title as recently as 2021. Front and center among Chicago’s bright spots is Reese. Off the court, Reese has quickly built a burgeoning portfolio of endorsement deals, including Reebok, Calvin Klein, Beats by Dre, Amazon and now Gucci, underscoring her status as one of the WNBA’s brightest personalities. On the other side, you have Leslie, whose voice carries more weight than arguably anybody in women’s basketball. A three‑time league MVP, two‑time WNBA champion and Finals MVP and eight‑time All‑Star, Leslie helped define the league’s early years with the Los Angeles Sparks, including driving home the first dunk in WNBA history in 2002. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer (Class of 2015), she remains a global ambassador for the sport.
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
The Green Bay Packers offense was dealt a bit of a blow early in training camp. Friday, third-round rookie wide receiver Savion Williams was a spectator for practice after suffering a concussion. Williams, chosen by the Packers with the No. 87 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, is aiming to climb the depth chart at a crowded wide receiver position this summer. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Williams ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.48 seconds during the NFL Combine and has the profile of potentially becoming a reliable possession receiver and after-the-catch weapon for quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense. Reaching those benchmarks and climbing the depth chart will have to wait, though, as Williams works his way through the concussion protocol and back onto the field for practices during training camp and the preseason this summer.