TCU-Kansas State, The Woodlands-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. TCU (6-5) vs. Kansas State (6-5) 11 a.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth There is no conference title on the line, and no playoff implications to Saturday’s showdown between the Horned Frogs and Wildcats, but don’t expect any apathy as two proud programs look to finish the regular season strong. A quick glance at Kansas State’s offense might lead you to think that the Frogs’ blue print in their victory over Texas could well be replicated to produce another win. Wildcat quarterback Jesse Ertz has thrown for just 1,401 yards on the season – but leads a trio of rushers to have produced more than 440 yards in a run-heavy offense. But this is a Bill Snyder-coached team, and you can’t expect the venerable old wizard to show up in Fort Worth without a wrinkle or two in his game plan to tilt things in his favor. For TCU, the health of several key players may be as important in this game as their ability to stuff the K-State running game and their own offense’s season-long struggle to find consistency. Receier KaVontae Turpin and corner Julius Lewis both missed the Texas game, and were joined by several more key starters – quarterback Kenny Hill, tailback Kyle Hicks, receiver Emanuel Porter and safety Denzel Johnson – who all left the contest. The prize for the winner of Saturday’s game – forecast to be played in chilly and rainy conditions – will likely be that their next game is played indoors in the Texas Bowl. The loser is likely headed to the Liberty Bowl. Either way, look for these teams to face SEC foes in bowl season. The Woodlands (13-0) vs. Round Rock (10-3) 2 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco For fans of Round Rock and The Woodlands, traveling to Waco this weekend may cause a bout of déjà vu, as both the Dragons and Highlanders reached this regional final by winning in Waco a week ago. Marc Reed, the playmaking quarterback for Round Rock, did not produce his customary eye-popping stats against Coppell last week, but he did come through in the clutch- hitting Jason Uwaeze with a 48-yard pass to key the Dragons’ game-winning, last-minute touchdown drive. Reed did finish with 231 passing yards, with 126 of them going to emerging go-to receiver Tyler Mahnke – who also scored two touchdowns. The Dragon offense will need to fulfill their scoreboard-igniting potential in this Saturday’s match up, as The Woodlands comes into the game having scored 40 or more in ten consecutive contests. In last week’s 52-31 win over Austin Bowie, Highlander quarterback Eric Schmid – son of head coach Mark Schmid – accounted for 397 total yards and six total touchdowns. Both schools are now three wins from their first-ever state championship. The winner will face the winner of Duncanville and Allen for a trip to the 6A Division I title game in Arlington.