Here's what Horned Frog fans can expect Saturday night from the likely starters on offense, according to the depth chart released last week:
Casey Pachall — Quarterback
What you’re going to get: A big-game quarterback with the ability to make plays when plays need to be made. Read: Late in games last year against Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl, at Boise State, at home against SMU and at Baylor. Pachall isn’t afraid to embrace a spotlight, nor is he afraid to go get a win where wins usually aren’t given. All of that bodes well for the Horned Frogs who this year have tough road tests in Stillwater, Morgantown and Austin.
Josh Boyce — Wide Receiver
What you’re going to get: A full-package receiver who can be both a deep threat and a consistent short-yardage/chain-moving option. Boyce came just two yards shy of 1,000 last year, and he led the team in receptions, one of the biggest being a two-point conversion against Boise State. Pachall’s pass was a bit inside, forcing Boyce to (literally) throw off a Boise defender before walking into the endzone.
LaDarius Brown — Wide Receiver
What you’re going to get: A big body combined with speed. Brown (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) will be Pachall’s biggest target this year and should be an impact player. He’s a freshman, but he redshirted last season, developed into the system and added some muscle mass so he’ll be pretty physical for a first-year player. And, as Patterson pointed out in the spring, Brown managed to get bigger while not losing any of the speed that made a four-star recruit out of Waxahachie.
Brandon Carter — Wide Receiver
What you’re going to get: A hybrid between Boyce’s ability to go up and get a catch and Skye Dawson’s ability to burn a cornerback with his speed. Carter is a pure athlete who made an immediate impact last year as a true freshman, including a 120-yard, two-touchdown performance at Boise State.
Corey Fuller — Tight End
What you’re going to get: Experience. Fuller, a fifth-year senior, hasn’t been in a full-time starting role, but he’s been around a while. He played in 10 games in 2010 and all 13 games last year, making four starts.
Aviante Collins — Right Tackle
What you’re going to get: An athletic, 6-foot-6 true freshman from Houston whose family members might be more prone to run past defenders instead of blocking them. Collins, whose brother, Lavon, runs track for the Frogs and whose father, Bill, won two different Southwest Conference track titles in the ‘70s, has been a mainstay at left tackle throughout fall camp, along with fellow true freshman Halapoulivaati Vaitai who will also likely see plenty of playing time Saturday night.
Blaize Foltz — Right Guard
What you’re going to get: One of the most experienced (and strongest) offensive players on the team. Aside from putting up ungodly amounts of weight (780-pound squats, anyone?), Foltz is also pretty solid at protecting Pachall and making running room for the Frogs’ running backs. He was a first team All-Mountain West selection last year, starting all 13 games, and he played in the first five games in 2010 before missing the rest of the year with an injury.
James Fry — Center
What you’re going to get: Continuity. Like Foltz, Fry was a starter last season, giving Pachall his center back for a second straight year. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Fry grew up playing behind Rimington Award winner Jake Kirkpatrick.
Eric Tausch — Left Guard
What you’re going to get: Not too much experience (hardly any in a starting role), but Tausch obviously did something impressive in the offseason to vault to the top of the depth chart over talented redshirt freshman Brady Foltz and junior John Wooldridge. Tausch’s only career start came at center last year against Portland State.
Tayo Fabuluje — Left Tackle
What you’re going to get: An Arlington native born in Nigeria who started college at BYU, transferred to TCU and sat out last season. Get all that? Either way, Fabuluje, at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, has the size to anchor the left side of TCU’s offensive line, and do it against Big 12 defenses.
Matthew Tucker — Running back
What you’re going to get: A pure power back. Tucker (6-foot-1, 227 pounds) led the team in touchdowns (12) last year and should be a physical, goal line option for the Frogs. Expect Tucker’s workload to increase when TCU has the lead – he’s built to milk the clock, something that should prove valuable, especially in a score-heavy, pass-heavy league like the Big 12.
Waymon James — Running back
What you’re going to get: An electric back who can potentially be a 1,000-yard rusher. James, a four-star recruit out of high school, sort of has a bowling ball build (5-foot-8, 203 pounds), but he’s shifty and, especially when in open field, can consistently break big runs. He led the team in yards (875) last year, and had an 181-yard performance against Wyoming on just 12 carries. Quick math: That’s 15 yards a carry.
