FORT WORTH, Texas -- No. 7 Baylor and No. 19 TCU are banged up, with injuries to key players and coming off recent losses that kept their much-anticipated rematch from being the de facto Big 12 championship game many had expected.
This is still a rivalry between the Big 12's only private schools that has intensified with both teams succeeding at the same time. They were co-champions last season.
Purple paint was splattered on the statue of Robert Griffin III, Baylor's Heisman Trophy winner, and 61-58 scrawled in green paint on a brick wall at the TCU campus, reflecting the score of the Bears victory last season.
"They've always not liked us very much, and that goes way, way back to when the Southwest Conference split up," Baylor senior left tackle Spencer Drango said. "There's a whole list of stuff that I don't know about, but for us it will be a fun game. It is a big rivalry and a lot of fun."
Baylor (9-1, 6-1 Big 12), which will be starting third-string quarterback Chris Johnson, can stay in contention for a third consecutive conference title with a victory tonight.
TCU (9-2, 6-2) has a 12-game home winning streak since another three-point loss to Baylor in 2013. The Frogs can get to 10 victories for the 10th time in the past 14 seasons under Coach Gary Patterson.
The Frogs will be without receiver Josh Doctson and four-year starting senior center Joey Hunt for their regular-season finale. Both missed Saturday night's 30-29 loss at Oklahoma, as did Trevone Boykin, although the senior dual-threat quarterback -- who was at one time a Heisman Trophy front-runner -- could play against Baylor after hobbling around on a sore right ankle.
"He's the one guy that you have to really appreciate," Patterson said of Boykin. "So many people early in his career talked so badly about him, about how he couldn't do this or couldn't do that. To see him change it around and do all the things he's been able to do and how he handles everything on and off the field, not just on the field, that's the thing that's been fun for me to watch."
Senior running back Aaron Green has 1,100 yards rushing, and with eight more he will have the most yards for a TCU running back since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 yards in 2000. Robert Merrill had 1,107 yards in 2003.
TCU has scored a first-quarter touchdown in 24 consecutive games, a Big 12 record. Baylor is the only team in the nation to score on its first drive in every game this season -- and all of those have been touchdowns.
For Baylor to claim a third consecutive conference title, it has to win its last two games (it plays Texas at home Dec. 5 at), and No. 11 Oklahoma State has to win Bedlam at home against No. 3 Oklahoma tonight. The Bears are coming off a victory at previously undefeated Oklahoma State, a week after they lost at home to the Sooners.
Sports on 11/27/2015