Gary Patterson’s Texas Christian squad prepares for OU during a very interesting week in Norman.

The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (6-0, 3-0) are back in the comfy confines of the Palace on the Prairie after making a comeback for the ages in the Red River Showdown last Saturday. This weekend, the TCU Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1) are due up, pitting offensive mastermind Lincoln Riley against Gary Patterson’s defensive wisdom for the eighth time in seven seasons.

OU has been especially dominant at the Palace as of late, having won 24 of its last 25 home games dating back to the 2017 season, including an active streak of seven consecutive victories in Norman.

Date, Time & TV: Saturday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC

Line: Oklahoma -13.5 (as of Friday at 4 p.m. CT)

O/U: 64

Lincoln Riley’s final word on Friday:

OU-TCU Game Primer

C&C Machine Q&A with Frogs O’ War’s Melissa Triebwasser

Kamiar also caught up with Melissa to preview TCU and more from this week at OU

Frogs O’ War Q&A with C&C Machine’s Jack Shields

Allen Kenney looks at how Oklahoma can utilize both Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler

Check out this officially licensed Marvin Mims TD shirt from BreakingT

Major Storylines

Who does Lincoln Riley start at QB?

That’s the big question that’s been on everyone’s mind ever since true freshman Caleb Williams came in for Spencer Rattler and led OU to a record-breaking comeback victory against Texas. Once the celebratory dust finally settled, things took a strange turn this week after the OU Daily published a report that Williams was practicing with the first-team, leading to Riley pulling the plug on all media access until after this Saturday’s game against TCU.

All QB drama aside, it’s pretty plain to see for anyone who watched the Red River game that Williams gave Oklahoma’s offense something it hadn’t shown in its previous five contests. Whether it was his energy or his play-making abilities, the team around him responded and looked more like the championship-caliber group they were projected to be coming into the season. If you ask me, I believe Williams will get the start against TCU, but I also expect to see Rattler play a significant portion of the game throughout the night. Bottom line: while this isn’t an ideal situation for the Sooners to be in mid-way through the regular season, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to have two capable quarterbacks competing for the No. 1 spot.

Watch out for TCU’s Zach Evans and Kendre Miller

The Horned Frogs have leaned heavily on their run game this season, and for the most part they’ve been successful on the ground, production-wise. Sophomore RB Zach Evans leads the way for Gary Patterson’s offense, as he’s put up some monster stats in just five games. Coming into the weekend, he’s recorded 586 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 74 carries, and he’s added 95 receiving yards and another score on seven catches. Keep an eye on his availability, however, as he was sidelined in the second half against Texas Tech last week after sustaining what has since been reported to be a minor foot injury.

Sophomore Kendre Miller has also proven himself to be a threat from the backfield, racking up 302 yards and six TDs on 34 rushes. Additionally, both Miller and Evans top the Big 12 with 8.9 and 7.9 average yards per carry, respectively, so it’ll be paramount that OU’s run defense steps up like it has for the majority of this season to contain TCU’s explosive duo.

Gary Patterson’s defense has struggled in 2021

Gary Patterson’s name is synonymous with defense. That’s what happens when you’ve built a reputation of fielding some of the smartest and most productive defenses in college football over the years. However, that hasn’t been the case for the Horned Frogs in 2021. By the numbers, TCU ranks 91st nationally in turnovers gained (six), 95th in third-down defense (.422 conversion percentage), 99th in total defense (429.2 yards allowed per game), 116th in rush defense (206.0 rushing yards allowed per game), 122nd in total team sacks (6.0) and 126th in tackles-for-loss per contest (3.8) coming into this weekend.

Needless to say, those kinds of statistics do not bode well for Patterson’s team considering they’re about to face an Oklahoma offense that may have finally turned the corner and hit another gear with a potentially new starting QB. If these figures stay true on Saturday, it could be another long night for Gary’s group.

Does Kennedy Brooks pick up where he left off?

Kennedy Brooks is quietly building himself a case as the most underrated running back in OU history. His patience is second-to-none, and he’s deceptively fast when he breaks into the open field. Coming off a career-high 217 yards and a pair of game-changing touchdowns, what will he do against a vulnerable TCU run defense?

Well for starters, in two career games (‘18 and ‘19) against the Horned Frogs, Brooks has carried the ball a total of 43 times for 317 rushing yards (7.4 average ypc) and one touchdown. That’s about as dominant of a two-game sample as you’ll find from any one player. Given what he looked like a week ago, his presence on the field should be squarely on the minds of Gary Patterson and company.

Prediction

Looking at how much the TCU defense has struggled this season, especially against teams with respectable rushing attacks, I don’t envision OU having any real difficulty with generating yards on the ground. As anyone who has watched Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley could tell you, when his offenses are able to run the ball at will, it’s nearly impossible to stop. I believe Caleb Williams will get the starting nod, and both he and Kennedy Brooks will hurt the Horned Frogs with their legs throughout the night. That’ll gradually open up play action for guys like Marvin Mims and Mike Woods to take the top off of Patterson’s secondary. On the other side, the Sooners’ defensive line and linebackers will have their hands full with defending Zach Evans, but the pass rush be able to hurry Max Duggan into some dangerous throws that will keep them from moving the ball consistently. In the end, I see this as a relatively drama-free outing for the home team from start to finish.

Oklahoma 38, TCU 17

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Melissa Triebwasser of Frogs O’ War drops by to talk about Zach Evans, Max Duggan and the TCU Horned Frogs.

After an incredible win over the Texas Longhorns in Dallas , the Oklahoma Sooners will need to avoid any kind of letdown as Gary Patterson’s upset-minded TCU Horned Frogs come to town. Here to talk about OU’s opponent is Melissa Treibwasser of Frogs O’ War.

Gary Patterson’s gamble on Zach Evans has paid off big time, as the former five-star running back is clearly thriving in Fort Worth. What should OU fans know about him entering Saturday?

Zach came in with a lot of questions, but the kid has been awesome on and off the field. He’s an absolute delight to talk to, he’s doing great in the classroom, he’s always looking to build up his teammates. You hear a lot of things about kids in the recruiting process, but the person we are getting to know at TCU is pretty special. I hope that whatever it was that was getting him to make some bad decisions is eradicated because his future is so bright. He’s got the speed, power, and explosiveness to make a lot of money playing football, and it’s not inconceivable that he could be a first or second round draft pick 18 months from now.

What I love about watching him play is that he seeks out contact, can break tackles, and can run by guys. Evans has a high football IQ, understands where the holes are and can make a lane when the o-line fails him. He’s a pretty good receiver, too. He really is the whole package. We have yet to really see TCU lean on him offensively, and Saturday — if he’s healthy — could be the first time that happens. I’m really interested to see what he can do if the governor comes off.

Speaking of the offense, junior QB Max Duggan seems to improve a little as time goes on and is now one of the better QBs in a league that knows how to produce great QBs. Which aspect of his game seems to have improved the most since the last time OU fans saw him?

Well, umm… that’s a great question, because there’s a prevailing thought around the fan base is that he hasn’t really improved much since his freshman year. Duggan still struggles to complete passes, especially the deep ball, and whether that’s something to do with him or a failing of the play callers remains to be established. But even when he was given a call sheet that focused on intermediate balls in the middle of the field against Texas, the results weren’t great. What Max does well is will his team in tough situations: he’s unquestionably a great leader, he makes tough plays with his feet, and he’s good for a couple of “wow” pass plays a game. But it’s the simple things that he continues to struggle with, setting TCU up to need that grit down the stretch. I still think Max Duggan can be a really good QB, but at some point he has to prove that he can indeed win games with his arm, and we haven’t seen that in 2021.

Speaking of Duggan, which of his weapons should we be most aware of coming into this weekend?

Well, if Quentin Johnston is still out, that hurts a lot. But I love what Taye Barber and Derius Dvis have brought to the table as veterans, and Blair Conwright has had some nice moments in his sophomore campaign. Savion Williams and Quincy Brown are the two elite athletes that haven’t quite gotten in a regular rotation of making plays, but when they get the ball they make big things happen. I am kind of banking on Conwright to be a surprising star Saturday night in Norman — Duggan is developing a nice repoire with him over the last few weeks.

Defensively, things have surprisingly been less than smooth up to this point. What seems to be the biggest issue for this group?

Can I say all of it?

CB2 is a huge problem; Trevius Hodges Tomlinson is awesome but it’s been a sieve on the other side with Noah Daniels out or limited since early last season. The safeties haven’t been much better — though TJ Carter played well at Tech — and the linebackers, outside of Dee Winters, look overmatched. But it all starts with the pass rush and the front line against the run. We thought the defensive line would be the defense’s biggest strength, but injuries to Khari Coleman and Corey Bethley have apparently been too much to overcome. Coleman has returned and shored up the pass rush, but you or I could probably average four yards per carry on the ground up the middle. Which is totally fine because it’s not like there are any good running backs in the Big 12 this season.

How are TCU fans feeling about the future of the athletic department in light of the departures of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12? Are people excited for the new chapter with the new members?

From a pure football entertainment factor, I love it. You’re telling me OU, which has absolutely dominated the conference for the last half a decade, is going to leave, we are going to replace them with three really fun football programs and Holgo, and they’re going to take those a-holes in Burnt Orange with them? Sign. Me. Up.

But do I think that this is the death of college football as we now know it and will also absolutely destroy women’s and non-revenue sports? Yeah, we are screwed. I don’t blame Oklahoma for taking the SEC paycheck: the Sooners win. A lot. The next logical step is joining what will soon be the football version of the G League. But what it’s financially going to do to the remaining eight member’s athletic department budgets is concerning.

Who is your favorite Oklahoman of all time?

Okay I will admit I did some googling, but apparently Ron Howard was born in Oklahoma, and as a huge fan of his movies — and Arrested Development — I will choose him.

What does TCU have to do to pull the upset this year?

I’m titleing my “Keys to the Game” piece this week “Thoughts and Prayers”, if that tells you how I am feeling about this thing.

But seriously, GP will need to come up with the game plan of a lifetime against a true freshman QB, pull out all the stops on the blitzes, and hope for a few turnovers and a lucky bounce here or there. Maybe Max can finally connect on a few of those deep balls, and Zach Evans can help the Frogs control the clock and keep OU off the field on offense.

How do you see this one playing out? What’s your score prediction?

I’ve said it a few times now, but I think these two teams trade scores on their first drives, the Frogs pull ahead thanks to a turnover, and it’s all Sooners from there. OU 41, TCU 31. (we cover! yay!)