BYU at TCU Betting Lines
Former Mountain West rivals, known by letters, should present an entertaining alphabet-soup game Friday night in Arlington, when current football independent BYU visits the Lone Star State to face reigning Rose Bowl champion TCU.
The Cougars have been known for their offense. The Horned Frogs have developed a national reputation for its defense. A clash of contrasting styles – two programs that have been the models for the Mountain West for the last several years – now parting ways as rivals and moving into new territories.
TCU and BYU have split 10 all-time meetings, but the Frogs have won the last three games and four of six meetings when the two were Mountain West opponents.
Looking at the most recent odds, the Horned Frogs are favored by 13 points and the total has been set for 56 points.
BYU
The Cougars are on a run of five straight wins after a 56-3 home win over FCS Idaho State last week. The last loss was a 54-10 defeat at the hands of bitter rival Utah Sept. 17.
Since opening the season with offensive struggles (40 total points in three games), the Cougars have scored 24 or more and averaged nearly 35 points per game during the current five-game win streak. The offense ranks 58th nationally in rushing offense (159 yards per game), 59th in passing (233 ypg) and 72nd in scoring offense (27 ppg).
The run game is balanced, with five different players averaging more than five carries per contest, led by J.J. Di Luigi’s 346 yards on 70 carries (4.9 average) with three touchdowns and Riley Nelson’s 284 yards on 44 totes (6.5) with one score.
Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps have combined to throw for 1,862 yards and 14 TDs with nine interceptions, completing 57 percent of their passes. Nine different players have at least 10 receptions, led by 33 by Cody Hoffman (491 yards, 4 TDs) and 22 from Ross Apo (262 yards, 4 TDs).
Defensively, BYU ranks 32nd nationally in scoring defense with 22 points per game, allowing 340 yards per game (217 passing, 123 rushing) and has forced 18 turnovers (11 interceptions, seven fumbles) and posted 12 sacks (seven combined by Jord Pendleton and Kyle Van Noy). Van Noy and Travis Uale each have three interceptions, while Uona Kaveinga has three forced fumbles. Brand Ogletree is the team leader with 45 tackles.
Hoffman is a field-position consideration, averaging 24 yards per kickoff return, including a 93-yard TD scamper this season.
TCU
TCU has won its last two games and is coming off a 69-0 win over New Mexico last week. The Frogs’ only losses have been by a total of nine points (50-48 at Baylor, 40-33 in overtime vs. SMU). The Frogs are 41-5 since the 2008 season opener – the third best record in the country (Boise State 45-2, Alabama 44-5).
The defense has been the highlight for TCU in recent years, but this year … it’s the offense that is grabbing headlines. The Frogs rank eighth nationally in scoring offense (44 points per game), 18th in rushing (217 yards per game) and 56th in passing (235 ypg). More than 70 percent of the running game is contained in three players – Waymon James, Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley – who have combined for 1,192 yards and 11 touchdowns and an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
Casey Pachall manages the passing game, throwing for 1,566 yards and 17 TDs with just four interceptions, completing 70 percent of his throws. Josh Boyce leads the team with 38 catches for 604 yards and five scores, with Skye Dawson adding 268 yards on 27 catches with three TDs.
The defense is at least as solid as before, ranking 35th in scoring defense (22 ppg), allowing 19 or fewer points in the five wins. The team allows 124 rushing yards (3.6 per carry) and 224 passing yards per contest, forcing 13 turnovers and recording 14 sacks. Stansl Maponga leads the way with five sacks, four forced fumbles and two recoveries and Tekerrein Cuba has 45 tackles to lead the squad.
Greg McCoy averages more than 29 yards per kickoff return (including a 94-yarder for a TD), while Waymon James has an 82-yarder. Brandon Carter averages more than 16 yards per punt return.
