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Four downs: Will former OU quarterback Chandler Morris see action for TCU against Sooners?

FORT WORTH, Texas — OU tries to bounce back from the first loss of the Brent Venables era when the Sooners travel to take on TCU at 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC.

OU’s defense was tested in a major way last week by Kansas State, and the results were not good.

The Sooners struggled to contain Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn.

Things don’t get any easier this week when OU faces Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan, who has shown to be as effective a runner as Martinez, with a better track record through the air.

Here’s this week’s edition of Four Downs, taking a closer look inside the game:

More:Can OU shake out of early offensive struggles? Dillon Gabriel says solution is easy.

First down: Sooner in the crosshairs

Billy Bowman, safety: Bowman has mostly performed well this season after moving to safety, but did struggle against Kansas State. The Horned Frogs figure to present an even more difficult challenge for the sophomore. TCU has a deep group of receivers, with plenty of speed and physicality. All of the Sooners’ defensive backfield will be tested in this one, but none more so than Bowman.

More:OU defense faces a tough challenge. Brent Venables wants it to run toward the hard now.

Second down: Opponent watch

TCU tight end Brent Matiscik (42), center Steve Avila (79) and quarterback Chandler Morris, top, celebrate their win over Baylor on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
TCU tight end Brent Matiscik (42), center Steve Avila (79) and quarterback Chandler Morris, top, celebrate their win over Baylor on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

QB Chandler Morris: While Max Duggan is expected to start and get the majority of playing time, there’s a good chance the Horned Frogs work Chandler Morris back into the game. Morris, who played his freshman season in 2020 with the Sooners before transferring, beat out Duggan for the starting job before being hurt late in the opener against Colorado. Morris’ biggest moment as a Sooner came in the 2020 Big 12 Championship Game against Iowa State when he came on in a goal-line situation on the game’s first drive, then scored on a 2-yard run to put OU up 7-0 in a game it eventually won, 27-21.

More:How much did OU pay to buy out contracts for Brent Venables' football coaching staff?

Third down: Number to know

43: The Sooners have won 43 of their last 44 regular-season games coming off a loss in that same season. OU’s only back-to-back regular season losses since early October 1999 came in 2020 when they started Big 12 play with a 38-35 home loss to Kansas State and fell 37-30 to Iowa State a week later. In each of the five times the Sooners have dropped their Big 12 opener since 2000, they’ve bounced back to win the Big 12 title (2006, 2007, 2012, 2020).

OU vs. TCU football: Will the Sooners' defense get back on track or get exposed?

Fourth down: This day in Sooner history

Oct. 1, 1983: The ninth-ranked Sooners beat Kansas State 29-10 in Manhattan. Marcus Dupree and Spencer Tillman rushed for a combined 285 yards. Tillman had 131 for his first career 100-yard rushing game. Rick Bryan had 19 tackles, which broke his own record for most tackle by a lineman in school history. Kevin Murphy had 15 tackles and three sacks in the victory. Less than a month later, Murphy broke Bryan’s record with 21 tackles — a record which still stands.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. TCU football: Will Chandler Morris see action against Sooners?