Alamo Bowl 2016: Oregon vs. TCU TV Schedule, Time and Odds
What looked like one of the bowl games capable of stealing the show with plenty of scoring might still light up the scoreboard when the No. 15 Oregon Ducks and No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs get together, but recent events have it looking like a lopsided matchup.
TCU and Oregon entered the year with College Football Playoff aspirations before seeing those hopes dashed. TCU finished at 10-2 and watched as Oklahoma entered the CFP to represent the Big 12, and Oregon slid to 9-3, though finished the year red-hot.
It's TCU in the headlines before the game, with top wideout Josh Doctson set to miss the game and quarterback Trevone Boykin, a Heisman Trophy contender, arrested Thursday morning and promptly suspended by the team, according to ESPN.com.
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The absence of two major names shapes the complexion of this outlook in dramatic fashion, but capable offenses still promise to put on a show.
Game Details
When: Saturday, January 2, at 6:45 p.m. ET
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 78.5
Spread: Oregon (-1)
Team Injury Reports
| Christian French | LB | Out indefinitely |
| Juwaan Williams | S | Ques Sat |
| Byron Marshall | WR | Out for season |
| Travis Jonsen | QB | Out for season |
| Pharaoh Brown | TE | Out indefinitely |
| Thomas Tyner | RB | Out for season |
| Aaron Curry | DT | Prob Sat |
| Ty Slanina | WR | Out Sat |
| Trevone Boykin | QB | Out |
| Joey Hunt | C | Prob Sat |
| Josh Doctson | WR | Out Sat |
| Ja'Juan Story | WR | Out for season |
| Ranthony Texada | CB | Out for season |
| Kenny Iloka | S | Out for season |
| Sammy Douglas | LB | Out for season |
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
Riding the Wave
Injuries slammed the Ducks early in the season, especially with Marcus Mariota replacement Vernon Adams Jr. struggling to stay healthy.
Adams struggled in a 31-28 loss to then-No. 5 Michigan State, then missed three of Oregon's next four games, including an overtime loss to Washington State. He returned to lead the Ducks to a six-game win streak to close the season, finishing with 2,446 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to six interceptions.
Royce Freeman carried the Ducks regardless of Adams' participation, averaging 6.6 yards per carry with 1,706 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Call it a necessary evil with how the Ducks prefer to win games—masking a defense ranking near the bottom of the FBS with 480.3 yards allowed per game. For defensive end DeForest Buckner, the absence of Doctson figures to make things easier.
“He’s definitely a huge weapon for them,” Buckner said, according to Carlos Mendez of the Star-Telegram. “It’ll ease up the pressure on the secondary and the whole defense in general, so it’s a benefit for us, and we just have to take advantage of something like that.”
Obviously the unexpected absence of Boykin will play the biggest role of all. Already touting great momentum, all the Ducks need to do is play their game.
Picking Up the Pieces
Even before the news broke about Boykin, TCU head coach Gary Patterson saw parallels between his program's expectations, injuries and resurgence, though admitted the Ducks seemed to be further along in recovery.
"So to play a team like coach Helfrich said, really probably come down the same path this year of injuries and then getting healthy, he's probably on the other end where they're getting a little healthier. We kind of got banged up at the end," Patterson said, according to ESPN.com.
TCU collapsed around Boykin down the stretch as he tossed four picks in a 49-29 loss to Oklahoma State, attempted eight passes before hurting himself in a win against Kansas and missed the 30-29 loss to Oklahoma. Upon his return, the Horned Frogs needed double overtime to beat Baylor.
Against Oklahoma, the Horned Frogs trotted out freshman Foster Sawyer, who tossed a trio of interceptions before getting replaced by senior Bram Kohlhausen, who proceeded to throw a pair of touchdowns on a 5-of-11 mark.
Missing Doctson certainly hurts whoever happens to line up under center. That's 79 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns out the window. The next player who even comes close is KaVontae Turpin at 40 grabs and eight touchdowns.
There's always a silver lining. If there's one here, it's a combination of Oregon's miserable pass defense and Kohlhausen's decent outing in relief against Oklahoma, which he did without Doctson on the field.
All factors considered, TCU has a chance to pull off one of bowl season's biggest upsets, odd as it sounds.
Prediction
This one's going to get ugly.
TCU didn't stand much of a chance at stopping Oregon in the first place, the saving grace supposedly a healthy Boykin's return to post gaudy numbers of his own. The Horned Frogs cough up 396.7 yards per game, something only amplified in the face of the Adams-Freeman combo.
If Kohlhausen can repeat his solid performance from earlier this year, he'll find success against the Oregon secondary and keep this closer than one might expect.
In a sheer shootout, though, a TCU team rocked by controversy won't keep pace with Oregon's attack. Expect Freeman and the Ducks to keep the Horned Frogs at an arm's length all day.
Prediction: Oregon 45, TCU 35
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.
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