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Unbeatens clash Saturday with No. 4 Oklahoma at No. 25 TCU
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Published: 10/4/2014  at  5:32:00 AM
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OKLAHOMA SOONERS (4-0)
at TCU HORNED FROGS (3-0)

Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma, -4.5, Total: 57

No. 4 Oklahoma looks to move to 5-0 on the season as it visits unbeaten No. 25 TCU on Saturday afternoon.

This has developed into an interesting rivalry, as the Horned Frogs (3-0 ATS) are one of two teams to ever beat the Sooners (3-1 ATS) in Norman as a non-conference foe under Bob Stoops. These schools have played two close games since TCU joined the Big 12 two seasons ago, with Oklahoma prevailing 24-17 in 2012 and 20-17 last year. That most recent meeting was even in every single category except in the ground game, as the Sooners rushed for 203 yards and held the Horned Frogs to 44 yards on 27 carries. Blake Bell was the Oklahoma quarterback that day, and is now the tight end, as QB Trevor Knight has thrived since taking the job. Bob Stoops' calling card has been an aggressive defense throughout his career, with his Sooners team going 7-0 ATS in the past three seasons when forcing at least three turnovers. However, TCU is 11-3 ATS after allowing nine points or less in two straight games under head coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs are averaging over 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards, and Oklahoma is 7-21 ATS in the past 28 instances when it allows 400 to 450 yards.

Which Big 12 team will remain unbeaten on Saturday? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. The experts went a combined 19-17 ATS (53%) in the past two weeks, highlighted by StatFox Scott's 5-2 ATS mark and StatFox Gary's 4-3 ATS record.

The Sooners are clicking on all cylinders on offense. QB Trevor Knight (1,065 passing yards, 4 TD, 3 INT) leads an offense that ranks 9th in FBS scoring (44.8 PPG), 34th in rushing (222.8 YPG) and 41st in passing (272.3 YPG). While Knight’s numbers aren’t off the charts, he does a good job of forcing defenses to respect him, opening up running lanes for some talented running backs. With top RB Keith Ford (194 rush yards, 5.7 YPC, 5 TD) sitting out last game with a foot injury, freshman RB Samaje Perine (419 rush yards, 6.3 YPC, 5 TD) exploded for 242 rushing yards (7.1 YPC) and four touchdowns in a 45-33 win over West Virginia. RB Alex Ross (188 rush yards, 6.5 YPC, 3 TD) is more than capable of getting the job done too, so the Sooners hope to be able to run the ball like they did last season against TCU, but the Horned Frogs have yet to allow 100 rushing yards in a game. Sooners top WR Shepard (23 catches, 436 yards, 2 TD) is a dynamic player that has the ability to go the distance on any play. Not only is he a terrific receiver for the Sooners, but he does a very nice job in the return game as well. The Oklahoma defense has also been outstanding this year, allowing only 16.5 PPG (17th in nation). Leading tackler LB Dominique Alexander (30 tackles, 2 TFL) is a brick at 6-foot-0, 227 pounds, and is a terrific athlete that can run sideline-to-sideline. The secondary is the strength of this unit, as CB Julian Wilson has shown the ability to change a game. In a victory against Tennessee early in the season, the Volunteers were on their way to cutting the game to 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but Wilson intercepted a pass and took it 100 yards for a touchdown. His secondary mate, CB Zack Sanchez has an interception in every single game this season.

The Horned Frogs are playing very well offensively, ranking 10th in the nation in scoring (44.7 PPG), while also ranking 19th in passing (320.7 YPG) and 38th in rushing (211.3 YPG). QB Trevone Boykin (853 passing yards, 8 TD, 1 INT) has continued to improve at the quarterback position, and looks like an All-Big 12 type of signal caller. He is also the leading rusher on the team, galloping for 183 yards and 3 TD. Running back B.J. Catalon (35 carries, 172 yards, 3 TD) is a guy that TCU will have to get numbers from, as Boykin running the ball as much as he does could be trouble against a physical defense like the Sooners. Boykin has done a great job of spreading the ball around to his receivers, as 15 players have at least one catch. WR Kolby Listenbee (9 rec, 169 yards, 2 TD) has emerged as the playmaker at the position. His ability to spread the ball to so many receivers makes it difficult for defenses to focus on one guy, and allows Boykin to sit back and find the mismatch down the field. Like Oklahoma, the strength of TCU is the defense. The Horned Frogs enter this game ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring defense (7.0 PPG) while holding teams to a mere 218.7 total YPG on 3.1 yards per play. Safety Sam Carter has one interception on the season for the Horned Frogs, but his 5 INT last year showed that he can make things very difficult for the opposing quarterback. Both defenses are excellent at creating turnovers, with Oklahoma tallying 11 takeaways in four games (2.8 per game) and TCU forcing 10 turnovers in three contests (3.3 per game).


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