Not that the Kansas football team had any control over the matter — or that better timing would’ve meant a KU win — but the winless Jayhawks probably couldn’t face TCU at a worse time.
The No. 13-ranked Horned Frogs (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big 12) just had their 16-game winning streak snapped, with a 20-point loss at Oklahoma State.
Coach Gary Patterson’s team planned on contending a spot in the College Football Playoff entering this season, and even though a regular-season loss makes that more difficult, you can bet that’s still the prize TCU is after.
So the Horned Frogs, who also remember [last season’s 34-30 win at KU][1] being closer than they would’ve liked, will be locked in and ready to dispose of David Beaty’s Jayhawks (0-9, 0-6).
We’re all familiar with KU’s defensive struggles (see: allowing 58 points at Oklahoma State, 62 vs. Oklahoma and 59 at Texas during the past three weeks). Well, TCU could easily surpass those numbers.
TCU leads the nation with seven games of at least 600 yards of total offense, and the Horned Frogs are second nationally at 621.4 yards per game (Baylor leads the country at 665.6).
If TCU has any drop-off against Kansas, it might have to do with losing wide receiver Josh Doctson to a left wrist injury. Doctson had six straight games with at least 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdown catches.
That’s one less Horned Frog the Jayhawks have to worry about Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. But TCU still has loads of talent, and players waiting to expose KU’s weaknesses.
**FIVE HORNED FROGS TO WATCH**
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*No. 2: QB Trevone Boykin | 6-2, 205, sr.*
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– Heisman candidate and TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin leads the nation in total offense (441.1 yards per game) and has thrown a TD pass in 24 consecutive games — tied for the longest streak in the country with Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty.
– Boykin has completed 65.9% of his throws this year, for 29 TDs, 9 interceptions and 3,733 yards.
– With 2,034 career rushing yards and 26 career TDs on the ground to go with his passing skills, Boykin really can do it all.
– Since 2012, Boykin leads the nation in accounting for the highest percentage of his team’s total offense (57.8%). No one else in that span is above 50%.
*No. 22: RB Aaron Green | 5-11, 205, sr.*
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– TCU senior running back Aaron Green should be happy to see KU. Last season, Green rushed for 128 yards and 2 TDs vs. the Jayhawks.
– The RB has 7 career 100-yard rushing games and looks to add to that total vs. Kansas (allowing 252.8 yards per game on the ground).
– Green leads TCU with 796 rushing yards, averages 5.3 a carry and is on pace for a 1,000-yard season.
– Green became the first TCU player since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2000 to rush for at least 160 yards in back-to-back games when he ran for 164 and 162 in consecutive weeks versus SMU and Texas Tech.
*No. 25: WR KaVontae Turpin | 5-9, 152, fr.*
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– A receiver and return specialist, undersized freshman KaVontae Turpin now figures to become Boykin’s top target, since Doctson is out. His 32 catches ranks first among Horned Frogs who will be in uniform Saturday.
– Turpin has a pair of 100-yard receiving games already.
– No TCU skill players reach the end zone as well as Doctson, but Turpin has 6 TD receptions of his own.
– Between catching Boykin passes and making things happen on special teams, Turpin averages 16.4 yards per touch, the best mark among the nation’s freshmen.
*No. 32: MLB Travin Howard | 6-1, 190, so.*
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#TCU coach @TCUCoachP celebrates as safety Travin Howard intercepts and @TCUHornedFrogGo beat West Virginia 40-10 pic.twitter.com/OLWBGDoYzd
— Max Faulkner (@mfaulknerphotog) October 30, 2015
– Just a sophomore, linebacker Travin Howard leads TCU with 59 total tackles.
– A converted safety, Howard has only started seven games this season while becoming a standout defender.
– Along with 2 forced fumbles, Howard has made big plays with 5 tackles for loss and an interception.
– Howard made a career-high 12 stops against Texas.
*No. 26: FS Derrick Kindred | 5-10, 210, sr.*
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#TCU safety Derrick Kindred (@ddkjr26) talks about leading a younger defense. Watch: http://t.co/2u3yt7RKtP pic.twitter.com/FPWlijGLF9
— Brad Hardcastle (@Brad_Hardcastle) October 14, 2015
– Just a few plays behind Howard, senior safety Derrick Kindred has 56 total tackles from the back end of TCU’s defense.
– Kindred is the Frogs’ active leader in career tackles, with 204.
– While no one else on the roster has more than 1 interception in his career, Kindred has 7 picks.
– The lone starter from last year’s defense who didn’t graduate, Kindred is responsible for the team’s last non-offensive TD: a 60-yard pick-six at Kansas State.
– The safety also occasionally blitzes, and has 3.5 tackles for loss, as well as 2 forced fumbles.
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/nov/15/jayhawks-give-scare-fall-short-against-tcu-34-30/
