Whats it going to take for TCU to beat Oklahoma State on the road

TCU goes on the road once agin to face another high-powered offense, this time in Stillwater against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It could be another shootout much like the Texas Tech game in Lubbock. I expect fireworks from both teams but here are the keys to winning for both teams.

TCU

1) Win the Battle in the Trenches

The one real weakness the Cowboys have is their inexperienced offensive line. The have a former walk-on Center in Brad Lundblade and their Left Guard, Jesse Robinson has only two starts this year. TCU has gotten better with the returns of Davion Pierson and Mike Tuaua and I expect the D-Line to cause problems just like they did last week against West Virginia.

2) Limit OK State pressure

The Cowboys have two really good Defensive End's with Emmanuel Ogbah, who leads the Big 12 in sacks (9.0) and Tackles for Loss (13.5), and Jimmy Bean who has 5.5 sacks. Trevone Boykin has limited the sacks because of his video-game like elusiveness. Running up the middle and quick screens outside will tire these two out and play into TCU's advantage.

3) Take Care of the Football

Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in turnovers forced and defensive touchdowns. You can't give points away, especially on the road where the crowd can get involved like they do in Stillwater. TCU has done a good job of not turning the football over this season. If they don't give OK State any freebies, I don't see the Cowboys keeping up with the TCU Offense.

4) Limit J.W. Walsh's Effectiveness

Mason Rudolph is the starter and averages 310 yards passing/game, but backup QB J.W. Walsh may be the catalyst to the offense. He's third on the team in rushing with 35 carries for 194 yards and leads the team with 7 rushing TD's. He comes in on 3rd and short and in the Red Zone, the less you see of Walsh, the better. If he's not on the field, there's a god chance the Frogs are doing well defensively.

5) Attack the OSU Linebackers

They have a relatively inexperienced group with SLB Jordan Burton, a JUCO transfer and MLB Chad Whitener having taken over after an injury to starter Ryan Simmons. This could be a good game for Aaron Green and Kyle Hicks if they can hit the holes between the tackles and make these guys make plays.

Oklahoma State

1) Get to Boykin

Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean will have to get to Trevone Boykin if the Cowboys want to slow down a TCU offense that have been on a tear as of late. They need to put TCU in 2nd & long and 3rd & long situations. When Boykin evades the rush, he's been able to find his receivers for big plays down the field. Easier said than done, but this is the best front four TCU has seen this season.

2) Score a Ton

OSU is averaging 44.0 points/game, TCU is averaging 48.9 points/game. This has all the makings of a shootout. Minnesota was the only team to hold TCU under 40 points in a game this year. Whoever has the ball last may win this game, but OSU will need to score all game, something the TCU defense hasn't allowed much of recently.

3) Make Explosive Plays

They have 55 plays of 20 or more yards this season, good for eighth in the nation. They average nearly 7 big plays/game. Mason Rudolph has thrown 42 passes of 20 or more and WR David Glidden catching 12 of those. WR James Washington has emerged as a big play threat the past few weeks as well. The TCU DB's will have their hands full this weekend.

4) Red Zone Effectiveness

The Cowboys score on 95% of their Red Zone chances, sixth best in the nation. they have been effective with J.W. Walsh at QB in these situations and they have an excellent kicker in Ben Grogan that hardly ever misses. They've scored TD's on 13 of their last 16. When they get close, they get points.

5) Stop The Run

Oklahoma State has limited their opponents to just 138.5 yards rushing/game. TCU is averaging 226.9 yards on the ground/game. If they continue to stuff the run and make TCU one-dimensional, they have the pass rushers to take over a game.

Don't forget to check out the Purple Menace Podcast on PodOmatic and iTunes. New episodes every Tuesday from myself, Billy and Matt. Go Frogs!