It’s going to be quite a treat when the No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs meet the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs were in a tough game against Minnesota in Week 1, but have a chance to unleash their offense against unranked Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks can’t be underestimated, though, especially after they showed their explosive offense in a loss to Northern Arizona in their season opener.
There’s plenty more college football to come. Check out the complete previews for South Florida vs. Florida State and Miami vs. Wisconsin.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks vs. TCU Horned Frogs Preview
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth
When: Saturday, September 12, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at TCU Horned Frogs – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 1
Betting on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Stephen F. Austin showed what a rather explosive offense it has in its 34-28 loss to Northern Arizona in Week 1, but didn’t have the defense needed to win the game. The Lumberjacks benefitted greatly from quarterback Zach Conque, who totalled 365 yards of offense (297 passing and 68 rushing). He threw for a touchdown and ran for two more scores, accounting for three of the team’s four touchdowns.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Conque has a pair of trusty receivers in Robert Sylvester and Aaron Thomas, who each had 70-yard-receiving games in the Week 1 loss, while running back Joshawa West had a solid 4.1 yards per carry in that game. West also showed that he can be a legit deep passing threat with 53 yards on three receptions, averaging 17.7 yards per catch.
Having an all-around talent like Conque should help the Lumberjacks score against TCU’s vulnerable defense. Conque’s strong arm should be on display again, especially after the Horned Frogs allowed three Minnesota receivers to over 15 yards per catch in Week 1. But if Stephen F. Austin is to get any success in this game, it’ll need the defense to show some life.
The Lumberjacks showed some porous offense against unranked Northern Arizona. They allowed their opponents to gain 547 yards of total offense in the 34-28 loss. In particular, the passing defense certainly needs the most attention after the team allowed Northern Arizona’s quarterbacks to throw for an average of 15.1 yards per pass and have three touchdowns sail through. They were also burnt on the ground, allowing Northern Arizona to gain 5.8 yards per carry.
The Lumberjacks have lost their last five games on the road, going 1-4 against the spread.
Betting on the TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs had quite an underwhelming performance at Minnesota, but they’ll settle for a 24-17 win against one of the best home teams in the nation. The Horned Frogs should be much different animals back home in Fort Worth, where they’ve won eight straight games (8-0 ATS) dating back to 2013.
Heisman contender Trevone Boykin opened his senior campaign by throwing for 246 yards with a touchdown and rushing for 92 yards and another score to help the Horned Frogs take their season opener. Howeverm Boykin completed just 26 of 42 passes and also threw an interception. The senior quarterback has a big target in Josh Doctson, though, who could torch Stephen F. Austin’s secondary downfield.
Doctson had an incredible campaign last year with 1,018 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. He started the season by putting up 74 yards and TCU’s lone receiving touchdown against a very tough Minnesota defense. Look for the senior receiver to rack up plenty of yardage in this game, possibly going over 100 yards with multiple touchdown receptions.
While Boykin is a solid runner as a dual-threat quarterback, Aaron Green should still get plenty of carries. He had a serviceable game this past Saturday, rushing for 88 yards on 19 carries against Minnesota. Going against the gaping hole that is the Stephen F. Austin defense, expect Green to burn rubber on the ground.
The Horned Frogs lost six of their top seven tacklers from last year, so their defense remains a big question mark. James McFarland (team-high seven sacks last year) and senior defensive tackle Davion Pierson were also missing for unspecified reasons. But TCU’s defense still forced five punts in Minnesota’s first six possessions. The Horned Frogs also forced a fumble in another drive, courtesy of a sack by Terrell Lathan.
TCU went 4-0 against the spread in non-conference games last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Horned Frogs’ offense finally wakes up as they trash Stephen F. Austin. Create a betting account now and catch some explosive college football action coming your way.
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