Minnesota @ TCU preview
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Texas Christian may not have much of a history against Minnesota, but it has no shortage of experience in knocking off Big Ten teams under coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs, who host the Golden Gophers on Saturday in the first meeting between the schools since 1974, capped off their last 11-win season in 2011 with a win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. One year later, Michigan State needed a field goal with 1:01 left in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to drop Patterson to 3-1 all-time versus the Big Ten.
TCU is coming off a 4-7 campaign – its worst mark in Patterson’s first 13 full seasons – but will enter this contest with a full two weeks to savor its 48-14 victory over FCS foe Samford. Minnesota opened 2-0 for the second straight year after getting a career-high 220-yard rushing effort from David Cobb en route to a 35-24 win last weekend over Middle Tennessee. Cobb could find the going a little bit tougher against the Horned Frogs, however, as TCU yielded 143 total yards to the Bulldogs (87 rushing) and led the Big 12 in run defense a season ago.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: TCU -14
ABOUT MINNESOTA (2-0): Cobb became the first 200-yard rusher for the school since Amir Pinnix (Nov. 12, 2005 against Michigan State), while his rushing total was the highest for a Gopher since Laurence Maroney ran for 258 yards (Oct. 15, 2005 against Wisconsin). Thanks to the success of Cobb and freshman Berkley Edwards – brother of former Michigan and NFL star receiver Braylon – Minnesota has attempted 90 runs and 29 passes, which is an even more lopsided run-to-pass ratio than last season’s 2.2-to-1. Not surprisingly, seven of the Gophers’ nine touchdowns have been scored on the ground.
ABOUT TCU (1-0): Patterson’s teams usually field one of the best defenses in the country – seven top-16 finishes in total defense over the last eight years – and more of the same should be expected from a team returning nine defensive starters. The offense had its way with Samford, totaling 33 first downs, 555 total yards and running 96 plays from scrimmage – the most for TCU since a school-record 111 in 2007. Quarterback Trevone Boykin earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors following the season-opening win after amassing 349 total yards and three touchdowns.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Minnesota has yet to surrender a point in the first half in 2014.
2. TCU has forced a turnover in 13 straight games.
3. The Gophers (5-for-5) and Horned Frogs (7-for-7) are two of 34 teams nationally that are perfect in the red-zone conversions through two games.
PREDICTION: TCU 31, Minnesota 27