TCU Takes Down Oregon Ducks in Triple Overtime
Gameday Preview
The Oregon Ducks(9-3) take on TCU(10-2) on Saturday in the Valero Alamo Bowl. We can hope as fans that the matchup will provide some intrigue and a good game compared to what we have watched so far this Bowl Season which has, for me, been a disappointment with blowout after blowout. Thursday added an additional wrinkle when TCU Quarterback Trevone Boykin was suspended for being arrested following a bar fight and a felony charge after hitting a police officer. One would think that gives the favor to the Oregon Ducks for the win, but TCU has a very good Defense that has led the nation in key categories the last four seasons. If you add an Oregon Ducks Secondary that has had questions this season, it could be a great game.
The Oregon Ducks come in winning seven straight games and eight of their last nine. It has been a season where injuries effected key players on both teams including the Quarterback position with Oregon’s Vernon Adams and the Horned Frogs Trevone Boykin. Both players have been keys to the success for their respective teams. Entering the game Saturday, TCU has a very slight edge in yards per game (564 to 546). The talent on the field on Offense for the Alamo Bowl is now in favor of Oregon with Boykin suspended for the game. The Horned Frogs will turn to experienced backup Bram Kohlhausen to likely start vs the Ducks.
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Oregon is led by Vernon Adams and Running Back Royce Freeman. The have a combined 39 touchdowns and are responsible for over 4000 yards of Offense combined. Boykin and TCU had the Horned Frogs on track for the National Championship this season with 31 scores and over 3500 yards of Offense on his own. There is no doubt that TCU will not be able to replace his Offensive Presence, but the Defense could be the storyline to watch on Saturday afternoon.
The Oregon Ducks Defense is led by DeForest Bucker who will get pressure on TCU to get to the Quarterback, but the Horned Frogs also have plenty of talent up front. Earlier this season TCU held a well paced 5.8 yard per carry West Virginia team to a 3.8 average and managed to run up over 600 yards of Offense on their own in a 40-10 win. If TCU can limit the high powered Oregon Running Game and turn Oregon one-dimensional, the Horned Frogs could pull off the upset.
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The Oregon Ducks and TCU Horned Frogs meet at 3:45pm Pacific Time in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Autzen Zoo will have Live Coverage of the game starting at 3pm and a full recap of the action following. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for our look at the game. (Our feed will be Live on this page starting at 3.)