TCU Horned Frogs vs Baylor Bears Football Preview

In a game that has virtually everything backwards, Baylor travels to TCU this weekend in what promises to be an entertaining quarterback battle in the Lone Star State.

It’s almost unheard of for BCS conference teams to travel and play road games against non-BCS conference schools. In this case, TCU, the non-BCS team, is a top ten program, is loaded with elite athletes, and is a prohibitive favorite to win not only this game, but every game on its schedule.  Baylor, on the other hand, is a perennial Big XII Conference cellar-dweller that has struggled to gain ground on its in-state foes. The distance between the two programs should be stark when they meet up on Saturday.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson has built the Horned Frogs into a legitimate national power by stressing speed and defense. Both were on display in the Horned Frogs opening week win over Oregon State. TCU held the Beavers’ dangerous Rodgers brothers to 158 yards combined and harassed quarterback Ryan Katz into completing just nine of 25 pass attempts. On offense, TCU got a huge game on the ground from Ed Wesley who ran for 134 yards on just 17 carries. Of some concern to Horned Frogs fans is quarterback Andy Dalton’s propensity to throw interceptions at crucial times. Dalton threw two costly interceptions that kept Oregon State in the game longer than they otherwise would have been.

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Baylor is finally getting its season with the super-athletic Robert Griffin at quarterback. Griffin garnered much national attention heading into the 2009 season only to have it cut short by a season-ending knee injury in the opening week. Griffin’s back now and at full speed. Griffin has Baylor at 2-0 while averaging over 250 yards and two touchdowns through the air in its first two games. Griffin is also chipping in 60 yards per game on the ground thus far. The Bears will need every bit of Griffin’s production if they hope to travel to TCU and come away with the win.

Gary Patterson relishes his opportunities to beat BCS conference teams. The Horned Frogs have won five of their last seven meetings with BCS conference opponents, with the only two losses coming on the road at Oklahoma and Texas. As long as Andy Dalton doesn’t turn the ball over in the air at critical moments in the game, TCU should control the line of scrimmage and be able to slow Robert Griffin down enough to win the game comfortably.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer