TCU’s Big 12 Roadmap Comes Into Focus After Revealing Week 2
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TCU didn’t play a Big 12 game Saturday, but several future opponents gave the Horned Frogs plenty to study.
The biggest takeaway from UCF, BYU, Utah and Texas Tech isn’t that TCU’s conference schedule suddenly looks easier or harder. It’s that the specific problems waiting for Sonny Dykes’ team are becoming easier to identify.
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The first comes Sept. 26 at UCF.
Pitt held the Knights to just 206 total yards and 20 rushing yards in a 12-7 victory played in rainy conditions. The weather matters, but those rushing numbers still stand out.
UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III also suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
For TCU, the blueprint is obvious: force UCF away from what it wants to do.
If the Frogs can shut down the run and consistently create third-and-long situations, the Knights become much easier to defend.
One week later, No. 15 BYU visits Fort Worth, and the Cougars showed exactly why they’re viewed as a Big 12 contender.
Arizona led 17-14 at halftime Saturday before BYU completely changed the game.
The Wildcats managed only 87 second-half yards, minus-2 rushing yards and 20 offensive plays as the Cougars rolled to a 28-17 win.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged afterward that his staff had to “pivot” and make changes in all three phases.
That ability to adjust will test TCU’s own in-game response.
The November stretch looks even more demanding.
No. 20 Utah crushed Arkansas 43-10, holding the Razorbacks to 61 rushing yards while producing 442 total yards.
TCU hosts Utah on Nov. 21, immediately after facing Kansas State.
Then comes an even tougher turnaround.
Five days later, the Frogs travel to Lubbock for a Thanksgiving night game against Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders improved to 2-0 with a 35-24 win at Oregon State, but their secondary gave TCU something worth filing away.
Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 399 yards, while freshman receiver Jesse Legree exploded for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
That vulnerability may not exist by November, but it’s something TCU will certainly study.
The larger issue is the calendar.
Kansas State on Nov. 14. Utah on Nov. 21. Texas Tech on Nov. 26.
That’s less a three-game stretch than a test of roster depth, preparation and recovery.
Week 2 didn’t determine TCU’s Big 12 fate.
MORE: TCU Left Out of Coaches Poll Despite 63-7 Blowout Win
It simply made the road ahead much easier to see.
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