TCU returns home Saturday with its season at a crossroads, and Kansas comes to Amon G. Carter Stadium carrying plenty of the same urgency.
The Horned Frogs are 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Big 12 play after dropping their third game in four tries, a 24-20 loss at West Virginia that spoiled a chance to build off the Oct. 17 win over Baylor. Instead of heading into November with momentum, TCU now has a must-hold-home-field situation at 2:30 p.m. on FS1.
Kansas is in nearly the same spot at 3-4 and 1-3, which makes Saturday feel like more than just another conference game. Both teams need the win if they want to stay on track for bowl eligibility, and the margin for error is only getting smaller.
The biggest name on the Jayhawks’ roster is sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall, a dual threat who has shown both the upside and the growing pains that come with being thrown into the job. Marshall has passed for 1,506 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 403 yards and two more scores, but he has also been intercepted seven times, including four picks in Kansas’ last three games.
Kansas has found the most success when Marshall is not forced into a heavy passing load. The Jayhawks are 0-3 this season when he throws more than 30 passes and 3-1 when he stays at 29 or fewer.
He’s also been more involved as a runner lately, with 29 carries over Kansas’ past two games. He can put up big numbers - he threw for 333 yards in a loss to Utah - but the Jayhawks clearly function best when he’s managing the game, not carrying it all himself.
Kansas’ other major offensive threat is Dylan Edwards, a familiar name to TCU fans. The Kansas State transfer opened his career at Colorado in 2023 and was part of the Buffaloes’ 45-42 upset of the Horned Frogs in the season opener, a game in which he posted 135 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Edwards spent the past two seasons at Kansas State before moving again, and this year the 5-foot-9 senior is on pace for his most productive season yet. He has 531 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 104 carries, needs 16 more yards for a career high and is two rushing scores away from a personal best.
The Jayhawks’ defense has been uneven, but one area stands out immediately: run defense. Kansas ranks last in the Big 12 against the run, allowing 166.9 yards per game on the ground. Utah ran for 287 yards against the Jayhawks, Kansas State put up 359, and Baylor managed just 122 in Kansas’ win last week.
That said, TCU can’t assume it will simply steamroll that weakness. The Horned Frogs themselves are last in the Big 12 in rushing at 110.3 yards per game, and they struggled to get going against a West Virginia defense that entered the game giving up 45 points per outing.
Kansas also has a disruptive presence up front in junior edge rusher Leroy Harris III. At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, he’s one of the more active defenders in the league, sitting second in the Big 12 with 11 tackles for loss and tied for seventh with 3.5 sacks. He needs 1.5 more sacks to reach a career high, and all of his production has come against Big 12 opponents.
Harris has also forced three fumbles, tying TCU nickel safety Kylin Jackson for the conference lead. With TCU’s problems on the offensive line and quarterback Jaden Craig’s turnover issues, he has the kind of disruptive ability that can swing a game in a hurry.
In Other News...
Jacobe Hayes Just Gave TCU A Needed Boost On Offense
Jacobe Hayes has started to look like more than just a promising young piece in TCUs offense. The sophomore receiver showed real progress against West Virginia, continuing a stretch in which he has become a more reliable option and a welcome sign for a group that has needed steadier production from its pass catchers.
Hayes growth has stood out because it comes in the middle of an uneven season, when TCU has been searching for answers and consistency on offense. His development suggests the Horned Frogs may be finding another dependable target, and the next question is how much larger his role can become as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Suddenly Faces A Bigger Sonny Dykes Question After West Virginia
The fallout from TCUs disappointing loss to West Virginia reached the coaching staff almost immediately, with Sonny Dykes moving to make a change along the offensive line. The move came as the Horned Frogs tried to steady themselves after a rough showing, and it added another layer to a season already drawing attention in a Big 12 coaching landscape where pressure points seem to pop up fast.
The larger conversation around Dykes also widened beyond Fort Worth, with speculation swirling online about his job security before school administrators pushed back on the rumor mill. In a conference that has already seen coaching chatter touch names like Lincoln Riley and follow Baylors recent change, TCU is suddenly dealing with more than one question at once, and the next steps around the program are now under a brighter spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Faces A Big 12 Problem Kansas Could Exploit Again
Kansas comes into its Big 12 matchup with TCU feeling a little better about itself after picking up its first conference win of the season against Baylor. The Jayhawks have built their offense around balance, with quarterback Isaiah Marshall and a rushing attack that has given them some life, and running back Dylan Edwards has been a big part of that formula. For TCU, the task is pretty clear: slow down the ground game and keep Kansas from turning the contest into one of those grind-it-out afternoons where the Frogs are chasing the pace.
The matchup also carries some added weight because Kansas has had a hard time solving TCU in recent years, and Fort Worth has not exactly been a friendly stop for the Jayhawks. Still, this version of Kansas looks more capable of creating problems with its run game and enough passing help to make defenses think twice about loading up. If TCU is going to protect home field, it will need to keep Kansas from getting comfortable early and find a way to take away the kind of balance that has made the Jayhawks tougher to handle. [Read more 🡒]