The Texas Longhorns appear to be reeling following two straight heartbreaking losses, and now hit the road to take on TCU. While it would certainly be a stunner, we expect nothing less in college football - here are three reasons why Texas will beat the Horned Frogs this weekend:
3) TCU's multiple injuries on defense
The Horned Frogs will be without seven starters or key contributors on defense on Saturday, and that has severely hampered that unit over the past few weeks. They give up over 400 yards per game and rank 86th in the country in points allowed per game, though they've been even worse over the last two games, allowing 89 total points and 1,115 total yards against SMU and Texas Tech. Both the Mustangs and Red Raiders run spread offenses similar to Texas, so the opportunity is there for the Longhorns to have a LOT of success on Saturday.
2) Increased determination
The Longhorns are embarrassed by how this season has started for them, and getting away from the noise surrounding them in Austin could actually a chance to hit the reset button. Charlie Strong will have this team ready to go, and they'll play with more intensity to prove that they can turn the season around.
1) The emergence of Jerrod Heard
Finally, it looks like Texas has a quarterback. Heard has a breakout performance against Cal and followed it up with another fantastic performance against Oklahoma State, passing for 483 yards while rushing for 211 more yards and three touchdowns over the past two games. He has proven to be an excellent fit for the Longhorns' new spread offensive system, and most importantly, was the spark this offense so desperately needed. If he can continue to be effective, Texas will have a great chance to exploit TCU's heavily depleted defense.