Four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, the BYU Cougars

After briefly sharing a spot in the Mountain West Conference in the late 2000s, TCU and BYU once again find themselves conference foes

Now in the Big 12, Saturday’s matchup will be the first game between the two programs since 2011. The Horned Frogs own a four-game winning streak over the Cougars, but obviously the programs are in very different positions.

TCU (3-3, 1-2) is in the midst of a two-game skid that has likely taken the Horned Frogs out of contention for the Big 12 title, meanwhile BYU enters Saturday with a 4-1 record and has quietly performed above expectations.

Now the Cougars (4-1, 1-1) will look to become the first of the four newcomers to get a conference win against an older member of the Big 12. Here’s four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, BYU:

Quarterback redemption?

The Cougars are led on offense by Kedon Slovis and if the name sounds familiar it’s because Slovis has seemingly been in college forever. He was a teammate of former West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels at USC in 2019. Slovis looked like the next big QB as he came in as a freshman and threw for 30 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes filling in for the injured Daniels.

Slovis was so good Daniels eventually transferred to Georgia, but Slovis was never able to live up to that spectacular debut. As his numbers dropped the next two seasons, Slovis hit the transfer portal when Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams arrived and landed at Pittsburgh to replace Kenny Pickett. To be blunt, Slovis was bad at Pittsburgh with just 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions while only completing 58% of his throws.

Slovis has had a bit of a bounce back with BYU as he’s already thrown 10 touchdowns and is averaging about 250 yards passing per game. His completion percentage remains under 60% but he’s been better than he was a season ago.

Special offensive lineman

One reason Slovis has seen improvement is due to BYU’s offensive line. The Cougars have a top-five offensive lineman in Kingsley Suamataia. Suamataia has a great chance to be one of the first linemen drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.

A former five-star prospect who originally signed with Oregon out of high school, Suamataia has evolved into everything you want from a tackle. He’s big at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, technically sound as he didn’t allow a sack and also has a mean streak to his game. He may be the offensive linemen TCU will see until at least Texas which has Kelvin Banks Jr.

If TCU wants to generate pressure on Slovis, the Horned Frogs must go through Suamataia.

New coordinator, new defense?

BYU had one of the worst defenses in the country last year when the Cougars allowed 29.5 points per game which was 97th in the nation. BYU allowed almost five yards per carry and opposing quarterbacks completed 67% of their throws against the Cougars secondary.

Head coach Kilani Sitake hired Jay Hill from Weber State to take over the defense and on paper there have been some improvements. BYU is allowing a touchdown less per game and has improved across the board in its yard per game numbers.

A deeper look shows that is still a vulnerable defense. Kansas rushed for 200 yards and scored 38 points in BYU’s lone defeat. Despite beating Arkansas 38-31, the defense allowed six yards per play and BYU was actually outgained by 200 yards. Then there’s Cincinnati who is far from an offensive juggernaut. The Bearcats’ 27 points were tied for the most against a FBS team this season.

Even with quarterback Chandler Morris out, TCU could have an opportunity to bounce back against this defense.

BYU’s X-Factor

Chase Roberts is one of the more underrated receivers in the Big 12 and has developed into a true No. 1 receiver for the Cougars. He leads the team with 358 yards receiving and is tied for a team-high three receiving touchdowns. At 6’4 Roberts is big receiver with an impressive catch radius and he’s been on a hot streak.

In his last two games against Kansas and Cincinnati Roberts has produced 11 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown. He’s BYU’s go-to option and could draw Josh Newton in coverage. That will be one of the many individual battles to watch Saturday.