TCU hosting LIU in its home opener and only game not against a P4 opponent

LIU (0-1) at TCU (1-0), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

BetMGM College Football Odds: No line.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

TCU plays its home opener, and the only game on its schedule this season that is not against Power Four opponent. The Frogs opened last week on the road with a 34-27 win at Stanford, the former Pac-12 team that is now in the ACC. LIU, a sixth-year FCS team, has twice before played a Big 12 team. The Sharks lost 30-7 at Baylor last year and 66-0 at West Virginia in 2021.

KEY MATCHUP

LIU running Ludovick Choquette against the TCU defense. Choquette, a graduate transfer from Western Illinois, ran for a career high 128 yards on 15 carries and had four catches for 22 yards and a touchdown in his debut with the Sharks. In their first game with Andy Avalos as defensive coordinator, the Frogs held Stanford to 286 total yards (121 rushing and 165 passing) had four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LIU: QB Luca Stanzani completed 20 of 31 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns despite rain showers in a 27-21 loss at Albany in the season opener. The Sharks led 21-17 after Stanzani’s 11-yard TD pass to Choquette early in the third quarter.

TCU: The receiving trio of Savion Williams, Jack Bech and JP Richardson, who combined for 331 of TCU’s 353 passing yards in the opener against Stanford, marked the first time in school history they had three receivers with at least 85 yards in the same game. Williams, the fifth-year Frog, tied a career high with 11 catches for 165 yards. Former Oklahoma State transfer Richardson had his second 100-yard game since joining the Frogs and former LSU transfer Bech had a career-best 139 yards, including catches of 43 and 46 yards.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Sharks are 12-35 overall since Long Island University merged its two athletic programs: Division I non-football LIU Brooklyn and Division II football-sponsoring LIU Post. They are coming off back-to-back 4-7 seasons. … Josh Hoover is the first TCU quarterback since at least 2005 to have at least 300 yards passing in six of his first seven career starts. … Frogs safety Jamel Johnson has 11 tackles in the season opener, a year after he had 19 tackles while playing in 10 games as a freshman.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up