The No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs (-3.5) aren’t traveling far to battle the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium/Jamail Field. FOX will televise the action and this conference matchup is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Texas Longhorns
Texas is a live dog and is currently getting 3.5 points in this Big 12 matchup. The Horned Frogs are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Longhorns are +155. If one team catches a lucky break in the early stages it’ll create a solid betting scenario in-game. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 51 points.
The sharp action has been siding with both the Horned Frogs and the under. The opening line was initially set at 2.5 and the game’s total was originally 52.5.
The Horned Frogs are 1-1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.0 unit so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U mark of 1-1.
The disappointing Longhorns have lost 4.0 units this season. They’re 1-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 2-1.
The Horned Frogs are 2-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Big 12 competition yet. The Longhorns are 2-1 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
These two teams faced off last year with the final result being a 24-7 win for TCU.
The Horned Frogs fell to Ohio State 40-28 in a contest where their defense allowed the Buckeyes to pass for 344 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 182 yards. On the offense, Shawn Robinson completed 24 passes for 308 yards, one score and two interceptions. Sewo Olonilua (just 39 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) and Darius Anderson (154 yards on 12 carries, two TDs) led the running attack while Jalen Reagor (seven receptions, 98 yards) and KaVontae Turpin (four catches, 14 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Texas is coming off of a 37-14 win over USC. Sam Ehlinger completed 15-of-33 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Watson (72 yards on 18 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Ehlinger (35 yards on 17 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running attack while Collin Johnson (six receptions, 79 yards) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (four catches, 84 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
TCU has run the ball on 54.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Texas has an overall rush percentage of 56.7 percent. The Horned Frogs have produced 225.7 rush yards/game and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Longhorns are putting up 181.0 rushing yards per game and have five total rush TDs.
The Horned Frogs offense has averaged 242.0 yards through the air overall and has six passing scores so far. The Longhorns have put up 244.7 pass yards per outing and also have six total pass TDs.
Defensively, TCU seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 132.3 yards and throw for 185.3 yards per game. The Texas D has allowed 250.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 109.0 yards per game on the ground. The Horned Frogs are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.73 to opposing QBs, while the Longhorns have given up a 5.71 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Robinson is up to 490 yards this year. He’s completed 64 percent of his 64 attempts with four scores through the air and two interceptions. He’s got a 6.82 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.78 over the past two games.
Sam Ehlinger has completed 36-of-72 passes for 486 yards, four TDs and two INTs for Texas. His ANY/A stands at 6.03 for the year and 8.39 over his last two games.
TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Longhorns Free Pick
SU Winner: TCU, ATS Winner: TCU, O/U: Over
