Can an injury-plagued No. 18 TCU keep their College Football Playoff hopes afloat by beating No. 7 Oklahoma? They'll have to do it without star wide receiver Josh Doctson - and possibly without All-American quarterback Trevone Boykin.
TCU vs. Oklahoma 2015: Start time, live stream, TV schedule and 3 things to know
No. 18 TCU could be without All-American quarterback Trevone Boykin, and that could spell disaster against the No 7 Oklahoma Sooners.
Boykin and Doctson are just the latest additions to a MASH unit that’s featured 23 different Horned Frog players. Here’s what that injured list looks like, in case the gravity of TCU’s star-crossed 2015 hasn’t quite set in yet:
Oklahoma, on the other hand, is healthy and making the most of their opportunities this year. Former Texas Tech walk-on Baker Mayfield has emerged as a Heisman candidate for the 9-1 Sooners, and Samaje Perine has provided the tailback kick they'll need to rise to the top of the high-scoring Big 12. OU boasts the sixth-ranked offense in the nation. They've been perfect this fall outside of a head-scratching loss to 4-6 Texas back in October.
They'll have to deal with some unpredictability this weekend thanks to Boykin's "will he, won't he" status. TCU's lone loss this season came at the hands of an undefeated Oklahoma State, but they were anything but impressive in last week's 23-17 win over Kansas - a team that rates as the worst Power 5 team in the nation. The Horned Frogs lost Boykin in the first half of that contest and his replacements, Bram Kohlhausen and Foster Sawyer, failed to instill confidence during his absence. The Sooners will be preparing for all three quarterbacks on Saturday, and that uncertainty could be the silver lining for a TCU program that's been ravaged by injuries this fall.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: There is no spread; sportsbooks are staying away from this one until they hear news on Boykin’s status.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Crimson and Cream Machine (for Oklahoma fans) and Frogs O’ War (for TCU fans).
Three big things to know
1. Can TCU tailback Aaron Green step up with his team's passing game in flux? Green stood out in an otherwise dismal Horned Frog win over Kansas when he rushed for a season-high 177 yards on 30 carries. If Gary Patterson can't turn to Trevone Boykin, he'll be dialing Green's number again. The senior has four 100-yard days so far this season, but he'll have to shake off an OU defense that allows fewer than 150 rushing yards per game in 2015.
2. Oklahoma has been on a tear since losing to Texas 24-17. In the five games since, they’ve scored no fewer than 44 points in a game and are averaging 55.2 points per contest in their climb back up the rankings. That’s bad news for a TCU team that’s allowed four different opponents to score 37 points or more this season.
3. Welcome to the Heisman race, Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has been stellar in his first season behind center in Oklahoma - a shaky week two start against Tennessee notwithstanding. He made a statement last week against Baylor when he completed more than 70 percent of his passes, threw for three touchdowns, and ran for one more in a win that kept the Sooners’ playoff hopes alive. He’s accounted for 37 total touchdowns this season through 10 games, and a big performance over another ranked program would make him a tempting pick for Heisman voters.
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