TCU Horned Frogs vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys: Complete Game Preview

The Oklahoma State Cowboys came out last weekend against the Iowa State Cyclones and played a great game on both sides of the ball after disappointed performances in their two previous games.

TCU, on the other hand, lost a heartbreaker in triple overtime against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, which makes them 1-2 in the past three weeks since Casey Pachall left the program.

Given the amount of teams fighting it out in the middle of the Big 12 this season, this game could be the most important game either team has played so far this season.

The winner will take the next step towards getting out of the middle of the pack and controlling where their season goes. Either way, it's sure to be a great matchup between two good teams. 

Game-Day Information

Who: TCU at Oklahoma State

When: Saturday, October 27 at 2:30 p.m. CT

Where: Stillwater, Oklahoma

Stadium: Boone Pickens Stadium (cap. 60,218)

Series History: Oklahoma State 11-9-2

TV: FSN Affiliates 

Radio: Cowboy Radio Network

Internet Stream: OkState.com

Lineup for the Oklahoma State Cowboys

Offense

Position             Number     Name                     Height   Weight   Class

Quarterback         11          Wes Lunt                6’4”         211        Fr.

Running Back       1           Joseph Randle         6’1”         194         Jr.

Fullback               9           Kye Staley              5’10”        236        Sr.

Wide Receiver      87   Tracy Moore             6'2"       215    Sr. 

Wide Receiver        5           Josh Stewart          5’10”        170        So.

Wide Receiver       18          Blake Jackson        6’3”         238         Jr.

Wide Receiver       17          Charlie Moore          6'2"         202         Jr.

Offensive Tackle    71          Parker Graham       6’7”         292         Jr.

Offensive Tackle    58          Daniel Koenig         6’6”         295        So.

Offensive Guard    70          Jonathan Rush        6’4”         284        Sr.

Offensive Guard    68          Lane Taylor             6’3”         328        Sr.

Center                  60          Evan Epstein           6’3”         291        Sr.

Defense

Position             Number     Name                     Height   Weight   Class

Defensive End       80          Cooper Bassett        6’5”         270        Sr.

Defensive End       96          Ryan Robinson        6’4”         246        Sr.

Defensive Tackle   91          James Castleman    6’2”         296        So.

Defensive Tackle   99          Calvin Barnett         6’2”         299         Jr.

Linebacker             11          Shaun Lewis           5’11”        222        Jr.

Linebacker             37          Alex Elkins             6’3”         222        Sr.

Linebacker             45          Caleb Lavey           6’3”         240         Jr.

Cornerback            19          Brodrick Brown        5’8”         185         Sr.

Cornerback             4           Justin Gilbert           6’0”         194         Jr.

Safety                    7           Shamiel Gary           6’0”         205         Jr.

Safety                    8           Daytawion Lowe      5’11”        198         Jr.

Special Teams

Position             Number     Name                     Height   Weight   Class

Punter/Kicker         13          Quinn Sharp            6’1”         205        Sr.

Punter Returner       6           David Glidden          5’7”         171        Fr.

Kick Returner          4           Justin Gilbert           6’0”         194         Jr.

Longsnapper          53          Andrew Suter           6’2”         268         Jr.

Holder                    39          Wes Harlan             5’7”         178        Sr.

Key Injuries

QB Wes Lunt—Knee—PRB

WR Tracy Moore—Ankle—QST

CB Andrae May—Knee—QST

WR Isaiah Anderson—Finger—DBT

Lineup for the TCU Horned Frogs

Offense

Position              Number      Name                          Height             Weight            Class

Quarterback        2                Trevone Boykin            6’2”                 215                 Fr.

Running Back     29              Matthew Tucker            6’1”                 218                 Sr.

Wide Receiver     82              Josh Boyce                  6’0”                 203                 Jr.

Wide Receiver     3                Brandon Carter             5’11”               161                 So.

Wide Receiver     85              LaDarius Brown            6’4”                 220                 Fr.

Wide Receiver     11              Skye Dawson               5’9”                 183                 Sr.

Offensive Tackle  59             Tayo Fabuluje               6’7”                 315                 So.

Offensive Tackle  69             Aviante Collins             6’6”                  310                 Fr.

Offensive Guard   73              Eric Tausch                6’3”                  295                 Jr.

Offensive Guard   66              Blaize Foltz                 6’4”                 310                 Sr.

Center                 64              James Fry                   6’3”                 290                 Sr.

Defense

Position                Number      Name                        Height             Weight            Class

Defensive End      90              Stansly Maponga        6’2”                 265                 Jr.

Nose Tackle         98               Jon Lewis                  6’2”                 275                 So.

Nose Tackle         57               Davion Pierson           6’2”                 305                 Fr.

Defensive End      95               Devonte Fields           6’4”                 240                 Fr.

Linebacker            36               Joel Hasley                6’1”                215                 So.

Linebacker            51               Kenny Cain                6’1”                210                 Sr.

Cornerback           2                 Jason Verrett             5’10”               180                 Jr.

Cornerback           25                Kevin White               5’10”               174                So.

Safety                  17                Sam Carter                6’1”                220                 So.

Safety                  3                  Chris Hackett             6’2”                200                 Fr.

Safety                  6                  Elisha Olabode           5’10”              182                 Jr.

Special Teams

Position                Number         Name                        Height             Weight            Class

Kicker                   33                Jaden Oberkrom         6’3”                 170                 Fr.

Punter                   37                Ethan Perry                6’4”                 220                 Fr.

Returner                11                Skye Dawson              5’9”                183                 Sr.

Key Injuries

DE Stansly Maponga—Foot—QST

QB Casey Pachall—Left Team—OUT

What Happened to Oklahoma State Last Week

Last weekend, the Oklahoma State Cowboys quieted many of those in the media who questioned their offensive firepower following a 20-14 victory against Kansas. A performance best described as lethargic for the Pokes high-flying offense.

Against Iowa State, the Cowboys were back to their old ways; putting up 31 points on what was widely regarded as the Big 12's best defense. The offensive line got back on track, Joseph Randle got back to being explosive, and J.W. Walsh threw for over 400 yards on a bum knee.

Speaking of that knee, Walsh is now out for the season and will be replaced by either Wes Lunt or Clint Chelf. Lunt is the favorite right now, as he began the season as the starter before getting injured, but that injury has kept him out for three weeks. Chelf has experience in the offense, but Mike Gundy went with Lunt for a reason to start the year. 

What Happened to TCU Last Week

TCU played well against a talented Texas Tech team, but in the end, they couldn't keep up with Seth Doege and Co.'s firepower, losing 56-53 in triple OT.

That loss makes the Horned Frogs 1-2 in games since Casey Pachall went down with injury; however, outside of turnovers, backup Trevone Boykin has looked good so far. Fans have to keep in mind that the young signal-caller is still only a freshman and should grow as we move forward.

In fact, TCU boasts a good young core across the board with Boykin, WR LaDarius Brown, and DE Devonte Fields. TCU hasn't been great this season, but they have the talent to separate themselves from the pack, especially with a win this weekend.

What the Game Means for Both Teams

Obviously, the Kansas State Wildcats are the one team in the conference that truly controls its destiny. They're the only undefeated team and with a win over OU and WVU. It looks like they are the favorites to win the Big 12 title.

After them, it's almost anyone's race. Sure, Kansas has absolutely no shot, but there's six teams who could easily step up and take that second spot. Both TCU and Oklahoma State are among those teams, sitting at 2-2 and 2-1 in the conference respectively.

There's some work to be done after this game is played, but whoever wins is putting themselves in a good spot to make a run towards the Big 12's top three or four teams.

Key Player for TCU

Devonte Fields

The easy answer here is obviously Trevone Boykin, who really needs to cut on turnovers if the Horned Frogs plan to win this game. However, I'm going with pass-rusher Devonte Fields as my key player.

Now that we know J.W. Walsh won't be suiting up this week, we can safely guess that Wes Lunt is probably going to get the start. That means a freshman QB with three career starts who is just coming back from an injury is going to be under center.

If you don't think Fields is licking his chops, you're kidding yourself. The odds don't get much better if Clint Chelf is in the back field either, as he hasn't ever started a game and is the team's third-string QB for a reason.

Key Player for Oklahoma State

Wes Lunt

I thought about getting cute and putting either WR Josh Stewart (being Lunt's safety blanket) or LB Shaun Lewis (leading the defense to a big day); however, I just couldn't go with anybody besides the returning Lunt.

No player will likely have a bigger impact (positively or negatively) than Lunt in this contest. He could either come and pick up where he left off, or he could throw out an absolute egg and cost the Pokes the game.

Thankfully, the Cowboys have a stud running back in Joseph Randle who can put away some heat off of the young quarterback, but at some point, he has to throw the ball and how effective he is at that could easily decide the game.

Game Prediction

This really is one of those games that could turn either way. Both teams have a talented, young quarterback, and both have question marks at various places.

However, I have to pick the home team here for multiple reasons. The Cowboys defense is due for a big day in the turnover department, and it's not like Trevone Boykin is the poster boy for ball security. Also, Joseph Randle is always going to be an x-factor with his game-changing ability.

It's going to be a close one, but the home crowd, and a good effort from Randle as well as a good defense should mask any mistakes in the passing game. Lunt's going to have to shake the rust off quickly. If he can minimize his negatives, the Cowboys will take this one.

Oklahoma State 31 TCU 24