2020 Texas Bowl: 5 Things to Know about TCU
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Arkansas was selected to play in the 2020 Texas Bowl on Sunday.
In their first postseason appearance in four years, the Razorbacks will play TCU at NRG Stadium in Houston on Dec. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Here are five things to know about the matchup with the Horned Frogs out of the Big 12…
1. We Meet Again
Older fans likely remember when Arkansas and TCU were both members of the Southwest Conference. The schools played together in the now-defunct league from 1923, when the Horned Frogs joined, until 1991, when the Razorbacks left for the SEC.
Arkansas leads the all-time series 44-24-2 (.643). It was particularly dominant after Frank Broyles became the head coach, winning all but four of the final 34 matchups in the SWC. In their last game as conference foes, the Razorbacks fell behind 21-0 before rallying to beat the Horned Frogs 22-21.
The two schools renewed their rivalry in a home-and-home series a few years ago. In 2016, Arkansas traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, and won a dramatic double-overtime thriller. The next year, TCU returned the favor by winning 28-7 in Fayetteville.
The Texas Bowl will be their 71st meeting, but the first played at a neutral site. The previous matchups were played in Fort Worth, Fayetteville or Little Rock.
2. Dynamic Dual-Threat QB
TCU’s offense runs through sophomore quarterback Max Duggan. The Iowa native started the Horned Frogs final 10 games last season, but completed only 53.4 percent of his passes.
Duggan was expected to be their starter again this year, but a heart condition sidelined him in mid-August and threatened to keep him out all season. Instead, he had a procedure that allowed him to return to the field.
After an excellent performance off the bench in TCU’s opener, Duggan has started every game since and has improved his completion percentage to 60.8 percent. He’s also increased his yards per attempt (6.1 to 7.5) while posting a solid 10-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
What makes him particularly dangerous, though, are his legs. A true dual threat, Duggan also leads the Horned Frogs in rushing with 526 yards and 10 touchdowns. Excluding sacks, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound quarterback is averaging 6.7 yards per carry.
Despite still being an underclassman, Duggan has a team-high 79.2 offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and head coach Gary Patterson said he thinks he’ll just keep progressing.
“He didn't go through spring and he was basically out two months because of his heart condition,” Patterson said. “Basically, he got back a little bit right before we started our first game against Iowa State, so he’s just coming into his own.”
3. Loaded Defense
On the other side of the ball, the Horned Frogs have a pair of two-time first-team All-Big 12 selections in senior linebacker Garret Wallow and junior safety Trevon Moehrig.
Wallow leads TCU in tackles with 90 - a total that includes nine tackles for loss and three sacks - and has forced three fumbles this season, while Moehrig has nine pass breakups this year and was the top-graded safety in the country by Pro Football Focus in 2019.
The Horned Frogs’ secondary also features a shutdown corner in sophomore Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, who was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, as well. He has a team-high 13 pass breakups and, according to PFF, has been targeted 49 times and only allowed 16 receptions for 192 yards. His 85.5 overall grade is the second-highest in all of the Power Five.
Up front, TCU is led by sophomore defensive end Ochaun Mathis. A second-team All-Big 12 pick, he has 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks this year.
4. Youth Movement
TCU has finished the season strong, winning five of its last six games. When asked Sunday evening what contributed to his team playing well down the stretch, Patterson credited it to his underclassmen gaining valuable experience throughout the season.
“Our younger players have all grown up,” Patterson said. “If you look out there, I think we had one senior in the last four, five or six ballgames.”
In addition to having a sophomore quarterback, the Horned Frogs’ top two running backs are a redshirt freshman and true freshman, their leading receiver is a freshman, three of their offensive linemen are underclassmen, their starting defensive ends are a sophomore and freshman and the two-deep in their secondary features nine second-year players.
5. Staff Connections
Although head coach Sam Pittman and Patterson have never worked together, they have crossed paths during their coaching careers.
One of Patterson’s early jobs was as a linebackers coach at Pittsburg State, which happens to be Pittman’s alma mater. Although Pittman’s final season as a graduate assistant with the Gorillas was in 1985 and Patterson was there in 1988, the two were aware of each other.
They also coached against each other in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, when Pittman was the offensive line coach at Northern Illinois and the Huskies played Patterson’s TCU team.
“I don’t communicate with Coach Patterson on a monthly basis or anything of that nature, but I do run into him some in recruiting and have an opportunity to visit with him,” Pittman said. “There’s certainly mutual respect between he and I and it goes as far back as Kansas.”
The most obvious connection on the staff, though, involves Sam Carter, who was an All-Big 12 safety for Patterson at TCU and is now the defensive backs coach at Arkansas.
“He’s a great leader, he’s a great role model and he’s a great teacher,” Patterson said. “He always was even a great recruiter for us as a player. … He was very close to my family, so Sam Carter is a guy we think very well of in the Patterson house.”
