FWST: TCU’s Lewis, Elliott may return to action against Kansas
By Jimmy Burch
TCU coach Gary Patterson raised the possibility Tuesday that cornerback Julius Lewis and offensive tackle Tray Elliott, who have yet to play this season because of injuries, could take the field Saturday against Kansas. He also dropped his strongest hint to date that chances are looking “better” for a possible return of receiver/kick returner KaVontae Turpin and center Austin Schlottmann in the team’s Oct. 22 game at No. 22 West Virginia.
Lewis, a sophomore from Mansfield, started four games last season but has been out since spring drills because of a non-contact injury. Patterson mentioned at the start of fall drills that Elliott, coming off a foot injury, could miss the entire season.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Patterson said: “We’ve got Lewis back. Him and Elliott both are back running around, so I don’t know what their level is. But we’re progressing.”
In regard to the returns of Turpin (knee) and Schlottman (foot), Patterson said: “We’re basically three weeks out before we play West Virginia. So it’s better.” During Monday’s conference call with Big 12 coaches, in regard to Turpin and Schlottmann, Patterson said: “We think maybe here in a couple of weeks, we’ll get a chance for both those guys to come back.”