Football: TCU vs Oklahoma State Keys to the Game

How will a revamped TCU attack Oklahoma State?

© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Last week a revamped TCU team beat #12 Baylor Bears for legendary Coach Gary Patterson. This week, they will face the #10 ranked team in the College Football Playoff Rankings, the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Can TCU beat Top 15 teams in back-to-back weeks with interim head coach Jerry Kill? Yes, yes they can.

Oklahoma State's strength this year has been their defensive front and their running game. Outside of the Kansas State game in which Felix Anudike-Uzomah played out of his mind, the TCU offensive line has played well this year. Conversely, the entire college football world is aware of how terrible the run defense has been this season. So what gives?

The Oklahoma State Cowboys lead the Big 12 conference in most team defense categories. They average a league best 16.3 points per game and 277 yards per game. They are 2nd in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed at 180 yards per game, 1st in rushing yards allowed at 86.2 yards per game and lead the league in sacks at 29. Statistically speaking, this is the best defense TCU will have faced all year. 

Being down three running backs and with their starting quarterback out, it would seem TCU would have no chance to beat the #10 ranked Cowboys. That is what Baylor thought last week at least, but it turns out that Chandler Morris was not the backup quarterback but the starter-in-waiting, going 29/41 for 461 yards, the 4th most in TCU history. Spreading the field and going 5 wide is something not very many teams can do, and something that OSU has not seen this year. TCU has the personnel to run a deadly 5 WR attack against OSU, pushing the depth of their secondary to it's limits. Morris proved his ability to scan the field and release the ball to the open receiver quickly against Baylor, completing passes to an astounding 10 different receivers in the game. Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis, Taye Barber, Quincy Brown and Blair Conwright are all legit playmakers who rarely drop the ball.

This is a completely different TCU squad than we saw at the beginning of the season. Despite the plethora of injuries to the running back unit, Emari Demercardo is a veteran who can be trusted to protect the ball, and if the guards can play up to the standards of the rest of the offensive line then Chandler Morris and the TCU offense should be able to have enough success to give the Frogs a chance in Stillwater.

While the TCU defense still allowed Baylor to run for 5 yards pr carry, they did hold the Bears to under 200 yards rushing. Yes, that is an improvement. The real impressive part of the TCU defense against Baylor however was their ability to confuse quarterback Gerry Bohanon. Bohanon did not seem comfortable against the Frogs and seemingly threw to the wrong target on multiple occasions. If the TCU defense can keep Spencer Sanders from getting comfortable and settling in they could have a change to disrupt the OSU offense. Shadrach Banks and Dee Winters make for a formidable linebacker duo, both in coverage and stuffing the run. If the defensive interior can hold their own similarly to the Baylor game, it could free up the linebackers and defensive ends to make plays in the backfield. Corey Bethley seemed greatly improved from a strength and conditioning standpoint last week, as did Terrell Cooper. Frog fans are hoping that improved health on the defensive side and new personal and scheme on the offense side of the the ball can lead them to an upset victory under the lights in Stillwater.

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