Baylor-Tech, Texas-TCU highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week. We’re eschewing our normal format of one collegiate game and one high school contest and are instead focusing on a two-game, four-team Big 12 party in the DFW Metroplex. Texas (1-3) at TCU (4-0) 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth Saturday morning’s showdown in Panther City will feature two teams that have been on opposite ends of the late-game dramatics spectrum recently. Texas has dropped two straight heartbreakers- first to Cal on a missed PAT attempt and then against Oklahoma State on a shanked punt. TCU, on the other hand, held on to win a heart-stopping thriller in Lubbock last week after a miracle tip-drill touchdown pass on 4^th down. In terms of expectations, this is not your Daddy’s Longhorns-Horned Frogs matchup. When these two teams used to meet on an annual basis in the Southwest Conference, it was generally the Frogs looking ruin the Longhorns’ championship aspirations. This Saturday, however, it’ll be the boys from the 40 acres looking to inch toward bowl eligibility while simultaneously derailing the dream season of a heavy favorite. So what does Texas need in order to pull off the upset? It’s as easy as 1-2-3 (although probably more difficult than me just WRITING 1-2-3). #1: Find points where you can. Trevone Boykin and the TCU offense are going to score points. More than likely, a lot of them. The burden of the UT offense to keep pace will be eased if the Longhorns’ defense and special teams can continue to score points on turnovers and kick returns as they’ve done early on this season. #2: Establish the run game. The best way to keep Boykin & company from hurting you is to keep them on the sideline by controlling the clock. TCU’s defensive front six has been decimated by injuries in the early part of the season, and Texas Tech was able to take advantage and dominate the line of scrimmage. If the Tower is to be illuminated in orange on Saturday night, it will be the result of a healthy dose of Johnathan Gray and Jerrod Heard toting the rock. #3: Sell out on guarding Josh Doctson. As bad as the injury bug as bitten the Horned Frog defense (and it’s been bad), it may have been just as punitive on the TCU receiving corps. Starters Deante Gray and Ty Slanina are out for the year, Kolby Listenbee missed the Tech game and Ja’Juan Story and Emanuel Porter brought home some bumps and bruises from Lubbock. Doctson as simply eviscerated opposing defenses so far this year, so limiting him as a threat would force Boykin to look to much younger and inexperienced options. Texas Tech (3-1) vs. Baylor (3-0) 2:30 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington If seeing Texas Tech push a College Football Playoff contender to the limit last week seemed foreign, you probably didn’t watch the Red Raiders and Bears grapple in Arlington last year- when Baylor escaped by the hair of their chinny-chin-chins with a 48-46 victory. One of the biggest storylines in last year’s game was Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty leaving with an injury. Seth Russell, the new man at the helm of the Bear offense, took over and was unable to maintain the Baylor momentum- finishing just 8 of 17 for 82 yards passing and opening the door for a furious but eventually unsuccessful Tech rally. He’s been fantastic so far in 2015 with 995 yards and 15 touchdowns through three games, but redeeming himself in this rivalry will be key to a Baylor victory. This time around, it’s Tech starter Pat Mahomes’ health that looms large as both teams prepare to head to Arlington. Mahomes suffered a knee injury against TCU last week, and has been described as being “day-to-day” by Kliff Kingsbury. If the Red Raider offense is fully manned, they have to be brimming with confidence heading into this showdown. They racked up 486 yards in Fayetteville two weeks ago in a win over Arkansas, and 607 last week against TCU. Thus far, Baylor’s defense has allowed more yards and points than most Bear fans would like to admit they’re comfortable with against the least dangerous quadrant of their schedule. The strength of Phil Bennett’s unit is the dominant front four, headlined by Shawn Oakman and Andrew Billings. They’ll be met, though, by a very under-appreciated Red Raider offensive front led by All-Big 12 tackle Le’Raven Clark. The key to just about any game involving Baylor is the opposition’s ability to either slow down or keep up with their outrageously dangerous offense. Last year, an upstart Red Raider program nearly went blow for blow with the Bears. Last week, a maturing Tech squad did the same against TCU. If the Tech offensive line can win their matchup with the Baylor defensive front, an efficiently aggressive game plan by Kingsbury could help fuel another upset bid. Will it work? Well, if I knew the future I’d be charging you for my picks. Just make sure to enjoy the game and your pit stops at Slovacek’s before and afterward.