Fort Worth, TX – The 24th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs will try to avoid the tornado of FCS upsets as they host the Southeast Louisiana Lions at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
In week one, two Big 12 schools fell to FCS opponents and West Virginia nearly became the third. The conference went into the season with a 103-3 record against non-FBS teams. Oregon State, which was ranked in the top 25, was also upset by FCS foe Eastern Washington.
SE Louisiana began its season with a 45-7 rout of Southeast Missouri State. In coach Ron Roberts's first year with the team in 2012, SE Louisiana finished with a 5-6 record. It suffered lopsided losses to its two FBS opponents, Missouri (62-10) and UAB (52-3) during that campaign. The Lions have not been 1-0 since 2009.
TCU remained in the Top 25 despite losing, 37-27, to LSU in Arlington, Texas in its opener. Coach Gary Patterson's team was picked to finish third in the preseason Big 12 poll. The Horned Frogs have a strong chance of bouncing back at home, where they are 69-11 over their past 80 games. Patterson is hoping his team doesn't take the visitors too lightly.
"Southeastern Louisiana is a good football team," said TCU's head coach. "They have a couple guys who are nominated as Players to Watch for the Senior Bowl. They've also had a couple guys drafted. They are always going to have good players. They played on a Thursday, so they've had some extra days to get ready for us. As a head coach when you've played a really big ball game perception wise, you always worry about the emotions of your football team. Week two is the week you want to get better."
This is the sixth straight season TCU is facing an FCS opponent, but this is the first-ever meeting in history between these schools.
The Lions posted an impressive 309 yards rushing on the way to its week one victory over Southeast Missouri. Junior quarterback Bryan Bennett rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way. He became the first Lion quarterback to top the 100-yard mark since 1977.
Bennett also went 9-of-15 for 169 yards as a passer. Tight end Jeremy Meyers is a key component of the aerial attack.
SE Louisiana had a trio of effective tailbacks contribute as Kody Sutton (10 carries, 87 yards), Xavier Roberson (11 carries, 54 yards) and Rasheed Harrell (10 carries, 49 yards) shared the carries.
The Lions were just as impressive defensively. They were able to hold the visiting Redhawks to 294 total yards. Harlan Miller had an interception, while James Scales III, Isiah Corbett, Jacob Newman and Javari Nichols were all credited with sacks. Drew Misita led the team with seven tackles.
SE Louisiana will have its hands full this week as it tries to slow down TCU's much more capable offense. Casey Pachall had a tough time gaining ground against LSU's defense, as he completed 9-of-16 attempts for only 75 yards and an interception. He is the school's all-time leader in completion percentage and ranks first in the nation in career passing efficiency (163.1) among active players with 15 games of experience.
After starting nine games at quarterback last season, Trevone Boykin made his first start at wide receiver, but failed to make any catches. Pachall also saw action at wideout as Boykin went 6-of-12 passing for 70 yards.
"They were making our quarterback move his feet," said Patterson. "We had to get an extra running back in the back field. It was simple. So we tried to go change of pace, and I thought it worked. We got a couple touchdowns. Tre (Boykin) needed to set his feet on a couple balls. But like I told you, there are going to be games where we're going to play one, they're going to play the other."
Boykin made a costly fumble when he was sacked in the fourth quarter in LSU's territory. Brandon Carter was the leading receiver for the Horned Frogs with team-highs of four catches and 44 yards.
B.J. Catalon returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and scored on a 26- yard run for the Horned Frogs. Catalon also led the team on the ground with 52 yards on eight attempts. He was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance as he racked up 233 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, TCU had no answer for LSU's rushing tandem of Terrence Magee and Alfred Blue. They helped the Tigers rack up 197 yards on the ground with an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Elisha Olabode and Chris Hackett both had 10 total tackles to tie for the team lead. LSU was able to convert 13 of its 19 third down plays into a first down.
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