TCU football vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys game: Kickoff time, TV, line, prediction
TCU has seen its top two quarterbacks (Shawn Robinson and Mike Collins) go down with injuries this season. The top two running backs (Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua) were injured last week at Baylor.
The defense lost its best interior lineman (Ross Blacklock) in fall camp, has seen two starting safeties (Innis Gaines and Niko Small) go down and been forced to have its leading tackler (Garret Wallow) change positions midseason.
And that’s just the beginning when it comes to explaining TCU’s injury situation.
“It’s football. You can’t take the good and not accept the bad,” said senior defender Ty Summers, the active player with the most career tackles who has been sidelined for two full games and is questionable going into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State.
“You’ve got to make the most of it and adjust.”
TCU has adjusted well enough to be in position to clinch a bowl berth in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State. A win and the Frogs are in college football’s postseason.
Nobody associated with this year’s team wants to become one of the few teams not to reach a bowl game under coach Gary Patterson.
“It’s definitely a big, big thing,” sophomore running back Emari Demercado said. “Coach P says, ‘Give the seniors the best season.’ So we want to get that sixth win. It’ll mean a lot for us going into next year, having momentum, feeling good, so I think it’s something we really need to do.”
Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s home finale –
The details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Holly Sonders)
Radio: WBAP 820 AM, KTCU 88.7 FM, Sirius 135, XM 200 (Brian Estridge, John Denton, Landry Burdine)
Spanish Radio: KFZO 99.1 FM (Miguel Cruz, Elvis Gallegos)
The line: Oklahoma State by 4 1/2 (over/under 57 1/2)
Attending the game
Tickets: Available starting at $60 ($45 for groups of 20 or more). May be purchased on school’s website or at the Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office in Schollmaier Arena beginning at 2 p.m. through halftime on Saturday.
Gates: Open at 5 p.m. Fans entering the east side of the stadium are encouraged to arrive early to avoid long lines at the gates. Gates 7 and 9 are closed due to construction. Fans are encouraged to enter on the West or North sides of the stadium.
Parking: Lots open five hours before kickoff (2 p.m.). Free parking lots (that don’t allow tailgating) are located at McKinney Bible Church (4805 Arborlawn Drive, 929 spots) and Travis Avenue Baptist Church (800 W Berry Street, 450 spots) with shuttle service beginning three hours prior to kickoff.
Ride share (Uber, Lyft, etc): Pick up and drop off is at the corner of Wabash Avenue and McPherson Avenue, northeast of the stadium.
Taxis are allowed to pick up and drop off at the corner of Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North, southeast of the stadium.
Frog Alley: Has moved because of the east-side stadium construction. It’s now in front of Schollmaier Arena.
Frog Alley is open three hours before kickoff (4 p.m.) with the team arriving for the “Frog Walk” 2.5 hours before (4:30 p.m.). The marching band will perform one hour before kickoff (6 p.m.).
What to wear: TCU fans sitting are encouraged to wear purple apparel.
Did you know?
TCU has reached a bowl game in 15 of the 17 seasons Gary Patterson has been head coach. ... Oklahoma State leads the all-time series vs. TCU 15-11-2. ... This will be the first night game between the schools in Fort Worth. ... Patterson and Gundy are their schools all-time winningest coaches. Patterson has 165 career wins, while Gundy has 120. ... Patterson is 85-21 all-time at Amon G. Carter Stadium. ... TCU co-offensive coordinator Curtis Luper played at Oklahoma State as a running back from 1984-87, and served as an assistant coach there from 2005-08. ... TCU defensive coordinator and LB coach Chad Glasgow played at Oklahoma State as a linebacker from 1991-93, and was a graduate assistant on the staff from 1994-95.
They said it
“It’s always a fun game for us. We have a lot of respect for coach and their defense. They always play hard and every year they’re going to be up high in the statistics. That’s been what they’ve done. It’s a great challenge for us and they always play very well against our offense.” – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
“They have as good a talent level as anybody in the league or better. They showed it against Texas [with a 38-35 victory] and West Virginia [a 45-41 victory] and the points they scored at Oklahoma [a 48-47 loss]. Mike Gundy does a great job, staff does a great job and they get ready to attack you in many ways.” – TCU coach Gary Patterson
Prediction
It’s quite a feat that TCU is in position for a bowl berth considering the number of injuries sustained this season. Oklahoma State is riding high after knocking off West Virginia, and a banged-up TCU team playing with its third-string quarterback and running back simply can’t keep up.
Oklahoma State 24, TCU 17.