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Seven Cougars Selected All-MWC 2009

sroufe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:12:15 -0000

BYU's Jan Jorgensen tackles CSU's Leonard Mason on Sept. 26th. Jorgensen, the "Hammer from Helper", is the MWC all-time sack leader with 29. He has recorded 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2009. (AP Photo/George Frey)

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Jan Jorgensen, Dennis Pitta, Matt Reynolds, and Harvey Unga were awarded All-Conference First-Team honors today. Andrew George, Max Hall, and Andrew Rich were selected to the All-MWC Second-Team. Additionally, six Cougars earned Honorable Mention status: Coleby Clawson, Brett Denney, Scott Johnson, Brian Logan, Riley Stephenson and R.J. Willing. Johnson and Matt Bauman were named Academic All-Americans last week as well. Congratulations to each of these student-athletes!

It should also be noted that Pitta was one of only three players (Jeremy Kerley and Jerry Hughes, TCU) in the conference to be a unanimous selection. For Pitta and Jorgensen this was their third time on the All-MWC First-Team.

TCU had an incredible 15 selections between the 1st and 2nd teams and nearly swept the player/coach of the year awards. The Utes also finished with six players on the All-MWC First-Team.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB;Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

2009 Mountain West All-Conference Football Team Announced

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:54:10 -0000

As expected TCU lead the way with all-conference selections, but they ran away with 15 first and second team selections which more then doubles second place BYU with seven spots. The Horned Frogs also took home three of four player of the year awards, and coach of the year -- the one loss was freshman of the year which went to Wyoming's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels.

Some irony in the list is that New Mexico had the first team punter; he did have the most chances to impress. A choice that was not expected when the season started was Utah RB Eddie Wide who ran for over 1,000 yards but was to be the back up before Matt Asiata tore his ACL in the Louisville game.

The offensive player of the year award went to TCU's QB Andy Dalton while the defensive award went to TCU's DE Jerry Hughes. The rest of the awards are after the jump.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB; Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

TCU rolls to 11-0 with win over Wyoming

The Road — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:41:52 -0000

Final - 11.21.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
TCU Horned Frogs	7	17	21	0	45
Wyoming Cowboys	3	7	0	0	10

Complete Coverage >

Can anyone or any team stop TCU you this year? Not likely. The Horned Frogs improved to 11-0 for the first time in 71 years and are keeping the National title hopes alive with a 45-10 over the Wyoming Cowboys on the road. To complete their perfect season TCU will just need a victory next week over a New Mexico team that has lost their first 10 games.

The Cowboys kept things close for most of the first half and the game was was tied 10-10 at one point. But just as fast as Wyoming thought they had an upset on their hands TCU took back the lead with a 81 yard kickoff return by Greg McCoy to make the score 17-10. After that TCU never looked back and went on to score 28 unanswered points.

This wasn't as crisp a victory as TCU was looking but it was probably good enough to keep them in the #4 BCS spot. Losing three fumbles is uncharacteristic of the Horned Frogs and one was returned by Safety Chris Prosinski for the Cowboys lone touchdown. Andy Dalton was 10 of 19 for 170 yards and a touchdown but also intercepted once. Dalton also added 90 yards rushing to give him 260 total yards for the game.

The ground game was dominate for the Horned Frogs who put 358 yards rushing. Matther Tucker had 134 yards on only 12 carries. Tucker and Joseph Turner each had two touchdowns a piece.

Wyoming could do nothing with all the ball all game. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels was 4 of ten for only 84 yards. He was then replaced by Robert Benjamin who also struggled and went 2 for 5 and just 11 yards. Karsteen Sween the came in to try his luck to jump start the offense and went 0 for 4. David Leonard had his longer catch of the season for 43 yards and give him 64 receptions on the year.

The TCU defense was stout and made things rough all game long for the Cowboys. Though only getting one sack on the day they kept constant pressure on QB and bottled up the running game. The Cowboys rushed 36 times for 84 yards an average of 2.3 yards per rush. The Horned frogs allowed the Cowboys only 58 total yards in the second half.

Beating Wyoming should help TCU with the computers. Wyoming has one of the toughest schedules in the nation with losses to ranked teams: Texas, BYU and Utah. Texas played in Laramie this season and were actually down 10-6 at one point before prevailing 41-10.

Next week: TCU host New Mexico and Wyoming travels to Colorado State for the Border War. Wyoming needs a victory to become bowl eligible.

#4 TCU heads up to Laramie to take on the Cowboys

The Road — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:01:24 -0000

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ Wyoming Cowboys

Saturday, Nov 21, 2009, 11:00 AM PST
War Memorial Stadium

TV: The MTN

Complete Coverage >

The Horned Frog express rolls into Laramie, WY on Saturday looking for their 11th win this season. TCU (10-0) will put their perfect record on the line as they face a young and dangerous Wyoming Cowboys (5-5) team. Currently #4 in the BCS the Horned Frogs will need another quality win plus a loss or two by one of the teams ranked ahead of them if they hope to have a shot at playing the National title game.

Coming off a stellar 55-28 victory over Utah last week the Horned Frogs are operating on all cylinders. Boasting one of the top defenses in the nation and led by DE Jerry Hughes the Horned Frogs wreak havoc on opposing teams QB's. Andy Dalton leads an offense that has been getting better and better each week. Their balanced attack put up 549 yards on a Utah defense that had been fairly stingy in the previous weeks.

"I have been a head coach for five years, and that is the best team I’ve faced."—Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, after his team’s loss to TCU.

The Wyoming Cowboys are coming off their most impressive victory of the season last week. Down 27-6 after three quarters the Cowboys put 24 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win 30-27 and keep their bowl chances alive. Jekyll and Hyde is a great way to describe the Cowboys offense this year. After scoring at least 30 points in three consecutive victories earlier in the season the Pokes then managed only 10 total points in three consecutive losses.

In their five victories this season the Cowboys have averaged 31.2 points.

In their five losses this season the Cowboys have averaged 4 points.

Freshman QB Austyn Carta-Samuels has earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this year. The Cowboys have switched to a spread offense this year after bringing in new Coach Dave Christensen. WR David Leonard has stepped up as big time possession receiver this year and has 63 catches for 533 yards.

TCU has scored in 213 cosecutive games - longest in the nation.

Wyoming has been shutout three times this year.

The Horned Frogs can really do it all: Offense, Defense and Special teams.

Andy Dalton has passed for over 2,000 yards this season with 17 TD's and only 4 interceptions. He also averages nearly 40 yards rushing a game.

TCU has four players with over 380 yards rushing this season. Joseph Turner gets the most carries: 120 for 622 yards and nine touchdowns. Freshman Edward Wesley has 598 yards and put up 120 against the Utes. Matthew Tucker adds 471 yards and six touchdowns to the mix.

Dalton loves to the spread the ball around and three receivers have 25 or more catches this year: Jimmy Young (25 for 405), Jeremy Kerley (33 for 370) and Bart Johnson (25 for 343). Kerley is a speedster and one of the most dangerous returnmen in the NCAA. He averages nearly 15 yards per punt return and has taken two back for scores.

Everything points towards an easy TCU victory but a couple factors could make this game closer then expected: elevation and weather.

The last time the Horned Frogs played in Laramie two years ago they lost 21-24. Coming from Fort Worth to 7220 feet can be a big shock to the system.

In the TCU's closest victory they beat Air Force 20-17 in Colorado Springs. That weekend a huge snowstorm hit the front range and game time temperatures were in the teens. TCU had a hard time scoring on a stout Air Force defense and the weather conditions certainly didn't help.

There is snow in the forecast for this weekend in Laramie but tempratures should be in the mid 30's so things won't be as cold as the Air Force game.

No. 4 TCU and No. 16 Utah Meet With BCS and Conference Championship On The Line

Michael Rueckert — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:55:12 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

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Next Game

Utah Utes
@ TCU Horned Frogs

Saturday, Nov 14, 2009, 4:30 PM PST
Amon G. Carter Stadium

TV: CBS College Sports

Twenty Point Line for TCU is Ludicrous

posted by Jeremy Mauss about 11 hours ago

9 comments | 0 recs

ESPN's GameDay Making Third Appearance to the Mountain West With Visit to TCU

posted by Jeremy Mauss 3 days ago

15 comments | 1 rec

Complete Coverage >

Last year the Salt Lake Tribune headline read "Biggest Game Ever," when TCU and Utah met This season may be even bigger as BCS rated No. 16 Utah and No. 4 TCU are set to square off in what could be the biggest game in Mountain West Conference football history. TCU is looking to overcome its last major hurdle in its route to the BCS and possibly a national championship. Utah meanwhile, is trying to keep their BCS hopes alive. ESPN College GameDay will be on hand, with the entire nation tuning into this Mountain West showdown between Top 15 schools.

Did I mention this game is huge? TCU has sold out their stadium for the first time since 2006. TCU is finally getting the support that it deserves from Fort Worth, who's getting excited for this game. The mayor of Fort Worth is declaring Friday "Go Purple Day" for TCU, where everyone in the city is supposed to wear purple to show their support for their Frogs.

The Horned Frogs will also be sporting new uniforms on Saturday courtesy of Nike. Expect a BCS-type atmosphere at Amon G Carter Stadium on Saturday for a game that should decide who will win the Mountain West in 2009.

No. 4 TCU is playing extremely good football right now. Ever since a 20-17 victory over Air Force, the undefeated Horned Frogs have outscored their opponents 178 to 25, including a 31 point beat down over BYU. Their team has no weaknesses that are visible. Third year starting quarterback Andy Dalton has developed into an outstanding leader for TCU who ranks fourth in the country in quarterback efficiency.

Dalton in his career has struggled against the Utes. In 2007 and 2008 Dalton threw for a combined six interceptions and zero touchdowns, completing just 32% of his passes. Andy Dalton this season is much improved, but the Utah defense could give him fits once again.

The Utah defense once again is very strong this season. They have held every team that they have played under 17 points scoring, except for Oregon. The Utes are going to need an outstanding performance from their defense if to help take pressure off their young offense.

Offensively, TCU is all about the run. They feature three backs using Joseph Turner, Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker. Each back has over 400 yards on the season, led by senior Joseph Turner with 560 yards on 5.1 yards per carry. Kyle Whittingham in his weekly press conferences talked about the TCU rushing attack:

The run game at TCU is the best in the conference. You look at yards per carry --which I have said is the real barometer-- and they lead the conference in yards per carry. They are very committed to the run. When you can run the ball like they do, it sets up the throw game, particularity the play action throw game.

The Utah offense has been up and down all season long. After close win after close win over mediocre teams, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made a major change. True freshman Jordan Wynn replaced Terrance Cain as the team's starting quarterback.

Since the change, the Ute offense has rolled. With only two games of experience under his belt, Wynn is coming into the TCU game confident in what he calls "the biggest game of my life." Wynn however, hasn't faced a defense even close to the level of the TCU's stifling D. He must remain patient and poised if he wants to have any luck against this team.

Everyone knows that TCU has a great defense. With All-American Jerry Hughes at defensive end, the Horned Frogs feature one of the nation's toughest and fastest defenses. Utah will have a very tough time running the ball against their outstanding defensive line. TCU is going to do everything they can do give the young Jordan Wynn trouble throwing the ball.

In 2008, the Utes had a come from behind victory to defeat TCU 13-10. TCU had the game in control, but after two easy missed field goals by Ross Evans, Brian Johnson led the Utes on an epic final drive to steal the victory for the Utes. TCU's BCS hopes were crushed, and they were stuck watching the Utes live the dream as they crushed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. All-American defensive end Jerry Hughes had a few things to say about last year's game:

That loss last year was heartbreaking. To have the game so close and just to lose it in the last couple seconds of the game was heartbreaking. I'm pretty sure a lot of the guys are focusing on that, but at the same time being a senior leader you have to tell them it's just one game that you have to take. It's one more opponent who's in our way. Don't try to take things too personal.

Don't count the defending Mountain West champions out of this game, although TCU is currently a 20 point favorite. There are few coaches who can get their team ready to play in a big game like Kyle Whittingham. Utah all-time is 7-0 against ranked teams, when also being ranked. The Utes were major underdogs to Alabama and came out with a huge chip on their shoulder and shocked the Crimson Tide and the nation with their win. Don't expect TCU to overlook Utah by any means, but Utah will come ready to play.

Utah has a 5-1 record against TCU, with TCU's lone win coming in an overtime match in 2005. They are the only team in the conference with a winning record against TCU since they joined the Mountain West. Each game has been close though. These are two very similar programs, who recruit the same type of athletes. Garry Patterson in his press conference talked about the two programs.

Both programs are playing at a very high level; there is a very small margin between the programs

Utah with a win over TCU would just need a Boise State loss to get into the BCS assuming that they jump over Houston. TCU with a win over Utah can make a big statement that they deserve to play for the national championship. This game has so much on the line for both teams; you don't want to miss this one.

Poll

Who will win?

Utah

20 votes

TCU

39 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Preview: TCU vs. BYU

sroufe — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:36:03 -0000

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(10) TCU Horned Frogs vs. (16) BYU Cougars
LaVell Edwards Stadium - Provo, Utah
3:30PM MST, September 5, 2009 (Versus)

SB Nation: Horned Frogs vs Cougars coverage

Horned Frogs vs Cougars Network Preview

Quotes:

"I think emotions will play [a role] for those guys who remember last year and what happened. You feel like, 'that wasn't us.' You want to come out this year and re-establish who you really are and show it." - Brett Denney

"The whole thing about BYU and 'circus' had nothing to do with BYU. It was about the BCS last year. They were going into last year's game with all the talk surrounding them, like we are right now." - Gary Patterson

"If you get ready for the games you are supposed to win, the big games will take care of themselves. I know that is coach speak, but it holds pretty true. You have to worry about getting your guys too sky high. What then happens, you make mistakes because you think you have to do more than you need to. The good teams take care of business." - Bronco Mendenhall

Injury Report:

BYU - Questionable - WR McKay Jacobson (TBA Today); Probable - DT Russell Tialavea, RB Manase Tonga, WR O'Neill Chambers.

TCU - Questionable - DE Ross Forrest.

BYU Offensive Keys:

BYU lacks the speed to get to the outside against TCU. The Cougars have to try to pound the ball up the middle with a combination of mostly Harvey Unga, but including Kariya, Tonga and Pili. Unga and DiLuigi aren't going to have time to get wide. BYU has to play to their strengths and that is overpowering defenders with their heavy O-line and punishing runners. There will be no time to dance around in the backfield waiting for something to open this week.

If you remember last October, BYU's backs had little to no success while trying to run around the edge. Expect Anae to recognize this and rely more on the "north-south" running game and short passes. Bottom line is the Cougars are not going to put up big rushing numbers against the Frogs. TCU gives up 81 yards a game on the ground - good for 8^th in the nation. So, despite Unga's average of 95 rushing yards per game, he likely won't get anywhere near that. Unga and the rest of the backs' main job Saturday will be picking up blitzes and giving Hall enough time to throw against what is also a fantastic secondary.

Just as the running backs likely won't be near their normal production, Max Hall has his work cut out for him as well. Again, we all remember last season's performance. So, despite Hall playing unbelievably well the past two weeks, an interception or two on Saturday shouldn't surprise anyone. But if Hall can get enough time in the pocket, and not try so desperately to force the big play down field, he should keep the Cougars competitive. RT Nick Alleto needs to have the game of his life while matched up against DE Jerry Hughes. Also, if McKay Jacobson is able to play, that will be important as the Cougars will need a legitimate threat down field for Hall to keep the Frogs honest. Still, the short passes to the tight ends and the quick screens to Unga and others out of the back-field will be fundamental to moving the ball. Like Mendenhall said, as always, balance is key.

BYU should be okay if they're able to limit their turnovers. If you look at the FSU game and take away the first-half fumbles that game is very different. It was the extra turnovers - outside of Hall's second-half interceptions - that made the game so ugly. But it was the Cougars' inability to stop the run that cost them the game overall. More on the defense after the jump...

BYU Defensive Keys:

TCU has the 11^th best rushing attack in the nation. The Frogs average 225 yards per contest on the ground. The Seminoles ran for 313 against the Cougars. If TCU exceeds their average they'll be in business. If TCU even approaches the rushing totals achieved by FSU, the Cougars will get demolished.

Of course, BYU's rushing defense has improved over the past few weeks (now 23^rd in the country) but look at the competition. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton isn't quite Christian Ponder when it comes to mobility, but he can cause problems. Dalton has run for 286 yards so far this season (averaging over 5 yards per carry) and has over 1,200 rushing yards for his career. The Frogs have a dangerous sophomore running back in Ed Wesley. Expect Wesley to only get about ten carries but last week he caught 3 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. TCU's main ball carrier is senior Joseph Turner but he's nothing too special. You might remember Turner from last season when he ran for 70 yards on 19 carries against the Cougars in Ft. Worth.

Overall, the Cougars have the ability to limit TCU's running game. Earlier this season, Clemson held TCU to 162 yards rushing and held the Frogs to 14 points. (Of course, the Tigers also didn't commit any turnovers either and still lost the game.) The Frogs' passing game will put up some numbers, as did the Aztecs last weekend. Whereas their passing game isn't going to beat BYU, their rushing game might. If the Frogs run effectively, controlling the clock and keeping the Cougars with poor field position, it could be a long game.

Miscellaneous:

Jeremy Kerley is among the best punt/kick returners in the nation. His p henomenal punt return last week shifted the game's momentum into the Frog's favor and CSU was done for. The Cougars have to contain Kerley and keep TCU on their side of the field at all costs. Easier said than done...Kerley also ran the ball (in the "Wild Frog" formation) 9 times for 77 yards last year against the Cougars.

Overall:

BYU hasn't been an underdog since Week 1 so it'll be interesting to see how the Cougars respond at home following last season's loss in Ft. Worth and the media surrounding Saturday's contest in Provo. The Cougar offense has to come out poised and needs to score early. TCU has notoriously started slow in many of their games this season, last week against CSU was no exception.

If the Cougars can jump out to an early lead it'll put more pressure on their defense. Russell Tialavea's return is huge because if the Frog running game is limited the Cougars should compete throughout. That's what we should expect: a competitive football game. We weren't treated to such last October.

An objective analysis of this game would likely produce a TCU-victory prediction. I'm not feeling too objective however and I'm calling it BYU 24, TCU 23.

TCU Travels to BYU for National Game of the Week

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:35:58 -0000

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ BYU Cougars

Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 4:30 PM PDT
LaVell Edwards Stadium

TV: Versus HD

Complete Coverage >

Everyone knows it is a big game when ESPN trots in their GameDay crew, and that is exactly what is happening this weekend in Provo when #8 TCU Horned Frogs meet #16 BYU Cougars for the game of the week. Last year the roles were reversed with BYU riding high in the top ten while TCU was ranked in the mid-teens, and then the game commenced with TCU absolutely destroying BYU right from the start.

BYU is very good at home and the last time they lost more then one game at home was in 2005 when they lost to Boston College, TCU, and Utah. The weather will be very nice, so BYU does not have the advantage that Air Force had a few weeks back with sub freezing temperatures with icy rain.

In big games BYU has not been all that great especially their quarterback Max Hall. Going back to the most recent five big games of Oklahoma, Florida State, Utah, TCU, and Arizona the Cougars were 1-4. Max Hall has only five touchdowns and 13 interceptions in that five game stretch. Something else that hurt BYU is that speed WR McKay Jacobson is still questionable for this game with a hamstring problem. Without Jacobson BYU will have zero deep threat which will allow TCU to bring the safeties up and provide more pressure on the quarterback.

Max Hall must not force passes which end up into picks, and he has improved on that by not throwing a pick in the last two games. He should make short passes and take what TCU is giving, and use FB Manase Tonga and RB Harvey Unga in the short passing game.

BYU must utilize their running game with Harvey Unga, Manase Tonga, and others to keep TCU hones. The Horned Frogs are eighth in the country in rush defense and that includes a game where they gave up over 200 yards to Air Force. Abandoning the run is not an option for BYU, even if it is not going well, because one TCU makes any team one-dimensional the game is nearly impossible to win.

Protecting the quarterback is the key for BYU, because last year the speed of TCU's defense was nothing they had seen all year. Now, this year the BYU front was able to slow down the Oklahoma front seven which is considered one of the best in the country, but this TCU defense is much faster then the Sooners..

TCU's offense is much better then they have been in the past, and are averaging 33.8 points per game which is good enough for 16th in the country. The perception is that TCU's offense is not very good, but they also are averaging 431 yards per game and that is good enough for 22nd in the nation. QB Andy Dalton is in his third year as a starter and is experienced and not making the mistakes he was making two years ago. He is able to take his time to find the open receiver or make an audible at the line of scrimmage; which could be tough at LaVell Edwards.

The rushing attack has been the strength for TCU the past few years, and this year is no different. Their main back is Joseph Turner who leads the team with 399 yards, and while that may seem low Coach Gary Patterson splits the carries. There are three other players who have over 220 yards on the year with RB's Ed Wesley and Matthew Tucker, and also QB Andy Dalton who gets close to fifty yards per game.

TCU has play makers and last year it was WR/PR/KR Jeremy Kerley who took snaps in the gun and surprised BYU early on to take the early lead and never look back. Some pundits are saying that TCU will not run Kerley out of the backfield, but that is not the case he may run it less but Kerley will get some snaps and end arounds.

Also, look for TCU's defense bring the pressue, becaus Max Hall is not good under pressure and is some what agile, but not enough to our run AA candidate DE Jerry Hughes. The Horned Frogs will bring the pressure as they normally do and try to force Max Hall into throwing bad passes plus make them run or pass heavy.

Back to Jeremy Kerley is very versitale and has four scores on the year, two off of punt returns and two running the ball. He is the x-factor in this game and BYU will need to make sure their special teams and defensive backs know where is at all times.

This game could be similar to the 2005 game where the final was 51-50 in favor of TCU, because both teams will be able to score. For as good as TCU's defense is BYU should be able to score since they are at home this week, and with ESPN's GameDay in town the crowd will be more into this game.

Normally predictions are not given here, but in my opinion TCU will win this game in a close battle. The reason is because TCU has more playmakers on offense, and their defense is the best that BYU will have seen all year-- yes better then Oklahoma.

TCU survives in the cold at Air Force, 20-17

bhsmarine — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:04:44 -0000

Final - 10.10.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
TCU Horned Frogs	7	7	3	3	20
Air Force Falcons	0	7	3	7	17

Complete Coverage >

Texas Christian (5-0, 1-0) beat Air Force (3-3, 2-1) in the icy cold of Falcon Stadium by a score of 20 - 17. TCU recovered a late onside kick attempt as Air Force put the pressure on late after a Connor Dietz rushing touchdown. TCU had to overcome 3 turnovers on the day.

TCU's Jimmy Young led both teams with 6 catches for 113 yards on the day. Joseph Turner would lead both teams on the ground with 18 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown, beating out Air Force QB Dietz by one yard. The Horned Frogs turnovers came of one interception and two fumbles. One fumble was by Turner on a 1^st and goal from the 7. The other was late in the game by Jeremy Kerley.

With Tim Jefferson out Dietz lead Air Force to 17 points including a rushing touchdown of his own. The other Air Force touchdown came off a trick play where Jonathan Warzeka tossed it to fellow wide receiver Kevin Fogler for a 16 yard strike.

In the end TCU showed even with a poor game on the road they are a tough team to beat. Not many teams can turn it over 3 times on the road force no turnovers of their own and come away with a W. TCU takes on a struggling Colorado State at home next week. Air Force gets Wyoming at Falcon Stadium next week.

#10 TCU opens MWC league play at Air Force

bhsmarine — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:42:16 -0000

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ Air Force Falcons

Saturday, Oct 10, 2009, 4:30 PM PDT
Falcon Stadium

TV: CBS College Sports

#10 Texas Christian (4-0) opens up their conference schedule on the road at the Air Force Academy (3-2, 2-0). TCU is the only undefeated team in the Mountain West and will have a target on their back all year through league play as the team to beat. Air Force is coming of a tough overtime loss to Navy last week.

The Horned Frogs have yet to put together a full game on offense against a FBS opponent. They have done enough to win but to grab a BCS Bowl they will need to step it up. TCU QB Andy Dalton is leading the MWC in completion percentage at 68.1 and Rating. His favorite targets are WR's Bart Johnson, 16 catches for 163 yards, and Jeremy Kerley who has 13 catches for 163 yards. They should be able to exploit the Air Force secondary with their athleticism. Kerley is also dangerous in the return game, evident by last weeks punt return for a touchdown.

In the running game Dalton will tuck it and run, 153 yards on the year. RB Joseph Turner leads the Horned Frogs with 5 touchdowns and 299 yards. Their offensive line will need to use their size to wear down the Falcons D line. Later in the game it will come in handy to control the clock and the ball.

On defense TCU looks like the MWC dominate unit so far. They are first in the conference in yards allowed per play and yards against per game. Against the run the Horned Frogs have only allowed 47 yards a game and a 1.76 yard per carry against. This is huge as the Air Force is a triple option offense and rely on the run to score points and move the ball.

For the Falcons they look to get QB Tim Jefferson healthy who was playing on a tender ankle against Navy and was out for a couple series when he reinjured it. That injury was apart of the reason the Falcons only ran for 183 yards last week, a season low. Top running backs Jared Tew, Asher Clark, and Savier Stephens will have a tough task running against the TCU defense. Jefferson will have to go to the air and be effective doing so for the Falcons to keep the game close.

On defense the Falcons will have to deal with fatigue later in the game playing against a bigger TCU team. Turnovers could be their biggest friend in the game, they lead the MWC in turnover margin at +2.6 turnovers a game. It would be huge for the Falcons if they could provide their offense with a short field to score against the tough TCU defense.

This is a big game for both teams. The Falcons are 2-0 in league already but its only going to get tougher. Any home game against a top team is your best chance to steal a game. For TCU they are the top ranked team in the MWC and will have to fight their way through the league over the next 8 weeks. Starting that battle on the road against Air Force is no easy task.

TCU Wins if: That defense plays tough against the run and forces Air Force to pass. Dalton and the offense should be able to score enough as long as they hold on to the ball.

Air Force wins if: They force turnovers and more specifically turnovers deep in TCU territory. Every point is huge in a game against TCU so they will need to force them to kick field goals instead of giving up touchdowns. A healthy Tim Jefferson could go along way also.

Prediction: TCU wins 17-6

Video Previews

TCU Pulls Away Over SMU for the Iron Skillet

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:34:39 -0000

More photos » by Tom Pennington - AP

Browse more photos »

Final - 10.3.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
SMU Mustangs	0	7	7	0	14
TCU Horned Frogs	0	12	13	14	39

Complete Coverage >

This game was close for a half with TCU winning only 12-7 at the half, however after being down by a touchdown early TCU ran off 25 straight points and outscored SMU 39-7 after that early score. The rain did play a factor in the game which lead TCU to run the ball more and ended up with 229 on the year with the bulk going to Ed Wesley, Joseph Turner, and Matthew Tucker. However, as usual it was the Horned Frog defense which lead the way for the Horned Frogs to win this game.

The SMU offense had been seventh in the country in the passing game with 326 per game, but the TCU defense limited SMU QB Bo Levi MItchell to a modest 240 yards with two scores and two picks. The problem with SMU is that their running game is poor and finished the day with minus sixteen yards, which includes sacks but the running back Shawnbrey McNeal had only 26 yards.

TCU was able to bring the pressure to attack the quarterback and play to the passing game. The scoring barrage by TCU did not help SMU's cause to attempt to be a balanced team. With all the passing going on for SMU that lead for quick drives and furthermore lead to a 10 minute time of possession advantage for TCU. SMU was terrible on third downs and were limited to only three of fifteen conversions.

The drives for SMU were short even with their scoring drives. Their longest drive was with the two scoring drives and were only seven plays. Also, SMU had ten drives that were 12 yards or less with nine being under ten yards, and with six being zero or negative yards.

SMU was just unable to move the ball against TCU in this game, and those drives were the difference in the game and greatly aided TCU to victory.

In other news relating to TCU and their ranking, number five Boise State had a less then impressive win over UC Davis, number 12 Houston lost to UTEP, and so did number eight Oklahoma who lost to Miami. The Houston loss helps TCU for their BCS chances as does the Boise close win. The Oklahoma loss just helps move TCU up in the polls.