TCU-Baylor, district showdowns 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. TCU (4-4) at Baylor (6-1) 2:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco This weekend, we get a new chapter in a long book. Minus the dynamic of Art Briles against Gary Patterson, the rivalry between Baylor and TCU has lost some of the luster that brought it to the foreground of the college football landscape in recent years. The offensive genius against the defensive guru, both having revived long dormant programs at small, private schools had a nice ring to it – especially given the common feeling that these weren’t two guys who suddenly became fishing and golf buddies when the season ended. Gone, too, are the massive playoff implications that have been so tightly wound around the last two meetings between these teams. TCU, at 4-4, is suddenly faced with the threat of not making a bowl game and Baylor, at 6-1, faces long odds with depleted depth and another non-conference slate that was anything but pollster-friendly. Further detracting from the buzz surrounding Bears-Frogs ’16 is the fact that both teams are coming off emotionally draining, last minute losses – Baylor against Texas in Austin, and TCU in double-overtime against Tech at home. But, c’mon. This is TCU-Baylor. If you bleed purple or green and gold, this game means something to you. The thought of the other team holding bragging rights for the next year makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it? Despite the tumultuous offseason and departure of Briles, the Baylor offense is still as skilled and dangerous as anyone. Seth Russell, cleared for this game midweek after some concern over hits he took against Texas, can still put up big numbers through the air and on the ground. KD Cannon is an absolutely lethal deep threat and the running back duo of Shock Linwood and Terence Williams gobble up yardage in huge, clock-eating swaths. The big variables will be on the TCU sideline, where the Horned Frog offense, defense and special teams have all had blaring inconsistencies rear their ugly head this season. The offense, which began the season on a tear, has disappeared the last two weeks - while the defense, which struggled mightily early on, appeared to gel against Texas Tech last week despite the loss. The kicking game, hampered by an injury to original starter Jonathan Song, has faltered in potentially game-winning moments in two of the Frogs’ defeats. Italy (5-4) at Axtell (1-8) -7:30 p.m. Friday at Ellison Field in Axtell Officially, drive to the UIL State Championships at AT&T Stadium gets underway next week – but for many teams, the playoffs are already here. The winner of Friday night’s battle between Italy and Axtell will seize the last postseason berth from District 8-2A Division I. The Gladiators and Longhorns will both need to regroup from lopsided defeats last week if they want to extend their seasons. A week ago, Axtell committed four turnovers and allowed five touchdown passes as Riesel made quick work of the Longhorns to the tune of 63-13. Italy, meanwhile, surrendered 792 yards as Mart raced past the Gladiators, 41-7. Both teams will be looking to regain the winning form they last showed against Itasca – Italy on October 14th, and Axtell a week later. Junior tailback Kendrick Norwood ran for 126 yards for the Gladiators in their win, and he’ll be look upon to come up big in this one as well. The winner of this game likely draws a first-round playoff date with Crawford, who currently ranks 6th in DCTF’s 2A Division I poll. The Pirates are 8-1, and finish off their regular season slate with a home game against Hico this week.