PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Darius Anderson is by far TCU’s most explosive and dependable playmaker but has tapered off some as his opportunities have been reduced after the Horned Frogs’ loss to Ohio State. He’s become the flash-and-dash runner to Sewo Olonilua’s grind-it-out option. Still Anderson will be leaned on heavily to move the chains if the passing game fails or offensive line falters. But Anderson carried 12 times for 39 yards in TCU’s 17-14 home loss versus Texas Tech; Anderson now has 361 yards and three touchdown on 61 carries for the season.
–QB Shawn Robinson had a combined 332 total yards (290 passing and 42 yards rushing) and two TDs in the loss to Texas Tech, but also had two interceptions in the defeat, continuing a streak of big turnovers. Robinson was the first TCU quarterback to win his first three starts since Jeff Ballard won 11 straight from 2005-06. He did not have an interception in his first 70 pass attempts at TCU, the longest streak by a quarterback to begin his career under coach Gary Patterson. Robinson sustained an injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder in the final minutes against Iowa State, but played the whole game versus Texas Tech.
–LB Ty Summers has been Mr. Production for TCU, now needing just 44 tackles to become the all-time tackling leader in the Gary Patterson era. He played quarterback in high school, so he has position flexibility, too, playing linebacker and defensive end. Summers ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash in the spring and has recorded a 36-inch vertical. He has 29 stops, two of them tackles for a loss, two quarterback hurries and a sack through the first six games.
–DE Ben Banogu, a senior, has 19 stops, a forced fumble that led to a TD return, a fumble return for score, three sacks and four quarterback hurries for the season.
SERIES HISTORY: Oklahoma holds a 13-5 series lead over TCU. The Horned Frogs are 2-6 versus the Sooners in Fort Worth, 3-5 in Norman, 0-1 in Oklahoma City and 0-1 in Arlington (2017 Big 12 Championship Game). The first game in the series was a 34-19 Sooners’ win in Oklahoma City in 1944. TCU’s 17-10 win at No. 5 Oklahoma in the 2005 season opener was its first victory over an opponent ranked that high since a 6-0 decision at No. 1 Texas in 1961. The10 points by OU marked its fewest in a home game under former coach Bob Stoops.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “There’s only one group — nobody on Twitter, nobody in the newspaper — that can answer that problem. We’ve got to decide as a group that we want to dig down and get ready to go. It’s going to be a challenge starting this week with Oklahoma.” — TCU coach Gary Patterson on his team’s attitude heading into the OU game