Oct 3, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Joe Hubener (8) is checked out by trainers after being injured against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The “wounded opponent” cliche is all too real for TCU

“There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded opponent.”

If that’s the case, Saturday’s Big 12 game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Kansas State Wildcats is going to be an extremely dangerous event.

Bring your hazmat suits and goggles to protect against dangerous chemical spills, and wear extra padding on your arms so that they’re not clawed open, causing considerable bleeding.

In this injury-filled college football season, few teams have caught the injury bug more severely than the Big 12’s two purveyors of purple in Fort Worth and Manhattan. TCU’s injury situation is well-documented, and Kansas State has endured Maryland-level luck in terms of keeping its quarterbacks in playing shape. In the matchup between TCU’s defense and Kansas State’s offense, the number of players who were not starters on opening day in 2015 is considerable. The amount of depth-chart deviations and readjustments Gary Patterson and Bill Snyder lies beyond the immediate grasp of the human mind.

So much volatility and uncertainty have been tucked into this matchup, and for that reason alone, it’s a centerpiece game for the college football fan who likes — more than anything else — to watch a game in order to satiate his or her sense of curiosity.

It’s very hard to say — with any strong sense of confidence — what kind of Kansas State offense you’re likely to see on Saturday night in the Little Apple. The Wildcats played better than expected on offense against Oklahoma State, losing by a 36-34 score. However, Oklahoma State — at home — did not play very well. It’s hard to render a clear verdict on KSU-OSU: Was the result more about Kansas State competing at a high level despite being shorthanded and injured at key positions, or was the game the central product of Oklahoma State not being ready for prime time? (As a third option, was this contest simply the result of both teams being nervous and rusty to some degree, at the start of the Big 12 season?)

Switching to the other side of this matchup, can one really claim that TCU’s defense is back on track? Texas did score 44 against California a few weeks ago, but that Longhorn offense was nowhere to be seen against the Horned Frogs. It’s true that TCU’s Mike Tuaua is back after robbery charges against him were dropped, and he was cleared to play by the school. Tuaua’s fellow defensive lineman, Davion Pierson, is also back, so the Frogs are regaining some strength on defense. However, their injury situation is still cause for concern, with several important players out of the lineup. The defense is still lacking the full complement of starters it hoped to carry through the full season. The return of both Tuaua and Pierson matters, but TCU is still shorthanded.

With Bill Snyder breaking down film, Kansas State is likely to come at TCU with a well-crafted game plan. Humbling a Texas offense which has unraveled over the past few weeks is not a sure sign that the Horned Frogs have restored their defensive identity. They have to prove they’re in a better place by going into an enemy lair and quieting a raucous crowd.

A layer of mystery blankets this game, due to all the roster dislocations and adjustments these teams have endured. For that reason alone, TCU-Kansas State is a game to pay attention to on Saturday. Yet, that angle doesn’t represent the entirety of this game’s meaning on a larger national level. For TCU, this contest — against a wounded opponent — is a gateway to potential prosperity.

This game on Saturday is a gateway to the purchase of added time for the Horned Frogs.

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What is meant by the above statement? TCU, given all its defensive injuries, can use added time to recover. The Horned Frogs, given enough time, can regain some of the standouts they’ve lacked (and needed). If you look at the schedule, this is the one test TCU must pass in order to buy time.

Next week (Oct. 17), the Horned Frogs visit Iowa State. That game should be a layup, barring more severe injuries. Following that game against the Cyclones, TCU gets a bye week, followed by a night home game against a West Virginia team which didn’t look ready for prime time against Oklahoma. If TCU can just get through this game in the Sunflower State, the chances of entering November 7’s visit to Oklahoma State with an unbeaten record would rise considerably. The Horned Frogs, having escaped Texas Tech on a day when their defense simply wasn’t in position to do much of anything, are so close to making time their ally.

A win on Saturday would take the Frogs out of survival mode and give them the chance to heal. Then they could attack the final stretch of their season with renewed energy and optimism.

However, TCU has to beat another injured team in order to move forward. The Horned Frogs have been resilient in their own right this season, but they must conquer an opponent which has endured a similar level of hardship, an opponent which wants to make its own powerful statement about its intestinal fortitude.

Two wounded opponents, one sprawling theater of mortal combat in the Big 12.

TCU is so close to making it through the first half of the season unscathed, but if the Frogs can’t jump over Kansas State, their grand plans will be torn to shreds.

It’s just another weekend in college football, right?

About Matt Zemek

Editor, @TrojansWire | CFB writer since 2001 |

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