In the rivalries 89th game, the TCU Horned Frogs will travel south to face off against the Texas Longhorns. Here is everything you need to know before Saturday’s game.
Dating back to 1898, the Texas Longhorns have dominated TCU in this rivalry, but since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 they’ve been the best program in the state of Texas.
Gary Patterson took over the TCU program in 2000 and has led the Horned Frogs to a 5-2 record against in-state rival Texas over that time. Although Texas does not view the game like the Red River Rivalry, they should know TCU wants to prove they are the best team in the state every time they take the field against the Longhorns.
Texas started the year off with a loss to Maryland but gained some momentum last week with a 37-14 victory over the USC Trojans. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger stayed poised all game, finishing with 223 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the Texas defense that stole the show by holding USC to negative 5 rushing yards on the day.
The Horned Frogs are coming off a tough loss to Ohio State, but fans should be happy with their team’s performance. While TCU faded in the end, the defense brought relentless pressure all game and the offense ran the ball with ease. Although they were unable to upset the Buckeyes, this team let the Big 12 know they plan to contend for a championship.
While this looks to be a defensive battle, fans will get to see what program is on top in the state of Texas.
How to watch and bet on TCU vs. Texas
Date: Saturday, Sept. 22
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Austin, TX
Stadium: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: FuboTV
Betting Odds
Points Spread: TCU -3
Money Line: TCU -153, UT +150
Over/Under: 51
Keys to Victory
TCU – The Horned Frogs are coming off a loss to Ohio State where the offense actually outscored the Buckeyes 28-26, but two defensive touchdowns lost TCU the game. If they plan to get things back on track against Texas, taking care of the ball must be quarterback Shawn Robinson’s top priority after the three-turnover performance. That said, TCU running back Darius Anderson had a monster game against a stout Ohio State defense, rushing for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries. If the Horned Frogs want to avoid back-to-back losses, they will need more of the same out of Anderson against a Texas defense that completely shut down the USC backfield last weekend.
Texas – Is Texas back? No one truly knows the answer to that question, but a big victory against USC was a step in the right direction. After falling behind 14-3 in the first quarter, the Longhorns put up 34 unanswered points to put the Trojans away. The Texas defense was dominant against the run but did give up 322 passing yards to quarterback J.T. Daniels. If the Longhorns can shut down the TCU running backs and force Shawn Robinson to make decisions down the field, they very well could open Big 12 play 1-0.
Prediction
Don’t expect a high scoring game this weekend, but the TCU running backs will help Gary Patterson top the Longhorns once again.
Final Score: TCU 27, Texas 17