Players to Watch: TCU Defense
DE Ochaun Mathis
Whenever he decides to enter his name in the NFL Draft, there's a good chance that Mathis could be a top two round pick if not higher. He is one of the best young pass rushers in the Big 12 and it wouldn't be shocking to see him finish with a double-digit sack season before he leaves Fort Worth. He only had 2.5 sacks a year ago, but already four this season in six less games. He is someone that the young West Virginia offensive tackles are going to have to key in on.
LB Garrett Wallow
This guy is a tackling machine. Last year, he finished with 125 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. So far this season, Wallow has racked up 46 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss in just six games. He is the glue of the Horned Frogs defense and is someone that Gary Patterson counts on to generate a stop when they most need it. Certainly has the looks of an NFL linebacker.
S La'Kendrick Van Zandt
West Virginia will look to try and take advantage of what is a very young TCU secondary, but the one guy everyone in the back end looks to is La'Kendrick Van Zandt. The redshirt junior leads the team with two interceptions and also does a great job helping in run support with 3.5 tackles for loss. I wouldn't necessarily say they're comparable in talent, but Van Zandt plays a similar style to that of West Virginia's Tykee Smith in some sense.
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