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• New coaching staff doesn’t want to play “cupcakes”
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• Huskers get another committment from the state of Texas
• Ronnell Grixby won’t be playing in 2008
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• Husker talk at Big 12 Media Day
• Internet hoax about two Oklahoma players backfires on Husker fan
• Cody Green chooses Nebraska over Texas A&M
• Marlon Lucky and Joe Ganz appear on award watch lists

The pride of Texas is on the line Saturday evening as 7th ranked Texas (1-0) host 17th ranked TCU (1-0). The former Southwest Conference rivals meet for the first time in nearly 12 years. In their last meeting on November 18, 1995 Texas won at home 27-19. Texas leads the all-time series 60-20-1 and have won 14 straight meetings in Austin versus TCU. But this is not your dad’s Horned Frogs.

TCU has found their niche as they have won at least 10 games in four of their last five seasons. TCU is favored to win the Mountain West Conference this season after finishing 11-2 last season. Throw in the fact that the Horned Frogs have won five straight games against Big 12 opponents and this is not an easy non-conference game for Texas.

Why TCU will win?

Defense. TCU showed how stout their defense will be this year by starting the season with a 27-0 shutout of Baylor. Baylor is no Texas but they are certainly better than Arkansas State. (I’ll talk more about the mighty Indians in a bit.) TCU has only allowed a total of 44 points (8.8 per game) during their winning streak against the Big 12. Their current winning streak began two years ago when they shocked then-No. 5 Oklahoma 17-10 in the season opener. They also have wins over Iowa State and Texas Tech.

The Horned Frogs finished in the top three nationally last year in total defense, rushing and scoring. TCU returns 9 starters from last year but the teams best defensive player has yet to step on the field this season. Two-time All-MWC Selection and NFL prospect Tommy Blake has only practiced a handful of times since leaving campus and going home for a week for personal reasons in mid-August. Word is that Blake will be on the field this weekend which adds another dimension to the TCU defense.

What does TCU need to do to win?

• Contain the Texas passing game

TCU’s defense has a reputation in being a run stopping defense (allowed just 51 yards on the ground last week). Texas knows this so they will challenge the Horned Frogs in the air. Last week against Arkansas State 6-foot-5 Limas Sweed had 5 catches for 98 yards and a score. Texas will be without starter Billy Pittman (suspended) and Jordan Shipley is not 100%. The tallest CB for TCU is 5-foot-11 so this will be a key area to watch in this game.

• No turnovers

You can’t upset a top ten team on the road if you lose the turnover battle. The Frogs had just one turnover last week albeit on the 1-yard line. If TCU wins the turnover battle they can win this game.

• Win the battle in the trenches

Three things favor TCU in this area. First, Texas replaced three starters on the offensive line from a year ago. The Texas offensive line did not play great in the season opener. Second, Tommy Blake is back and he will cause problems for the Texas line. Third, Texas will be without starting DE Brian Orakpo. He was on crutches with a brace on his right knee this week and will not play on Saturday. To pull off the upset TCU will need a strong performance from their offense line. Ball control will be key on Saturday for the Horned Frogs. TCU’s offensive line has one of the top centers in the country in Blake Schlueter. He is an early candidate for the Rimington Trophy which is awarded to the top center in NCAA Division I-A. Left guard Matt Lindner is equally impressive as he is a candidate for the Outland Trophy. Without Orakpo on the line for Texas, TCU may have the edge but Texas tackles Frank Okam and Derek Lokey will certainly make their presences known on Saturday.

Why Texas will win?

Texas has as much talent as any team in the country but have they lost their mojo? In their last four games they have lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M, followed up by a lackluster 26-24 bowl win over a 6-6 Iowa team. They follow that up with a 21-13 win over…..Arkansas State….yeah the Indians of Arkansas State. A team that is three games under .500 the past seven years in the Sun Belt Conference. Texas has a clear advantage in about every matchup versus TCU. The key is getting all of this talent on the same page. One concern Mack Brown has with this years team is lack of leadership. Texas is still trying to identify leaders on this team. Texas will win this game if they can put up 21 or more points on Saturday. TCU is not a high powered offense as they have a freshman quarterback and their top tailback is highly doubtful for the game. If Texas can establish any time of running game, I think Colt McCoy takes advantage of the size mismatch Texas wide receivers have on the TCU cornerbacks.

What does Texas need to do to win?

• Make TCU throw the ball

TCU QB Andy Dalton had a decent game versus Baylor, completing 18 of 30 for 205 yards and a score. Dalton is just a freshman and he is not your typical TCU QB as he will not beat you with his legs ala Casey Printer. Dalton will have to limit his mistakes and come up with some timely completions if TCU is going to pull off the upset. Texas will certainly load up 8 or 9 men in the box and challenge Dalton to beat them in the air.

• Improve ground game

Texas tried to establish the running game last week versus Arkansas State but it didn’t happen. Texas averaged just 3.1 yards per carry against a team picked to finish third in the Sun Belt. Texas also failed to punch it in after having first-and-goal from the 3. Texas even had senior defensive tackle Derek Lockey playing short-yardage fullback to help get some extra push. Texas needs to establish a running game versus TCU. If they can accomplish this it opens up the passing game for quarterback Colt McCoy.

• Defense has to step up

Texas won the scoreboard last week but the box score told a different story. Arkansas State outgained Texas in total yards by collecting 397 yards (272 passing and 125 rushing) to Texas’ 340 total yards. After watching videotapes of the game, Texas coach Mack Brown has put his defensive starters on alert. Brown made it clear to his team that there could be potential changes on the defensive side of the ball. The biggest area of concern was the Texas secondary. Co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina said free safety Marcus Griffin is safe but the strong safety and cornerback positions could be up for grabs. Bottom line is that the Texas defense needs to play better than it did last week. TCU is not going to put up a ton of points on Saturday as their offense is not setup for high scoring affairs. If Texas can hold TCU to 17 points or less they will have a very good chance of winning on Saturday.

Prediction

TCU has the 11^th best record since 2000 (66-21) so it is not a program Texas can take lightly. TCU will have to be stout on defense and hope that injured star running back Aaron Brown can play. Brown hurt his leg in the first quarter of the opener and his status will be a game-time decision. We will see a different Texas team on Saturday as they know they need to play better. There are questions this year in Austin as their offensive line and secondary are inexperienced but I like Texas in a close one 20 to 13.

Written by PMHusker