K-State vs. TCU preview

It was this weekend last year that K-State ended a 2 game losing streak in spectacular fashion against Texas A&M.  Steven and I were in the best sports bar in New Orleans that day, watching 5 games at once.  One of those games was TCU's epic victory over undefeated Boise State.  TCU is great at forcing teams to win games with their kicker, and then hoping that kicker cracks under the pressure.  It's a strategy that's served them well over the years.  Let's make sure it doesn't come down to that this year. 

TCU Horned Frogs (6-3)

I don't know how to say this, but... your mascot looks like Bowser.  From Mario.  Sorry.  It was just awkward that you didn't know.  

Players to Watch
#95, Defensive End: Devonte Fields - Little known fact: TCU is the Big 12's sack leader.  Devonte Fields is the head of the sack crew, and I'm sure Patterson and his goons will be gunning for Klein, now that the injury reports are swirling.  Our O-Line looked a little weak at times against OSU.  They'll need to be steady in a hostile environment against this crew. 

#82, Wide Receiver: Josh Boyce - I know that wide receivers can't win games on their own, because they require a quarterback to throw them the ball.  That being said, Josh Boyce won that West Virgina game for TCU last week.  He ran the 94 yards for the touchdown in the 4th quarter to send the game to overtime.  He "caught" the 2 point conversion that gave TCU the victory in double overtime.  He is their go-to guy, and he will get to know Nigel and Bubba and Ty very, very well on Saturday.

#2, Quarterback: Trevone Boykin - Once you get past the name, Boykin's actually been a pretty reliable freshman QB for the Frogs.  When Pachall entered rehab last month, everyone wrote off TCU for the year and turned their attention elsewhere.  Boykin seemed to appreciate the lack of pressure and quietly put together excellent numbers against Texas Tech and West Virginia.  He's young, throws interceptions, has a low completion percentage, and is fairly inconsistent.  But he has Boyce.  And he won't give up.  We weren't great against Chelf last week when he decided to scramble.  Look for Boykin to do the same.

Keys to Victory
Hope for Sams.  With Klein healthy and ready to go, there's very little anyone can do to stop him.  With Sams in, there's very little anyone can do to calm the nerves of thousands of terrified K-State fans.  Without Klein, these teams suddenly look very competitive.

Avoid the penalties.  TCU is a very, very young team.  The first key to making that an asset instead of a liability is to avoid the stupid penalties.  They'll need to play a perfect game to get their first Big 12 victory at home.   

Out scheme Snyder.  We already know that Patterson has ice in his veins.  But does he know when and where and how to pull the trigger against the silver fox/wizard/doctor/miracle worker?  I wouldn't put money on it.

Fun Facts

TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson is a K-State alum.  This will be the first time he's coached against K-State or Bill Snyder.  Way back in the day, after Prince was fired, he was briefly rumored to have accepted the K-State job.  The media broke the news and caused all manner of ruckus, as it coincided with TCU's Thursday night heartbreaker against Utah.  Patterson, understandably pissed, took to the radio to dispel the rumors and dispense some harsh words for Bob Krause and K-State.  We found out later that the Bob Krause criticism was warranted, but I, for one, started to lose a little bit of respect for Patterson that day.  Were we really that close to losing the chance at Snyder 2.0?  I have no idea.  But I'm glad it worked out the way it did.  

The last time these two teams met was 1986.  Because it was 1986, TCU won that day, 35-22.  TCU has played better on the road (3-1), than at home (0-2) in Big 12 play.  This is partly because they built a brand new stadium without stopping to think about how they would fill it up.  It's routinely half empty (half full?) but should, hopefully, be rocking on Saturday night as they welcome the highest ranked team they've faced at home since 1970.  Also, they're doing a black-out, since both teams rep the purple.

Here's a fun game for those of you out there who are being forced to watch this football game against your will.  Take a drink/eat an M&M/do a push-up every time Gary Patterson pulls up his pants.  Take a gulp/eat 5 M&Ms/do 5 push-ups every time he ties his shoe.  I promise you'll be busy.

Kansas State Wildcats (9-0)

Man, we're just better than you at everything.

Players to Watch
#7, Quarterback: Collin Klein - Even without a formal injury report from Coach, Klein will be targeted on Saturday.  They'll go for his wrist, they'll go for his head, they'll go for him.  They've seen the drop-off between Klein and Sams and Patterson excels at stealing victories.  If Klein can read the blitzes, we'll be fine.  If he gets rattled early, watch out.  Fortunately, K-State is a family and families protect each other. 

#2, Linebacker: Justin Tuggle - Tuggle has gone cold since the OU game.  I'm not sure if it's the rise of Childs, or the pass happy offenses, but I'm surprised I haven't heard his name more often in the past month.  With Walker still out and Childs taking on his role, I'm looking for Tuggle to step up and return to form.  The more pressure we can put on Boykin, the better off we'll be.

#8, Running Back: Angelo Pease - It was a beautiful thing to see Pease run the wildcat so effectively last week.  TCU's run defense is more formidable than OSU's, but it's always helpful to add another variation to our ground attack.  Plus, if Pease is reliable in the wildcat, we have yet another safety net in the event that Klein needs to sit.  He's gaining confidence at the right time.  Now let's see if he can put it together on the road.

Keys to Victory
Protect the ball.  Our turnover ratio and points off turnovers has been well documented.  Any time something gets well documented, I expect it to turn on us in dramatic fashion.  We needed every last turnover last week to beat OSU.  We'll need to maintain that pristine record on both sides of the ball to avoid an upset-minded TCU. 

Don't let up.  TCU came back from 10 down in the 4th quarter to force overtime with Texas Tech.  Then, a week later, they fought back in the 4th against West Virginia to force overtime and then stole the victory on a 2 point conversion.  This team won't quit, and they make a living on upsetting overly confident teams.  They're like Iowa State, with a better offense.  Scary.   

Be ready for the trick play.  TCU isn't afraid of the trick play.  They'll run the reverse, the flea flicker, the onside kick, the fake field goal, the fake punt, the statue of liberty, the fumblerooski, the jump pass and/or any other kind of ridiculousness they can find in the back of the playbook.  We don't have a great track record defending the trick play (remember the KU game?) so we'll need to stay alert to stay ahead. 

Trap Level
High.  We've never played TCU, we've never played at Amon G. Carter stadium, and we've never played Gary Patterson.  I don't know if practice changed at all with Collin's injury, and I don't know how nervous the players are.  I'm nervous.  I'll be nervous until January.  As far as I'm concerned, they're all traps now.  Have I mentioned Patterson is tricky?  Nervous-nervous-nervous.

Goal of the Week
#7 Great Effort.  Miami gave up in the fourth quarter.  Texas Tech broke down on defense in the second half.  Geno Smith fought with a tarp instead of communicating with his receivers.  Though I'm confident in our ability to confuse and infuriate TCU, they won't give up.  We'll need great effort all game long. 

Prediction
Logically, we should be able to handle TCU easily.  However, with Klein's injury, Patterson's sneaky skills, and TCU's defense, I think it might look more like the Iowa State game than the West Virginia massacre.  In the end, I think the most disciplined team wins.  K-State survives, 35-21.