TCU junior tailback T.J. Catalon, the Horned Frogs' leading rusher, hasn't practiced this week in advance of Saturday's Big 12 showdown with Kansas State.
The game matches two teams in the top seven of the College Football Playoff selection committee's top-25 rankings, with TCU sixth and K-State seventh.
TCU coach Gary Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he won't have an update on Catalon until Friday. Catalon (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) was injured in the waning seconds of last week's win at West Virginia, with the Star-Telegram saying he took a hard hit to the upper torso.
TCU also has been hit by injuries in its receiving corps. Josh Doctson (6-4, 190), the Horned Frogs' leading receiver, remains a bit banged-up after suffering a leg injury in the Oct. 25 rout of Texas Tech. Fellow starter Deante Gray (foot) didn't practice Wednesday. Purplemenace.com, a TCU-centric website, said Catalon and Gray (5-10, 175) are considered questionable for Saturday's game.
"Everybody's beat up this time of year," Patterson told the Star-Telegram. "There's nobody 100 percent."
Catalon, a speedster, has rushed for 493 yards and 10 TDs on 98 carries. He also is a capable receiver and a dangerous return man; though he has just eight kickoff returns, he averages 31.8 yards per return and took one back for a TD against Baylor.
Doctson has 38 receptions and seven TDs, and his height makes him a mismatch for most corners. Gray is TCU's No. 2 receiver, with 29 receptions and seven TDs. He also is a big-time deep threat, averaging 16.8 yards per catch. TCU is better-equipped to deal with injuries at receiver than at tailback. Backup tailbacks Aaron Green and Kyle Hicks have combined for 513 yards and three TDs, but almost 28 percent of the yardage came in one game, the rout of Texas Tech.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
