TCU Football vs. West Virginia
On Saturday, the Horned Frogs vs. West Virginia football game will take place as an away game for TCU.
West Virginia stands at 4-3 right now and has been very good at home. They have been solid offensively, led by quarterback Jarret Doege, but their defense is what carries them. Max Duggan, the starting quarterback for TCU, will have a tough time against West Virginia’s defense, and they will be the best defense he has faced all year. West Virginia’s defense is currently the No. 1 defense in the Big-12 and have a top-five defense in the nation.
West Virginia has allowed the least amount of yards in the nation between teams that have played seven games. Only one quarterback has thrown for over 200 yards against them, and that was Charlie Brewer from Baylor, and that game went to double overtime. Their defense pressures quarterbacks and forces turnovers. They are also top 10 in the nation in sacks and interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, Doege has thrown for 2,007 yards, which is ranked No. 9 in the nation right now. He has an 11-3 touchdown-interception ratio with a 61.8 QBR. Doege does not have a cannon for an arm, but he excelled in being smart and accurate. He protects the ball and does not force a lot of unnecessary passes.
Previous Games
West Virginia is coming off a nail-biting loss to Texas who TCU beat earlier in the year. On the other hand, TCU is riding their high with two wins in a row after beating Texas Tech last week, who also beat West Virginia earlier in the season.
Duggan didn’t throw the ball very well against Tech, who has a terrible pass defense, but he did win them the game with his legs. He got out of the pocket a lot and burnt that defense twice with two huge plays. He also had an 81-yard rushing touchdown and a 48-yard rushing touchdown. In total, he had three rushing touchdowns and 154 rushing yards. Duggan likes to run the ball, and he might be doing that a lot against West Virginia because their pass defense is one of the best.
When Texas Tech beat West Virginia, their quarterback, a dual-threat quarterback, had his way getting out the pocket multiple times to save plays, and Duggan will have to do the same.
TCU Secondary
Doege has four games this season, throwing the ball 40 to 50 times. So the TCU defensive backs will be tested. But this may not be a bad thing for TCU because their defensive backs have been playing great. They have LaDainian Tomlinson’s nephew, Trevius Hodges-Tomlinson, at the corner, and one of the best safety duos in the country. Trevon Moehrig had the highest PFF safety ranking last year, and right next to him on the field and the list, Ar’Darius Washington ranked No.2. They will be put to the test this Saturday against a heavy pass offensive in West Virginia.
Horned Frogs vs. West Virginia is at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium at 11:00 a.m.
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Story by: Corey May, Sports Journalist Intern for Campus Live.
