The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
TCU
Following a week off, Football plays Saturday at TCU
10.21.2013 | Football
Horns will face the Horned Frogs at 6:30 p.m. CT
Texas-TCU Game Notes | Longhorns Gameweek
Texas Hits the Road to Face TCU: After a week off, Texas will go back on the road Saturday and travel to Ft. Worth, Texas, to face TCU which is coming off a 24-10 loss at Oklahoma State. The teams will play in a sold-out Amon G. Carter Stadium (6:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports 1) with the Horns looking to improve to 4-0 in Big 12 action. UT and TCU were long-time rivals in the Southwest Conference, but will be playing for just the third time in the last 18 years. The Horned Frogs won 20-13 in Austin last season. Texas last played at TCU in 1994.
Horns' Success After Bye Weeks: Texas has been successful following regular-season bye weeks in recent years. Since Mack Brown's took over the program in 1998, the Horns have posted a 20-5 (.800) record following regular-season bye weeks. The only defeats came against Texas A&M (38-30, 2007; 12-7, 2006; 20-16, 1999), Arkansas (38-28 in 2003) and TCU (20-13, 2012). If you include bowl games, in which Brown is 10-4 at Texas, the Horns have posted a 30-9 (.769) mark in the past 16 years when they've had at least one extra week to prepare. In 10 seasons at North Carolina, Brown was 8-2-1 following regular-season bye weeks. Brown has led his teams to victories in 29 of their last 34 games (.853) following regular-season bye weeks (not including bowls).
The TCU Series: Texas and TCU will meet for the 84th time on Saturday in the fifth-most-played series in school history. It will mark the third meeting between the teams since 1995, the final season of the Southwest Conference. Texas leads the series, which began in 1897, 61-21-1 and holds a 29-9 advantage in games played in Ft. Worth. UT went undefeated in the first 14 games (13-0-1) of the series and began a stretch in 1968 that saw them win 27 of the last 28 games played between the two schools. The teams met last season with TCU upending the Horns, 20-13, in Austin. The only other meeting since the SWC disbanded came in 2007 with the No. 7 Longhorns downing the 19th-ranked Horned Frogs, 34-13, in Austin. Jamaal Charles rushed for 134 yards, while the UT defense forced four turnovers and held the TCU offense to 251 total yards.
Longtime Opponents: This year's meeting between Texas and TCU is the 84th in series history, one which dates all the way back to 1897. The 83 meetings rank as the fifth-oldest series (by number of games) in Longhorn history. Texas A&M (118 games), Oklahoma (108 games), Baylor (102 games) and Rice (93 games) are the only opponents the Longhorns have faced more than the Horned Frogs.
First-and-Goal:
• UT is averaging 456.7 yards of total offense which ranks No. 37 in the nation. The Horns are averaging 202.7 yards on the ground (No. 36) and 254.0 in the air (49th). Texas, which ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 in rushing, will face the top-ranked rushing defense as TCU is yielding 115.3 yards per game and allowed less than 100 yards four times.
• Case McCoy made his ninth career start, including second against Oklahoma, in Saturday's the win over the Sooners. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 190 yards, but was most impressive on third down connecting on 8 of 10 attempts for 135 yards. As a team, the Horns were 13 of 20 (65 percent) on third down vs. OU and gained 193 yards (9.65 per play).
• McCoy has started three times this season in place of David Ash who missed the Ole Miss contest with head and shoulder injuries, but returned vs. Kansas State only to leave at halftime when symptoms of his head injury re-emerged. Ash did not play in the last two games and has been ruled out of the TCU contest.
• Johnathan Gray leads the team (562) and ranks second in the Big 12 and 36th nationally in rushing (93.7 per game). He is averaging 113.4 rushing yards over the last five games.
• Jaxon Shipley leads the team with 32 receptions and ranks fifth in the league at 5.3 per game. Twenty of his receptions have gone for first downs, including two on fourth down plays. Mike Davis has 27 receptions and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 5.4 per game. Davis has a team-high five TD receptions which is tied for 31st in the nation and third in the Big 12.
• Kendall Sanders has emerged as a receiving threat. The sophomore has started the last five games and posted a career-high 80 receiving yards, including a 63-yard TD, vs. Kansas State. He is averaging 88.6 all-purpose ypg and ranks tied for ninth in the Big 12 in receptions (5.0 per game).
• Seven players have recorded a rushing touchdown and six have scored via catch.
• Seven players have at least one reception of 45 yards or more this season.
• After surrendering an average of 7.0 yards per carry to BYU and Ole Miss, the UT defense has held its last three opponents (K-State - 3.0; Iowa State - 4.0; Oklahoma - 3.9) to a combined 3.6 ypc.
• The Longhorns rank No. 96 in the FBS in red-zone defense (22 of 25/88 percent), but have been able to the keep the opposition out of the end zone. Texas ranks tied for 42nd nationally in red zone touchdowns (14 of 25/56 percent). The nine red zone field goals are tied for 10th-most in the nation.
• Cedric Reed has been one of the most productive players in the Big 12. He leads the team in tackles (42) and pass breakups (4), ranks tied for first in TFLs (8), and second in both sacks (3.0) and QB pressures (9). Reed is the only defensive lineman in the Big 12 to lead his team in tackles.
• DE Jackson Jeffcoat has a team-high 5.0 sacks and ranks first in the Big 12 and tied for 19th in the FBS at 0.83 per game. He leads the team with nine QB pressures and is tied for the team lead in TFLs (8).
• Despite being out for the season (ruptured Achilles) and missing the last two games, LB Jordan Hicks is still tied for second on the team in tackles with Steve Edmond (41). With Hicks' injury sophomore Dalton Santos has seen his snaps increase and he has responded with 19 tackles over the last two games.
• DT Malcom Brown has been a key cog along the line. He had perhaps his best game as a Longhorn against Iowa State. The sophomore had a career-high 10 tackles, including one sack and one TFL, as well as one PBU. He shared the team's defensive player of the game award with Jeffcoat whose interception on the Cyclones' final drive helped seal the win.
• Texas ranks tied for 15th nationally in turnover margin at +1.2 per game. Texas has lost the ball just seven times this year which is tied for 13th in the FBS. UT was even vs. Oklahoma (two turnovers apiece). Over the three-game losing streak to Oklahoma (2010-12), the Longhorns were minus-9. Texas is plus-20 in points off turnovers this season (48-28).
• Anthony Fera ranks 37th nationally in punting average (42.4). Fifteen of his 31 punts (48.4 percent) have gone inside the 20 and 17 have been fair caught. He has also gone 8-for-9 on field-goal attempts, including connecting all three times vs. Oklahoma. Fera has a posted a career long field twice this season. He had a 47-yarder vs. Ole Miss and nailed a 50-yarder vs. OU.
Defensive Improvement: Under new coordinator Greg Robinson who was hired after the BYU game, the defense has shown marked improvement. Robinson is in his second stint with Texas, having also served as defensive coordinator in 2004 when Texas ranked No. 18 nationally in points allowed (17.9 per game), No. 16 in rushing defense (107.4 yards pre game), and No. 23 in total defense (320.1 ypg). Over the last three games, the Longhorns are allowing just 3.7 yards per rush after surrendering 6.0 in the first three. The defense has cut the opposing offense's total output by 119.3 yards per game. In addition, Texas' 13 sacks in its last three games are tied for the fourth most nationally in that span. The Horns had 2.0 sacks in the first three games.
| First 3 Games | Last 3 Games | |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 308.7 pg | 148.7 pg |
| Yards per Rush | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| Total Yards | 491.3 pg | 372.0 pg |
| Yards per Play | 5.8 | 5.5 |
| Opp. Comp. % | 58.0 | 56.6 |
| Red-Zone TDs | 67% (8/12) | 46% (6/13) |
| Sacks | 2.0 | 13.0 |
| Turnovers Forced | 6 | 7 |
| 1. | Fresno State | 16 |
| 2. | Missouri | 15 |
| 3. | Boise State | 14 |
| T-4. | Texas | 13 |
| Ohio | 13 | |
| Nebraska | 13 | |
| Auburn | 13 | |
| Cincinnati | 13 | |
| T-9. | Louisville | 12 |
| Clemson | 12 | |
| Tulane | 12 |
Post-OU Success: Regardless of the outcome of the AT&T Red River Rivalry, Texas has had great success in the second half of the season during Mack Brown's tenure. Since 1998, the Horns are 72-18 (.800) in regular season games following the OU game. In the Brown era, Texas is 6-0 the week after beating OU and has won 18 of its last 21 games, including 14 of 16, after downing OU. Overall in the Brown era, the Horns are 35-8 in games after beating the Sooners. UT has won at least four consecutive games following the Red River Rivalry in 11 of the last 14 seasons. That had only been done four times in 25 seasons prior to 1999. Six times in Brown's previous 15 years, Texas has won all of its regular season games after the Oklahoma game. In addition, since 2004, including Big 12 Championship games in 2005 and '09 and a 7-1 record in bowl games, Texas is 50-17 (.746) post-OU with two of those losses coming after Colt McCoy was injured in 2006.
Streaks, Trends and Milestones:
• Texas snapped Oklahoma's three-game winning streak in the series with the 36-20 win victory on Oct. 12. The teams have met 108 times with Texas now holding a 60-43-5 advantage.
• With his 31-yard return for a TD vs. OU, Chris Whaley, a former running back, became the seventh defensive lineman (first DT) in UT history to return an interception for a score. Eddie Jones was the last UT defensive lineman to score via interception (60 yards vs. Baylor on Nov. 14, 2009).
• In the fourth quarter of the last three games, the UT defense has allowed a combined 16 rushing yards on 26 attempts (0.6 ypr) - K-State (9-[-9]); Iowa State (12-36); Oklahoma (5-[-11]).
• The Horns have 13.0 sacks in three league games and have surrendered just four. The plus-9 sack differential is the best in the Big 12. Baylor is plus-7 in its three conference games.
• Jaxon Shipley has caught a pass in each of his 29 career games. That streak ranks No. 4 on the UT all-time list. Shipley has posted at least five receptions in nine of the last 10 games (three vs. Iowa State, 10/3/13).
• Case McCoy entered the Oklahoma game having not thrown an interception in his previous 106 pass attempts (dating back to the 2012 Kansas State game). That total ranked tied for fifth (with Chance Mock) on the UT all-time list and sixth on the FBS active list (entering that game). He had his 21st pass picked off by the Sooners. McCoy's 126 passes without an interception rank third in school history. Major Applewhite has the top two marks (156 and 138 in 1999).
• Daje Johnson's 85-yard punt return for a TD vs. Oklahoma, on his first career attempt, was the fourth-longest in school history and longest since Aaron Ross went 88 yards vs. Missouri in 2005. Jordan Shipley (74 yards vs. Colorado in 2009) was the last Longhorn to return a punt for a score. Johnson's return is the second-longest in the FBS this season.
• Johnson became the only player in school history with a punt return and rush of more than 80 yards (84 yard TD vs. Baylor in 2012), and one of just three UT players with a punt return of more than 60 yards and rush of 80-plus yards (also James Saxton and Raymond Clayborn).
• Mike Davis ranks fifth on the UT career receptions list (176) and sixth in receiving yards (2,351). With a 38-yard TD catch vs. Oklahoma, he moved into a tie for seventh on the UT career TD list with David Thomas (15/2002-05) and Lovell Pinkney (15/1992-94).
• WR/TE John Harris has just five catches on the season, but has made them count. He posted his second touchdown catch of the season at the end of the first half of the Iowa State game. He pulled in the 44-yard 'Hail Mary' from Case McCoy as time expired. Harris is averaging 28.2 yards per reception this season.
• DE Jackson Jeffcoat has 46 career tackles for loss. He needs 1.0 more to reach the UT career top 10. Tony DeGrate (1981-84) with 47 is 10th. Jeffcoat has 17 sacks over his last 19 games. He is averaging 0.59 sacks in his 33 career games which ranks No. 7 on the FBS active list.
• OG Mason Walters leads the team with 44 straight starts, which is tied for the second-longest streak in the nation among offensive linemen (45, Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi St.). CB Carrington Byndom leads the defense with 32 consecutive starts. Quandre Diggs had his streak of 26 straight starts snapped vs. Kansas State. OT Josh Cochran (shoulder injury) had his streak of his 19 consecutive starts snapped vs. Kansas State and has missed the last three games.
