FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - No. 11 TCU is apparently hurting after the loss that dropped the Horned Frogs out of a share for the Big 12 lead.
TCU quarterback Kenny Hill and leading tackler Travin Howard are among several key players that coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday are “between probable and questionable” to play the next game at Texas Tech.
“That’s all I’m going to say. I wasn’t going to even say that, but I feel like it’s good for the money people and anybody else that has to do with it,” Patterson said. “You get to decide if I say probable or questionable. I feel like that’s as fair as I can be and still take care of my team.”
Safety Niko Small and linebacker Montrel Wilson, who has dealt with injuries all season, are also questionable.
Running back Darius Anderson, the team’s leading rusher with 768 yards and eight touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season after suffering an unspecific leg injury at Oklahoma.
While not elaborating on the status of Hill or the others, Patterson said that highly touted freshman quarterback Shawn Robinson would be ready to play against the Red Raiders.
“If all of them play that I talked about, then great. If all of them don’t play, then the next guy needs to get ready,” Patterson said. “Here’s the thing … for sure three ball games, the next two and a bowl game, whether we get a chance to play a championship game or not, we’re going to be playing and Shawn Robinson is going to be one of the guys we’re going to be looking to change, to revamp, our offense.”
Hill and Howard both took part in postgame interviews Saturday night after the Horned Frogs (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) lost 38-20 at Oklahoma. TCU typically doesn’t have players in postgame if they are injured in a game.
Patterson said Kenny was a little better Tuesday, again without providing any details. He said Hill and the others could be game-time decisions at Texas Tech.
The coach also mentioned that “everybody wants to see Shawn Robinson at some point in time.” Even Patterson indicated after the Oklahoma game that he wanted to see more of Robinson, who has appeared in five games for the Frogs.
Since throwing five TDs against Kansas, Hill has one touchdown and two interceptions the past three games. The Frogs lost two of those games, to Iowa State and then Oklahoma.
Robinson was the 2016-17 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year last season when he led DeSoto High to its first Class 6A state championship. He then enrolled at TCU early and went through spring practice.
“He came early, which was a great advantage, so he was here through spring, and then he was here through summer, and then was here through two-a-days,” Patterson said. “So it wasn’t like he’s just a true freshman. He’s basically a redshirt freshman when you’ve done all that.”
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