Oklahoma Sooners Football Opponent Q&A | Talking TCU Horned Frogs With Frogs O' War

CCM - Two programs with differing stories collide in Norman. The Horned Frogs suffered a serious setback on the field losing one of the most electric players in the country, Josh Doctson, for the remainder of the season. On the other sideline, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield continues to turn heads after losing to Texas. Talk about the overall health and mentality of this squad heading into Saturday.

Frogs O' War - One of the biggest storylines for TCU this season has been their battle with injuries. Through the Kansas game, TCU has lost 23 players for a portion of the season, with Doctson being the latest, and biggest, of the bunch. With Trevone Boykin a game-time decision to play on Saturday as well, it seems like injuries may finally overtake this embattled Frog squad. 

It looked like watching Boykin go down against Kansas may have finally been the straw that broke the camel's back for this team, mentally. The weight of watching teammate after teammate go down, with the latest one being your biggest leader, has to take a toll. Lord knows these guys will keep fighting though. 

CCM - Three weeks ago, TCU possessed one of the most prolific offenses in the country. Now without Josh Doctson and potentially Trevone Boykin moving forward, it's clear the offense must find new weapons. How will Gary Patterson attempt to attack this Oklahoma Sooner defense?

Frogs O' War - Whether its Bram Kolhausen or Foster Sawyer starting in place of Boykin (Sawyer will likely get the nod over Bram) we know that the playbook is going to be simplified. They relied rather heavily on Aaron Green, to the tune of 30 carries, once Boykin went down against Kansas, and I could see that being the case again. Of course, Oklahoma's defense is far and away the best in the Big 12, so it's hard to imagine a trimmed down playbook that's run-heavy will be very effective. 

CCM - Aaron Green will become the first 1,000 rusher at TCU since 2010 in just a matter of time. Kicker, Jaden Oberkrom is set to break Michael Hunnicutt's career conference record of 75 made field goals this year. Is there someone hiding on the roster who could have a breakout game?

Frogs O' War - Shaun Nixon has come on the past few games and played rather well. The redshirt freshman was a running back who flipped to TCU from Texas A&M on signing day in 2014, but a torn ACL kept him out for 2014. He's had 16 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown in the last two games from the slot, as TCU's receiving core has forced him into action (beyond Doctson, receivers Ty Slanina, Emanuel Porter, Ja'Juan Story, and Deante' Gray have all suffered season-ending injuries). 

He's one of the fastest players on the team, and can turn a short gain into a big one before you can blink. I expect him and KaVontae Turpin to see a ton of targets in this game, and hopefully they can break a few off for long gains and touchdowns. 

CCM - Defensively, the Horned Frogs have not found the success of recent years especially in stopping the run. Now facing arguably the best running back they've seen this season in Samaje Perine, will Patterson opt to stack the box?

Frogs O' War - It's likely, what with two of the three players atop the LB depth chart being moved from their original safety positions. The undersized unit hasn't been great all season, often finding themselves out of position. It wouldn't shock me to see Derrick Kindred and/or Denzel Washington dropped down in the box to help against the run. 

Of course, that leaves the issue of Baker Mayfield passing out of a run-look. I'm sure Patterson will have some new blitz looks ready for this contest, in an attempt to throw Baker's timing off early and get him out of his rhythm. 

CCM - Score prediction time! The Horned Frogs and the Sooners have gone toe-to-toe since TCU joined the Big XII.  Over those three years, late game heroics have continuously decided the outcome game. How do you see this one shaking out?

Frogs O' War - It all depends on if Boykin is able to go, and is close to 100%. If he's playing, TCU always has a chance, if he doesn't, the Frogs will more than likely come away with a loss. Personally, I think Boykin plays, and that he plays rather well, but the defense comes up short. I'll say something like 31-24 Oklahoma.