It’ll be both the renewal of an old rivalry and the start of a new era when TCU plays at Houston Saturday night.
The Horned Frogs and Cougars haven’t played each other since 2007, so it will be the renewal of what was a regular rivalry in the 1980s, ‘90s and a majority of the 2000s.
It will also be the first conference game for Houston as a member of the Big 12, so the game will be the start of what should be an annual rivalry between in-state conference foes.
Following a loss to Colorado in the season opener, TCU responded with a lopsided 41-6 win over Nicholls last week.
After making the national championship game last year, the biggest question was who would replace the production of quarterback Max Duggan and wideout Quentin Johnson.
Quarterback Chandler Morris (50 of 72 passing, 542 yards, four TDs) has been effective, but TCU coach Sonny Dykes is still looking for wideouts to step into bigger roles.
“Our receivers have to play more consistent,” Dykes said. “Those guys have to step up. We just have to get more consistent at that position.”
Houston enters with a foul taste in its mouth after losing at city rival Rice, 43-41 in two overtimes.
As is the case with a lot of teams, the Cougars are still trying to find cohesion after welcoming in a healthy amount of transfers during the offseason, most notably starting quarterback Donovan Smith.
A transfer from Texas Tech, Smith is second on the team in rushing at 88 yards through the first two games, and is 46 of 76 passing for 493 yards and four touchdowns.
“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” Houston coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I encourage people to hang in there and support our players. We’re going to be a little bit of a work in progress here. We kind of knew that with so many new people.
“We’re focusing hard on our team and getting them ready to play TCU. We’re excited about playing.”
– Field Level Media