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.
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