TCU VS. ARKANSAS
Records: TCU 1-0, Arkansas 1-0 Series history: Arkansas leads 43-24-2.
Key players: TCU – QB Kenny Hill, RB Darius Anderson, DE Mat Boesen; Arkansas – QB Austin Allen, RB Chase Hayden, LB De’Jon Harris
Who has the edge
Offense – TCU. Jackson State clearly was an overmatched SWAC opponent here, but as Liberty and Maryland proved last week — and coaches have said since the beginning of football — no team can be taken lightly. Still, the Horned Frogs rolled up 63 points and 542 total yards on 66 plays behind Hill and QB Shawn Robinson, who both looked great, while averaging 6.7 yards per rush and 13 yards per completion. The Razorbacks rolled in Week 1, too, but their offensive line play was shaky, keeping Allen on the run.
Defense — Arkansas. Again, both teams were dominant in their openers, but give the Razorbacks a slight edge simply because they played Thursday, giving them more time to rest and prepare for the big rematch with old Southwest Conference rival TCU. Jackson State finished with only 65 yards last week after producing 68 yards on its first 10 plays — and minus-3 the rest of the game. Florida A&M managed only nine first downs and 175 yards, including only 80 on 31 rushes (2.6 yards per rush).
Special teams – Even. Neither team needed their kickers in Week 1. The Horned Frogs scored four touchdowns in four red-zone trips and the Razorbacks found the end zone in all six of their red-zone trips. TCU punter Adam Nunez and Arkansas punter Blake Johnson were underwhelming in their first outings, but again, the way their offenses were scoring, they weren’t needed much.
Notable: The win over Jackson State was No. 150 for coach Gary Patterson at TCU. He’s 150-54 since 2000 for a .735 winning percentage. TCU fell to Arkansas 41-38 in two OTs last season in
their first meeting in 25 years. The Horned Frogs lost 22 consecutive games to Arkansas from 1959 to 1980. They have three wins in the last 12 meetings (1981, 1984, and 1990).
About TCU: The Horned Frogs (1-0) returned 17 starters and still managed to mix in new faces with impressive results in exactly the kind of start Patterson was looking for after one of his worst seasons in Waco. Robinson, a true freshman who led DeSoto to a state title last year, looked particularly good in his first action in relief of Hill, throwing a 56-yard TD on his second career attempt. He finished 5-of-7 for 94 yards and two TDs passing.
About Arkansas: The Razorbacks (1-0) held Hill in check most of the way in last season’s reunion before he rallied TCU with three late TD drives, fueling a comeback attempt that was undone by the team’s kicking woes. The Razorbacks sacked Hill three times and returned an interception 47 yards for a TD in that contest, and judging by their 2017 opener they’re still a disruptive unit, with three sacks and six tackles for loss against Florida A&M.