A look at TCU’s Big 12 title opponent, Kansas State
TCU and Kansas State’s first matchup was a thriller as the Horned Frogs overcame a 18-point deficit to shock the Wildcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Oct. 22.
Now the two top-15 teams meet again at AT&T Stadium on Saturday in a game that has more stakes than the first time.
Both teams are playing for a Big 12 championship, while the Horned Frogs also are looking to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Horned Frogs made it through a grueling road stretch at West Virginia, Texas and Baylor to make it to 12-0. Kansas State went 4-1 after the heartbreaker to TCU, with its lone loss coming down to the wire against Texas.
Not much has changed for either team since the first matchup with a few exceptions. Here’s four things to know about TCU’s rematch with Kansas State:
Howard’s time?
Adrian Martinez was Kansas State’s starting quarterback most of the year, but a nagging injury forced him to leave the TCU game early. That’s where backup Will Howard came in and proceeded to light the Horned Frogs up before briefly exiting and returning to the game himself.
Howard has proven to be more than just a backup since that point. Martinez played against Texas and then exited the next game against Baylor opening the door again for Howard. Howard led Kansas State to a 31-3 victory over the Bears and two more wins over West Virginia and Kansas. He also threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout of Oklahoma State.
In games he’s started or played a majority of the snaps, Howard has a 4-1 record. He’s thrown for 13 touchdowns to just two interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 88. The Wildcat offense changes when he’s under center compared to Martinez. Martinez is an electric runner while Howard can really sling it. The good news for TCU is they’ll know to prepare for both and were able to make life tough on Howard in the second half.
Stopping Deuce
TCU’s defensive performance against All-American caliber running back Deuce Vaughn went under the radar in the first matchup. Vaughn had a 47-yard touchdown run, but was held to just 36 yards on his 11 other carries. His 121 all-purpose yards is among the fewest he’s produced all season.
Since facing TCU, Vaughn has rushed for 100 or more yards in three of Kansas State’s last five games. He’s had at least 80 receiving yards in two of them as well. Vaughn will likely have a much heavier workload against the Horned Frogs this time, especially if Martinez can’t add his legs to the mix.
In all three of Kansas State’s losses, Vaughn has been held under 100 yards and TCU will likely need to do it again to get its second win over K-State.
A new defense at the top
After scoring 62 points against Iowa State, Kansas State has jumped to the top of the Big 12 in a number of defensive categories including scoring defense. The Wildcats are allowing just 19.4 points per game while having the No. 2 pass defense and the second best pass rush in the conference.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah leads the Big 12 with 7.5 sacks. The Wildcats will get after Max Duggan more than Iowa State did, but TCU will have confidence it can score in bunches on Kansas State. The 38 points the Horned Frogs scored was the most Kansas State has allowed all season.
Duggan threw three touchdown passes and Kendre Miller rushed for 153 yards to take down Kansas State the first time around. There’s no reason to think the Horned Frogs can’t have similar offensive success at JerryWorld.
Recapping the Texas loss
We know adjustments will be made from both teams, so things that worked in the first game might not be as successful this time around. Could the Wildcats home loss to the Longhorns offer insight for how TCU can take down a well-coached, disciplined opponent again?
Texas jumped out to a 31-10 lead and held on for dear life as the Wildcats held Texas to just three points in the second half and lost by a touchdown. Aside from the near rally, the biggest thing that stands out is how Bijan Robinson torched the Wildcats defense with over 200 yards rushing. It was one of the best games of his career. It should also be noted that Miller’s 153-yard outing was his second most this season.
The Longhorns converted over half of their third down attempts and rushed for almost seven yards per carry. A lot of attention will be paid to Duggan as his Heisman Trophy candidacy hangs in the balance, but this a game that could be decided by the offensive line and the legs of Miller.
