2008 TCU Horned Frogs Preview

TCU has been the can’t-miss pick to win the Mountain West Conference the past two seasons. Guess what? The Horned Frogs missed. Instead of the league trophy finding a home in Fort Worth, BYU has taken the past two titles and taken from TCU the role as top dog in the nine-team conference.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Frogs

TCU has entered the past two seasons as the favorite to win the Mountain West Conference but won’t this year after BYU’s two-year reign atop the standings. Gary Patterson doesn’t mind that at all. His Horned Frogs teams have won multiple titles when not picked to do much. They can be a contender again this season if a few things fall into place. The defense must fill five holes, including those left by Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz at defensive end. Patterson and his staff believe they have a stable of athletes who can develop into impact players at end as well as in the secondary, where David Roach and Brian Bonner must be replaced. A year of seasoning should boost the offense behind quarterback Andy Dalton, who had a record-setting season in 2007 as a freshman. The No. 1 concern entering 2008 will be depth at running back. Aaron Brown is back for his senior season, but the Frogs were at their best last year and in past campaigns when they’ve had two productive backs. BYU heads to Fort Worth this season, a game that could decide the Mountain West race. The Frogs must be sharp from the get-go and stay healthy, as they won’t have a bye until November.

The Frogs won’t be atop any preseason MWC poll this year, but they’ve been their most dangerous under coach Gary Patterson when perceived to be an underdog. It’s a mentality that drives Patterson, who has been far more successful than many would have expected — especially after a 6–6 first season in 2001.

His seventh season appeared to be headed down the tubes when the Frogs were 4–4 with four regular-season games to go. But they won three of their last four and qualified for a bowl game for the ninth time in 10 seasons, and then survived Houston’s late drive to win the Texas Bowl 20–13. After finishing strong — and overcoming the unusual circumstances surrounding their best player, Tommy Blake — Patterson believes TCU will have more grit this season.

“Our whole thing is, ‘How can we make our team the best we can make it?’” Patterson says. “It’ll be fun to see what kind of team TCU has this year.”

Quarterbacks

The Frogs’ offense struggled with inconsistency for much of the season behind Andy Dalton and Marcus Jackson. But as TCU entered its open week with a 4–4 record, Patterson used the threat of an immediate benching when a turnover occurred, and he got results. Dalton threw only two of his 11 interceptions in the final three games, including one on a Hail Mary pass in the Texas Bowl. He forced fewer passes and became an effective scrambler. Dalton passed for 2,459 yards, the most by a freshman in TCU history and the second-best single-season total. His completions (222) and attempts (371) are school marks. He and Jackson are both back, and they will again battle to be No. 1 on the depth chart even though Dalton started 12 of 13 games in 2007. Dalton, tall (6'3") and strong-armed, appears to have the edge, leaving Jackson as a more-than-capable backup who is likely to see meaningful playing time in several games.

Running backs

More running backs were in the training room than on the field for much of the season, and the offense and young quarterbacks suffered without an effective running game. The injuries began to mount early as Aaron Brown was hurt in the season opener and missed the next two. Joseph Turner went down in the second game and didn’t return for more than a month. Each suffered significant injuries late in the year. Brown recovered from a broken ankle in Game 11 and participated in spring drills. Turner, though, suffered an ACL injury in the Texas Bowl and his status for early in the 2008 season is questionable. Brown will again be atop the depth chart, and he remains one of the most versatile players in the Mountain West. Fellow senior Justin Watts was the backup during spring drills after filling in admirably in the bowl game. He’ll be the power back until Turner shows he’s 100 percent.

Receivers

For the most part, TCU had a nice group of possession receivers who caught a lot of balls in 2007 but weren’t deep threats. The exception to that is Jimmy Young, a sophomore who stands to be the Frogs’ home-run threat. Walter Bryant, a senior, has the frame to be Dalton’s favorite target. Jeremy Kerley and Donald Massey are quick, shifty receivers, and offensive coordinator Mike Schultz likes to get them the ball on swing passes. They can line up in the slot or motion into the backfield. An injury-plagued 2007 season prevented Shae Reagan from becoming one of the conference’s top tight ends. A healthy Reagan is a big-play threat as he creates match-up problems in the middle of the field.

Offensive linemen

The strength of the line is its center, fourth-year starter Blake Schlueter. Not only is the senior experienced, but he also holds the program record in the squat and is the most athletic center in the league. Two other starters from 2007 — guard Giles Montgomery and tackle Marshall Newhouse — are locks to keep their jobs, but the other guard and tackle positions could be up for grabs. Nic Richmond has impressive size (6'8", 298), but he was thrown into a starting role because of injury last year and struggled at times. Marcus Cannon also logged big minutes despite a lack of experience. They will get their biggest challenge from junior college transfer Zach Roth. Preston Phillips gets the first chance to replace Matty Lindner at guard. Lindner was a second-team all-conference choice in 2006.

Defensive linemen

Always a team strength, the defensive line will undergo a face-lift in 2008 as Blake and Chase Ortiz, a pair of talented ends, have moved on. Patterson, though, is excited about the players he will use to replace them. Jerry Hughes and Matt Panfil will be the first-team duo, but Wayne Daniels, Allen Christopher, Braylon Broughton and Clarence Leatch are likely to see the field as TCU rotates players early and often. But the best lineman will be defensive tackle James Vess, who was suspended during fall camp last year for violating university rules. He came on strong at the end of the 2006 season and was a candidate for all-conference honors before his suspension. He’s quick and strong, and his experience boosts the middle of a line that was forced to use underclassmen last season.

Linebackers

The best linebacker in Texas is back for his senior year. Jason Phillips is as smart as he is tough, and he stands to earn all-conference honors in the middle of the Frogs’ 4-2-5 scheme. A coach’s son, Phillips found the field as a redshirt freshman in 2005, and he hasn’t been off it since. He has 231 career tackles, the most among current Frogs, and four sacks. But Phillips isn’t the only good linebacker in Patterson’s stable. The fast and energetic Robert Henson finally becomes a starter after playing behind David Hawthorne the past three seasons, and Daryl Washington might be TCU’s most athletic player. At the very least, Washington is someone to keep an eye on each time an opponent lines up to punt. Washington blocked three last season.

Defensive backs

The Frogs lacked depth in the secondary last season, and one of the top tasks during the spring was to bring along a talented group of players from the recruiting class of 2007. Safeties Tejay Johnson, Johnny Fobbs, Sir Demarco Bledsoe and Tekerrein Cuba have Patterson thinking big. But they won’t unseat strong safety Stephen Hodge, who became the starter late last season and was good enough in both the starting and reserve roles to earn second-team all-conference recognition. He’s a big safety who gets to the quarterback and is also stout on special teams. TCU will have third-year starters Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest at cornerback, but redshirt freshman Greg McCoy impressed during spring drills. Don’t be surprised if two newcomers, true freshman Bud Patterson and junior college transfer Jason Teague, make an impact in 2008.

Specialists

Three newcomers will fill key roles this season at kicker, punter and on punt returns after the Frogs got steady contributions at those spots in 2006 and ’07. Jeremy Kerley will try to fill the spot vacated by two-time all-conference selection Brian Bonner on returns. Kerley’s abilities remind many of the all-conference player Bonner replaced, Cory Rodgers. Anson Kelton takes over the punting duties from Derek Wash. Kelton entered last fall in the mix but was redshirted after an inconsistent camp. Ross Evans, a true freshman, will be a top contender to be the kicker after finishing his high school career with the second-most field goals (37) in Texas prep history.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds