The Texas Christian Horned Frogs have not had the best of luck in the Big 12. In their first season in the conference they went 7-6 overall and last season they went 4-8 overall. A third time might be the charm for TCU as they look to put up a strong record this season.
TCU will have a large number of players coming back, but their incoming freshman talent will still be able to help. The two freshmen fans should look out for are Shaun Nixon and Ranthony Texada. Nixon is a running back that will be able to make a immediate impact. He was the District 15-5A MVP and the No. 2 running back in Texas. With his speed and agility he will be ready to help TCU’s running game from the get.
Corner back Ranthony Texada is someone to watch on defense. He was the No. 5 corner in Texas and recorded 11 interceptions during his high school tenure. In addition, he was named defensive MVP of the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl as a senior. Texada has a knack for ball hawking and creating plays and TCU will benefit:
Who to look out for:
TCU will be looking to start over on offense. Last season, they finished 108 out of 125 schools in offense. However, this season head coach Gary Patterson hired two new offensive coordinators, Doug Meachan and Sony Cumbie, to fix problems on the offense by providing a no-huddle attack strategy. With new quarterback Matt Joeckel, receiver Trevone Boykin, and running back B.J. Catalon the Horned Frogs will have to learn to mesh early but could potentially kickstart a potent offense.
On defense, TCU is strong after finishing in the top 25 defensively last year. Eight starters from the defense will be returning. Their defensive unit is led by Devonte Fields, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Fans should also be watching linebacker Paul Dawson who led the team last season with 91 tackles. This TCU defense will be the spotlight for this team.
What to expect:
I would not expect too much from this Horned Frogs team. They have no proven weapons on offense and even though their defense is strong it will be hard to hold teams low enough to the point where the offense can compensate. Especially with tough opponents such as Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas it will be hard to win games without the ability to score. Hopefully TCU’s offense can make some noise otherwise they will have another quiet season.
