Four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners

TCU makes its final trip to Norman for the foreseeable future as the Horned Frogs aim to send Oklahoma to the SEC with one final Big 12 loss.

Both teams should be fully invested in winning Friday (11 a.m., FOX) as TCU (5-6, 3-5) needs a win to gain bowl eligibility while the Sooners need a win to stay alive for a berth in the Big 12 title game.

For Oklahoma, there’s the added incentive of wanting payback for last season’s blowout loss at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Horned Frogs hammered the Sooners 55-24 and used that game to let the world know that the 2022 team would be a contender.

This year’s version of Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2) is much better than last year’s team while the Horned Frogs have clearly taken a step back. Is there a path for TCU to pull off an upset in the season finale?

Here are four things to know about the Sooners:

QB uncertainty

Once again the Horned Frogs will need to prepare for two quarterbacks as the status of Dillon Gabriel is up in the air. Gabriel exited the Sooners’ win over BYU with an upper body injury and should be considered questionable for Friday. If he can’t go it would be a big loss for Oklahoma as Gabriel is potentially the Big 12 Player of the Year.

On the season Gabriel has thrown for 3,260 yards, 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions while posting a quarterback rating of 85.7. He’s also added 11 touchdowns on the ground and has a career-high 337 rushing yards. If he can’t play, Oklahoma will turn to five-star freshman Jackson Arnold, a former DFW native that starred at Denton Guyer last season.

Arnold threw for 33 yards and rushed for 24 in relief duty for Gabriel against the Cougars. On the season, he’s thrown for 202 yards and two touchdowns in mop up duty. Oklahoma won’t be afraid to use Arnold in the run game as he has 20 carries on this season and had eight against BYU.

Premier linebacker

Oklahoma’s defense has improve greatly over last season as Oklahoma went from 99th in scoring defense in 2022 to 31st this season. One reason why is the play of linebacker Danny Stutsman. Despite missing a game, Stutsman is second in the Big 12 in tackles with 91.

Nobody else has more than 55 for the Sooners. Stutsman is disruptive and regularly makes plays in the backfield with a staggering 15.5 tackles for loss. He’s had four games with double-digit tackles, including 10 tackles and a sack against the Cougars. Whatever TCU wants to do offensively will start with the Horned Frogs making sure Stutsman has his own dedicated blocker to battle with.

Oklahoma’s weapons

The Sooners have been known for their elite skill talent the last few years including Marvin Mims and Eric Gray from last season. Oklahoma doesn’t have the same talent at receiver and running back as year’s past, but there are still plenty of playmakers that can make life tough on TCU.

Drake Stoops, the son of longtime former OU coach Bob Stoops, is still in Norman and leads the team with 755 yards and nine receiving touchdowns. A true slot, Stoops has a knack for making the biggest catches, especially on third down. Nic Anderson and Jalil Farooq have emerged as solid complementary options with over 600 yards each and a combined 11 touchdowns. Losing Andrel Anthony has hurt the overall quality of the receiver group, but it should still be a test for TCU.

The running back group has been inconsistent with no rusher having over 500 yards, but Gavin Sawchuk could finally be emerging after rushing for 107 yards on 14 carries against BYU.

Other names to know

Aside from Stutsman, the best player defensively for the Sooners is Billy Bowman Jr. Another DFW native, Bowman was a top-50 recruit out of Denton Ryan in the 2021 class and now he’s become of the best safeties in the Big 12. Bowman is tied for the league lead in interceptions with five and has returned two of them for touchdowns.

His latest pick six against BYU was crucial as he returned an interception 100 yards late in the third quarter to make it 24-17. His other score came against Iowa State. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover must avoid putting the ball in danger with Bowman in the area as he’s shown how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands.

Another name to know is defensive lineman Ethan Downs. A second-team All-Big 12 selection last season, Downs leads the Sooners with 4.5 sacks and is second on the team with 6.5 stops for loss. Finding a way to neutralize Downs’ impact is a must for TCU.