Texas Football: What Longhorns Must Work on During Bye Week to Prep for TCU

After a 2-4 start to the season, many people may not have expected the Longhorns to make it to a bowl game. But Charlie Strong's team fought to prove the doubters wrong.

Now Texas is 6-5, bowl-eligible and has an off week to prepare for its regular-season finale.

But the task ahead will be anything but simple.

Texas will face No. 5 TCU on Thanksgiving night, and the preparation during the bye week could make or break the Longhorns' chances of finishing the season on a high note.

The Horned Frogs battled their way into the Top Four of the College Football Playoff rankings due to the team's impressive wins over then-No. 4 Oklahoma and then-No. 7 Kansas State, according to a Campus Insiders interview with CFP committee chairman Jeff Long.

But TCU faced a near-death experience against Kansas last week and will be looking to regain the confidence of the CFP committee.

Regardless of where TCU is ranked, the Longhorns are almost guaranteed to be a home underdog to the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving, which makes the bye-week preparation even more important.

Strong has constantly reiterated the importance of making it to a bowl game. With that goal achieved, the Longhorns will shift their focus onto beating the Horned Frogs.

"They are very explosive and have a lot of playmakers," Strong said. "They get the ball in the playmakers' hands, and they just score. I just feel like we have to play defense, and that is the only way we're going to win. We have to play defense."

The defense needs to stay focused because it will have its hands full against TCU's offense, which has averaged 46 points per game and has outscored opponents 459-231. But the defense has proven its ability to shut down high-powered offenses. 

The Longhorns have held conference opponents to roughly 14 points less than what the teams have averaged this season.

The defense will need to play at its best on Thanksgiving, but the unit is far from the most important concern for the Longhorns.

The biggest question for Texas is if the Longhorns offense can outscore the Horned Frogs.

The Longhorns' 23.7 points per game rank No. 9 in the Big 12 and No. 98 nationally in scoring offense. Texas needs to change this if it wants to finish the season with a record better than .500.

At this point, it's nearly impossible to believe the Texas offense can keep up with TCU. And unfortunately for Texas fans, TCU's defense has been dominant and has allowed an average of 23 points per game.

The Longhorns' ground game has come to life over the last three games. Running backs Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray have racked up 496 yards and seven touchdowns since the Kansas State game. But the backs will face a difficult matchup against TCU.

The Horned Frogs have given up 25 offensive touchdowns—only nine on the ground. 

Texas has to test TCU's run defense, but it will need to be ready to throw the ball if the Longhorns cannot move the chains on the ground.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes looked to be regressing after his career-high performance against Iowa State. The sophomore only completed 47 percent of his passes against Kansas State, Texas Tech and West Virginia.

But Swoopes bounced back against Oklahoma State and completed 24 of 33 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns.

Most football teams begin and end with the quarterback, and in order for Texas to keep up with TCU's offense, Swoopes has to continue to build off of his performance against the Cowboys.

The Longhorns look to have an unfavorable game against the Horned Frogs. TCU will be looking to redeem itself following the close win over Kansas, and it has to prove its worth to the CFP committee.

In a game where the Horned Frogs have everything to lose and the Longhorns have momentum, a Thanksgiving upset is absolutely attainable. But the preparation over the next week will be key for Texas.

"We need some time off. We only have one game left, so that's where we're going to pour it all in," Strong said. "We will come back on Wednesday, and we'll go to work on Wednesday. We don't play until the following Thursday, but we're going to work all the way up until then."

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.