Quarterback Trevone Boykin
Senior quarterback Trevone Boykin enters Week 5 as the Big 12’s leading passer and a top candidate for the Heisman trophy. His 1,470 passing yards are third in the nation, and he’s thrown for 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions so far. Boykin put up career numbers last week as No. 4 TCU narrowly avoided an upset at Texas Tech. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass from the 4-yard line with 23 seconds left in the game to seal the win 55-52. Boykin completed 63 percent of his passes and finished the night with a career-high 485 yards and four touchdowns through the air. The Longhorn defense will have its hands full Saturday with Boykin and the No. 5 scoring offense in the country.
Wide receiver Josh Doctson
One of Boykin’s favorite targets and the No. 1 wide receiver in the country, senior Josh Doctson is a central cog in the Horned Frogs’ explosive offense. Doctson put up 267 yards on a conference record-tying 18 catches against Texas Tech last weekend. He has 593 yards on 35 catches and has hauled in six touchdown grabs this season. Doctson set a TCU single-season record in 2014 with 1,018 receiving yards, and he should finish 2015 well over that number if he continues at this level of play. Doctson tagged Texas’ defense for 115 yards last year in a 48-10 TCU win and could easily do the same this year against a struggling Texas pass defense.
Running back Aaron Green
The Horned Frogs might be 3-1 instead of 4-0 if it hadn’t been for senior tailback Aaron Green’s heroics last weekend. As TCU trailed Texas Tech with 23 seconds left to play, Green caught the game-winning touchdown just barely in-bounds after Boykin’s high pass was tipped off Doctson’s hands. He recorded three touchdowns and 162 rushing yards on 28 carries. Green amassed 922 yards in 2014 as TCU’s leading rusher and also leads the Frogs with 434 yards so far this season. As TCU looks to continue proving its case for a playoff bid, Green has a chance to pad that number by taking advantage of a Texas defense that’s given up 825 rushing yards this season.
Defensive end Josh Carraway
Texas’ offensive line crumbled last week when junior right tackle Kent Perkins left the game with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard was sacked five times, once for a loss of 22 yards, without Perkins on the line. Perkins is day-to-day and there is a good chance he’ll play Saturday, and Texas’ offensive line will need all the reinforcement it can get against TCU junior defensive end Josh Carraway. He wreaked havoc on the Longhorns last year in a 48-10 Horned Frogs blowout, returning an interception 33 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes of the game. Carraway also forced a Longhorn fumble in the first quarter, which led to TCU’s first touchdown. If Perkins isn’t in the Texas lineup Saturday or isn’t 100 percent healthy, Carraway could exploit the weak Texas line and force turnovers from the hands of young Heard.
