Texas-TCU, Coppell-Round Rock 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. Texas (5-6) vs. TCU (5-5) 2:30 p.m. Friday at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin Needless to say, the Black Friday showdown between Texas and TCU does not carry the weight either program hoped it would’ve. Those clad in Burnt Orange or Purple & White may have envisioned a clash of the titans, with potential conference title or even playoff implications on the line. Instead, both teams desperately need a win just to reach bowl eligibility. For Texas, the season that looked as if it might mark their transition back to the upper echelon of college football after their opening-night win over Notre Dame has crumbled into the same pile of ashes as Charlie Strong’s first two years on the Forty Acres. The three-game stretch against Cal, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in which the Longhorns gave up a whopping 144 points left no room for error – making the late-game mishaps in losses to West Virginia and Kansas the final straws for Strong’s tenure in Austin. In Fort Worth, Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs were starting to look like they were overcoming early-season defensive woes and a mid-season offensive swoon when they blew out Baylor in Waco in early November. Last week against Oklahoma State, however, presented a relapse of both issues as the Horned Frogs fell completely flat in a 31-6 loss to Oklahoma State that was even uglier than the final score might indicate. There’s a good chance both programs have brighter 2017 seasons ahead of them, but winning on Friday and earning the extra practice reps that come with a bowl berth would provide a great head start. Coppell (10-2) vs. Round Rock (9-3)2 p.m. Saturday at Waco ISD Stadium in Waco One of the Austin area’s most dynamic offenses has vaulted Round Rock deeper into the postseason than they’ve been since 2007, putting them on a collision course with Coppell- who possesses one of the DFW area’s stingiest defenses. Last week, Round Rock quarterback Marc Reed accounted for 413 total yards and threw for four touchdowns as the Dragons took down Klein Oak, 39-22. That was actually a slow night for Round Rock, who had scored 49 or more in five straight contests prior to that. The Coppell defense, meanwhile, came up big against Rockwall – one of the DFW area’s highest-scoring offenses, in a 29-25 victory. Late in the first half, leading 15-3, Jonathan McGill made a one-handed interception to thwart the Yellow Jackets in the red zone- providing a cushion that Rockwall could not overcome in the second half. If you’re rooting for Round Rock, you may want to hope for nothing but seamless center-quarterback exchanges for Coppell in their showdown Saturday afternoon in Waco. Two weeks ago, Coppell quarterback Brady McBride turned a bad snap into a 20-yard completion. Last week against Rockwall, he picked up a bad snap and fired a 60-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to receiver Matt Dorrity. The winner of this game will advance to the Region II final, where they will face the winner of Austin Bowie and The Woodlands – who play each other Saturday evening at McLane Stadium in Waco.