Iowa State vs. TCU football: Five players to watch
By Brian Spaen
We look at the incredible improvement of TCU’s starting quarterback, a freshman sensation on defense, and we have our fingers crossed that one of the most exciting players on Iowa State’s offense will be on the field. That and more in our five players to watch between the Horned Frogs and Cyclones on Saturday.
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TCU
QB Trevone Boykin (#2, 6-foot-5, 205 lbs., Jr)
What an amazing season the Horned Frogs QB has had. He’s completed around 60 percent of his passes and has 26 touchdowns to just six interceptions. On top of that, he’s one of the dangerous running threats in the Big 12 with 134 attempts and nearly 600 yards on the ground and eight more touchdowns. He’s stepped up so much more than anyone expected going into this season, and it will be exciting to see what he can do in a potential College Football Playoff spot.
RB Aaron Green (#22, 5-foot-11, 202 lbs., Jr)
Because of an upper body injury to B.J. Catalon, Green has stepped into the starting position and hasn’t disappointed. He now leads the team in rushing with 750 yards, almost 250 more than Catalon on the same amount of carries (98). The tailback averages 7.7 yards per play and has seven touchdowns.
S Chris Hackett (#1, 6-foot-2, 195 lbs., Jr)
Why is TCU so damn good? Turnover margin. They are an incredible +18 on the season, and as a team they have 21 total interceptions. The leader is Hackett, who’s reeled in six himself. Fun fact: There are 18 teams in the nation that have six INTs or less, and Iowa State only has three more than him.
Iowa State
Nov 29, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers tight end Cody Clay (88) is gang tackled by Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Darian Cotton (23), linebacker Brian Mills (25) and linebacker Kane Seeley (29) at Jack Trice Stadium. The Mountaineers beat the Cyclones 37 – 24. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
LB Brian Mills (#25, 5-foot-10, 231 lbs., Fr)
Mills got quite the attention at linebacker when he won a starting position after studying film and having one-on-one sessions with defensive coordinator Wally Burnham and head coach Paul Rhoads. He responded with a career-high and team-high nine total tackles (7 solo) against West Virginia, up five from his previous career high against Texas Tech. The freshman has been a bright spot on a sluggish defense that’s about to give up over 6,000 yards of offense.
TE E.J. Bibbs (#11, 6-foot-3, 265 lbs., Sr)
Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Bibbs yet. The senior tight end, and one of the best tight ends in the country, has been hobbled with a knee injury. There’s a very slim hope that he will be out there, but if so, even limited, it would be great to see him end his Cyclones career in style.