The 1-1 Wildcats will hit the road for their second and final FCS-FBS matchup of the 2025 season as they travel to Fort Worth to do battle with the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Wildcats’ loss on the season came in week one against the other FBS team the Wildcats have on the 2025 schedule: the University of Tulsa.
The loss to TU featured just seven points from the Wildcats while surrendering 35 to the Golden Hurricane.
In the Horned Frogs’ week one contest, they traveled to Chapel Hill to face Bill Belichick and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the team’s first game with the high-profile head coach.
Despite the immense coverage and expectations surrounding the Tar Heels, the Horned Frogs walked away with a 48-14 victory. Additionally, the TCU defense scored twice, once on an interception returned for a touchdown and once on a fumble returned for a touchdown.
“They’re a great football team,” said Stone Earle, senior quarterback from Fort Worth. “They put one on North Carolina, and they had a pretty good season last year.”
The Wildcats will enter the game coming off their first win of the 2025 season over former Southland, now non-conference rival Stephen F. Austin University. A 28-20 victory bolstered by the defensive line, which recorded three sacks, two of which forced fumbles and one was recovered in the end zone by Kaghen Roach.
Roach, a graduate defensive lineman from Celina, said “it’s been a while” since he last scored a touchdown.
“I think you could tell by my celebration,” he said.
After Roach recovered the touchdown, the Lumberjacks’ offense scored just six points, which came on a late punt return touchdown on the team’s final possession of the game.
The matchup will be the second Power Four conference matchup for the Wildcats in the last two years. Last season, the team nearly upset Texas Tech University in a 52-51 overtime thriller in week one.
Despite the larger stage and atmosphere, Head Coach Keith Patterson is confident his team will perform as if they were at any other stadium playing any other team.
“When you cross the white like it’s two football teams playing on a football field,” Patterson said. “It’s 120 yards long, goal posts on each end, 53 and a third yards wide. Once you cross the line, you really don’t realize what’s going on around you.”
For Patterson and the Wildcats, the things going on around them will include a crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium that could reach capacity at 46,000 for the team’s home opener. The TCU football website currently has the game listed as sold out ahead of the Saturday matchup.
The game plan for the Wildcats will remain similar to that of every game. The defense will look to force at least three turnovers, limit explosive plays and get off the field on third down.
“We’ve given up some explosive plays that have set up scores or scored,” Patterson said. “We have to eliminate that.”
According to Earle, the offense will look to move the ball and play within the framework of the offense.
“I think we just need to try not to do too much,” Earle said. “We just need to do our jobs and focus on each play.”
According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Wildcats will enter the game as 37.5 point underdogs, with just a 1.8% win percentage. In the team’s game against Texas Tech last season, it entered as 31.5 point underdogs, according to College Football News.
