TCU @ Arkansas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 10, 2016 ) Arkansas 41, Texas Christian 38

After routing overmatched Jackson State 63-0 last week, TCU will have a much-sterner test when it visits Arkansas on Saturday. Last season, the Razorbacks posted a thrilling 41-38 victory in double overtime to snap TCU's then 14-game home winning streak.




“We understand that if you want to be a Top 25, top 10 team, you’ve got to win big games in non-conference, and we consider Arkansas a big game,” TCU coach Gary Patterson told reporters. Arkansas got 120 yards rushing and a touchdown from 18-year-old freshman Chase Hayden in its season-opening 49-7 victory over Florida A&M. Hayden's breakout performance will help quell the concern that Razorback fans felt after star running back Rawleigh Williams' career came to an end following a second neck injury in the spring. The Razorbacks will look to slow down Patterson's Air Raid offense by controlling the ball on the ground like they did last season when they rushed 43 times for 180 yards.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: TCU -3

ABOUT TCU (1-0): Quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns, two to Desmon White, and helped TCU take a comfortable lead early on as the Horned Frogs won their 16th straight home opener last week. Hill threw for 377 yards and an overtime TD to Taj Williams in last year's setback, but the Horned Frogs had to settle for a field goal in their second overtime possession, setting up a game-winning run by Arkansas. The Horned Frogs have not gone on the road for an SEC game since 1997, when they lost at Vanderbilt 40-16 and their last win in an SEC stadium came against the Commodores in 1995.
ABOUT ARKANSAS (1-0): The Razorbacks want to keep the dynamic Hill in the pocket this time after watching him turn a 20-7 third-quarter deficit into a 28-20 lead with three quick drives in the fourth quarter. "You could see right away he was going to have an impact," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema told reporters. "As you can see, he can make a lot of things happen in a short amount of space." Austin Allen was 14-for-19 passing for 135 yards and a touchdown in limited action in the Razorbacks opening-week blowout.

EXTRA POINTS

1. TCU's Kyle Hicks, who ran for 192 yards and five touchdowns against Baylor last season, didn't play in the opener because of a leg injury and is questionable for Saturday.
2. Arkansas' Ryan Pulley, the team's top cover cornerback this season, will miss significant time after sustaining a pectoral injury last week .
3. The 65 yards allowed last week by TCU were the second-fewest in FBS to the 33 allowed by Mississippi State against Charleston Southern.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 30, TCU 28