Max Duggan was TCU’s quarterback from 2019 to 2022. Duggan was arguably the best quarterback of the modern era for the Horned Frogs. Duggan was tough, had a 13-2 record his final year, and led the first Big 12 team to the National Championship in the College Football Playoff era.

Duggan left for the NFL after the 2022 season, leaving big shoes to fill for redshirt freshman Josh Hoover to take over. TCU fans hoped Hoover would be the next great quarterback for the Horned Frogs, and he hasn’t really skipped a beat.

Hoover is a talented passer and one of the more prolific passers in the Big 12. Hoover proved it last week, when the Horned Frogs beat Baylor, who has another top Big 12 passer, Sawyer Robertson, on its roster. Hoover threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns in the 42-36 win.

On the season, Hoover is second in the conference with 2,124 yards and tied for first with 21 touchdowns.

West Virginia’s defense, which has struggled against high-powered offenses and talented quarterbacks, has a tough task when Hoover and TCU come to Morgantown on Saturday.

“He looks like a first-round draft pick,” defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “I want to say he’s one of the two quarterbacks coming back that had 3,500 yards last year that stayed with their team. I think everybody else transferred.”

Alley’s defense hasn’t really faced a pocket passer. BYU’s Bear Bachmeier and Pitt’s Eli Holstein were the closest thing to a true passer. Most of the quarterbacks WVU’s faced, like Utah’s Devon Dampier and Ohio’s Parker Navarro, do a lot of damage when they get flushed out of the pocket and take off for the first down.

It should be a bit easier to defend, but now, the coverage will have to be better downfield, which was gashed against UCF, with a couple of coverage breakdowns.

“When you watch him, he does it,” Alley said. “There are throws, where it is covered one-on-one, and it is put two inches above the fingers of the defender, and they catch it for 50 yards. It’s not one time that happens, it’s every single game.”

Hoover has a plethora of weapons that can make those close catches and get just the inches needed of separation. Wide receiver Eric McAlister is one of the top receivers in the Big 12, with 603 yards and seven scores. McAlister averages 21.5 yards per catch, which is the most in the league.

McAlister isn’t the only downfield threat. Jordan Dwyer is also top 10 in the Big 12 with 468 yards, making for a powerful one-two punch for Hoover.

TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles figures out ways to get his playmakers the ball using Hoover’s arm talent.

“They find one-on-ones and attack guys down the field,” Alley said. “And make those plays.”

TCU’s passing offense is second in the Big 12 and will be the best one WVU will face all season. WVU’s pass defense is the third-worst in the Big 12. It sounds like a matchup nightmare for WVU.

If the secondary doesn’t hunker down and improve, Hoover and his receivers will torch the WVU defense, creating another lopsided loss for the Mountaineers.

“Pretty good quarterback,” safety Jordan Walker said. “He keeps them going. They got a great offense, great football team.”