Perhaps lost in TCU’s record Alamo Bowl comeback two years ago was Travin Howard’s defensive MVP performance.
He had a game-high 13 tackles and a sack, completing his first season as a starting linebacker with 105 tackles — the first of what will likely be three consecutive 100-tackle seasons, numbers that have made him the leading tackler all-time under Gary Patterson.
It was all so unexpected for the former backup safety, now one of the key players in TCU’s game plan against Stanford on Thursday night in the 25th anniversary Alamo Bowl.
Coach Gary Patterson moved Howard to linebacker in 2015 only because the Horned Frogs lost their two starters in the first two games that season.