West Virginia University
TCU
United Bank Playbook – TCU Preview
November 11, 2020 04:00 PM | Football
West Virginia Game Notes | TCU Game Notes
West Virginia- TCU Series History
2019, West Virginia 20, TCU 17 - Ft. Worth, Texas
2018, West Virginia 47, TCU 10 - Morgantown, W.Va.
2017, TCU 31, West Virginia 24 - Ft. Worth, Texas
2016, West Virginia 34, TCU 10 - Morgantown, W.Va.
2015, TCU 40, West Virginia 10 - Ft. Worth, Texas
2014, TCU 31, West Virginia 30 - Morgantown, W.Va.
2013, West Virginia 30, TCU 27 (OT) - Ft. Worth, Texas
2012, TCU 39, West Virginia 38 (OT) - Morgantown, W.Va.
1984, West Virginia 31, TCU 14 (Bluebonnet Bowl) - Houston, Texas
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia concludes a difficult five-game, five-week stretch of Big 12 football games this Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium against streaking TCU.
The Horned Frogs bring a 3-3 record into Saturday’s game after coming off back-to-back wins against Baylor and Texas Tech.
“I thought they really had a dominant performance over Texas Tech last Saturday,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said earlier this week. “They look like a typical Gary Patterson football team to me. They are physical, disciplined and are really playing well right now in all three phases.”
In its most recent victory last Saturday against the Red Raiders, TCU got 154 yards rushing from quarterback Max Duggan in a 16-point victory.
Two long Duggan touchdown runs of 48 and 81 yards in the second half really broke open the game.
Duggan has passed for 1,113 yards and five touchdowns and has added an additional 329 yards and six scores on the ground. Like Texas’ Sam Ehlinger last week, Duggan will get a number of his carries through designed runs.
“What you do is you prepare for quarterback run game, whether it’s designed runs when they’re calling it or if it’s in the pass game and he pulls the ball down and scrambles,” Brown explained. “You have to put at least one more hat in the box, whether it’s your nickel or your safety, so you’ve got to get another guy down in the box to help account for him.”
What you do is you prepare for quarterback run game, whether it’s designed runs when they’re calling it or if it’s in the pass game and (Duggan) pulls the ball down and scrambles. You have to put at least one more hat in the box, whether it’s your nickel or your safety, so you’ve got to get another guy down in the box to help account for him.-- West Virginia coach Neal Brown on TCU quarterback Max Duggan
Darwin Barlow is one of three ball carriers the Horned Frogs have used this year. The redshirt freshman has gained 291 yards and scored three touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
“They’ve got a running back by committee right now – some heavily recruited kids,” Brown said. “They get a bunch of guys carries.”
Taye Barber leads the Horned Frogs receiver corps with 27 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The next closest player, Blair Conwright, has caught half that amount of passes for 188 yards and a touchdown.
“The Barber kid, they get the ball to a lot of different ways. He can make people miss. He played well at the end of last year and continues to be their leading receiver, and they’ve got a couple of other guys that can really go,” Brown said.
TCU’s defense has been really good on third down this year, allowing opponents just a 38.9% success rate. Senior linebacker Garret Wallow leads the Horned Frogs with 46 tackles, 5½ tackles for loss and a sack.
Safety Trevon Moehrig is a big-time talent, according to Brown, and shows 26 tackles, seven pass break ups and an interception.
Their pass rush comes from a pair of young bookends, 6-foot-5, 247-pound sophomore Ochaun Mathis and 6-foot-2, 224-pound redshirt freshman Khari Coleman. The duo has accounted for a combined six sacks and 14½ tackles for losses in six games.
“They’ve got great ball get-off,” Brown said.
Sophomore middle linebacker Dee Winters has also been active with 38 tackles and 3½ tackles for loss.
“They give you nothing easy,” Brown said. “When you play TCU you know what the deal is going to be. There is going to be no easy plays, no easy runs and no easy completions.”
Statistically, TCU’s strongest area is punt return where the Horned Frogs rank sixth nationally at 15.9 yards per return. Last week, junior Derius Davis returned four punts for 103 yards against Texas Tech, with two of those returns setting up TCU scores.
Davis also had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Baylor win and is averaging 21.8 yards per return this season, which is ranked second nationally. JD Spielman is another competent returner who is averaging 11.4 yards on his seven returns.
In last year’s game in Fort Worth, TCU’s Jalen Reagor hit West Virginia for a 70-yard punt return in the third quarter in the Horned Frogs’ 20-17 loss to the Mountaineers.
“They took one for a touchdown against us last year, and they’ve got two returners, Spielman and Davis that are special,” Brown said. “The games they’ve played well in they’ve always got big returns from their punt return unit.”
Twenty-seven-year-old Australian punter Jordy Sandy complements Gary Patterson’s defense by averaging 42.4 yards per boot with 15 of his punts landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Historically, West Virginia’s games against TCU have been down-to-the-wire affairs. The first three Big 12 meetings were decided on the game’s final play, including two in overtime, and WVU’s 2017 loss in Fort Worth was decided by a touchdown after the Mountaineers were called for offensive pass interference as they were driving to tie the game.
Last year, Isaiah Esdale’s impressive 35-yard touchdown reception with 2:10 remaining powered WVU to a come-from-behind 20-17 victory.
Junior quarterback Jarret Doege extended his streak of 300-yard passing games to four during last Saturday’s 17-13 loss at Texas. The Lubbock, Texas, resident is now completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,007 yards and 11 touchdowns.
WVU’s leading rusher, Leddie Brown, was limited to a season-low 47 yards against the Longhorns, and trails Iowa State’s Breece Hall for the Big 12 rushing lead now by 293 yards – 1,034 to 741.
Neal Brown said earlier this week Brown was injured on the first play of the Texas game and that limited his effectiveness.
“We’re going to take care of him this week, and we’re hopeful that he’ll play,” Brown said. “We won’t know until later in the week.”
Sophomore Winston Wright Jr. leads a young WVU receiver corps with 36 catches for 447 yards and two touchdowns. Four different players have at least 20 catches and eight show at least 11 grabs so far in 2020.
Senior linebacker Tony Fields II continues to lead the Mountaineer defense with 65 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Sophomore safety Tykee Smith had a strong performance last Saturday at Texas to boost his season totals to 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three pass breakups.
WVU heads into Saturday’s game ranked sixth nationally in total defense (271.0 ypg.), sixth in pass defense (161.6), 19th in run defense (109.4) and 20th in points allowed (19.4 ppg.)
“There is significant improvement in our football team, and the reason I know that is because with four minutes to go in every single game we’ve played we’ve had an opportunity to win, which was definitely not the case a year ago,” Brown explained. “Now, we’ve found a way to win three of those games. Three of them – two against nationally ranked teams – we didn’t make the plays necessary.
“I know we’re better, but we’re not where we want to be because we’re not finishing all of those games,” he said.
There is significant improvement in our football team, and the reason I know that is because with four minutes to go in every single game we’ve played we’ve had an opportunity to win, which was definitely not the case a year ago. Now, we’ve found a way to win three of those games. Three of them – two against nationally ranked teams – we didn’t make the plays necessary.-- West Virginia coach Neal Brown
West Virginia owns a narrow 5-4 edge in the series with a 2-2 record in games played at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU’s last two victories at home against TCU came by scores of 34-10 in 2016 and 47-10 in 2018.
Saturday’s game will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on FOX (Joe Davis and Mark Helfrich). The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app WVU Gameday begins at 8:30 a.m. leading into regular network coverage at 11.
“This is a huge game for us. We’re excited about getting here at Mountaineer Field. I hope we get a good crowd,” Brown said. “The weather is going to be outstanding on Saturday.”
Tickets still remain for Saturday’s game and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com or by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME.
