West Virginia @ Texas Christian preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 1, 2014 ) Texas Christian 31, West Virginia 30

Third-ranked TCU looks for its eighth consecutive win this season and 16th straight overall victory when it hosts West Virginia on Thursday in a Big 12 contest. The Horned Frogs are battling Baylor and Oklahoma State for the conference crown and are thriving behind an offense that has topped 600 yards five times this season.

Senior quarterback Trevone Boykin is a Heisman Trophy candidate but senior receiver Josh Doctson is shattering the TCU record books with 60 receptions for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns -- the latter two marks surpass his own school records set last season. "I'm just stepping up, trying to be better than I was last year," Doctson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I guess the results are the numbers that are being put up. I'm not really drooling over how much success I'm having this year. I'm just glad that we're 7-0." West Virginia has lost three consecutive games and the thought of having to outscore the Horned Frogs isn't one coach Dana Holgorsen wants to entertain. "I would like to get to a point where we can," Holgorsen said at a press conference. "I've been involved in some games where it's been fairly high scoring-games. We just haven't been there yet."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: TCU -14.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (3-3, 0-3 Big 12): Junior quarterback Skyler Howard is a native of Fort Worth and he returns home with stats of 1,566 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Junior running back Wendell Smallwood has rushed for 678 yards and five touchdowns while big-play sophomore receiver Shelton Gibson (23 catches, six touchdowns) is averaging 23.5 yards per reception and 30.2 yards on kickoffs with one return score. The defense suffered a blow earlier this month when senior safety Karl Joseph (five interceptions) suffered a season-ending knee injury but the unit is receiving strong play from senior strong-side linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (team-best 39 tackles) and senior middle linebacker Jared Barber (team-leading seven tackles for losses).

ABOUT TCU (7-0, 4-0): Boykin has been superb by passing for 2,539 yards and 25 touchdowns against just five interceptions but struggled badly against the Mountaineers last season when he was 12-of-30 for 166 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Doctson has recorded five straight 100-yard receiving outings and has also caught at least one touchdown pass in each of those games, while senior running back Aaron Green (632 yards, eight touchdowns) will attempt to rebound after having just seven yards on 12 carries in TCU's most-recent game against Iowa State. Junior defensive end Josh Carraway has a team-leading 4.5 sacks while senior free safety Derrick Kindred (42 tackles, one interception) excels in the back end.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The teams have split four previous meetings and Horned Frogs senior K Jaden Oberkrom was the hero last season by kicking a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give TCU a 31-30 victory.

2. The Mountaineers are 2-13 under Holgorsen when allowing more than 40 points.

3. Horned Frogs freshman WR KaVontae Turpin (upper-body injury) will likely miss the contest, leaving a hole in the return game as he is averaging 29.1 yards on kickoffs and 12.2 on punts.

PREDICTION: TCU 59, West Virginia 31