TCU
Horned Frogs
Preview 2008
By
Pete Fiutak
Preview TCU's Opening Day Opponent
2008
CFN New Mexico Preview
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us know
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2008 CFN TCU Preview |
2008 TCU Offense
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2008 TCU Defense |
2008 TCU Depth
Chart
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2007 TCU Preview |
2006 CFN TCU
Preview
Head coach: Gary Patterson
8th year: 62-25
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 26, Def. 19, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 18 |
Ten
Best TCU Players
1.
LB Jason
Phillips, Sr.
2. RB Aaron Brown, Sr.
3. SS Stephen Hodge, Sr.
4. CB Rafael Priest, Jr.
5. LB Robert Henson, Sr.
6. C Blake Schlueter, Sr.
7. OT Marshall Newhouse, Jr.
8. CB Nick Sanders, Jr.
9. TE Shae Reagan, Sr.
10. RB Joseph Turner, Jr. |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
9-3
2008 Record: 0-0
Aug. 30 at New Mexico
Sept. 6 Stephen F. Austin
Sept. 13 Stanford
Sept. 20 at SMU
Sept. 27 at Oklahoma
Oct. 4 San Diego State
Oct. 11 at Colorado State
Oct. 16 BYU
Oct. 25 Wyoming
Nov. 1 at UNLV
Nov. 6 at Utah
Nov. 15
OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 Air Force
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1
2007 Record: 8-5
Sept. 1
Baylor
W 27-0
Sept. 8 at
Texas L 34-13
Sept. 13
at A Force
L 20-17 OT
Sept. 22
SMU
W 21-7
Sept. 29
Colorado State
W 24-12
Oct.
6
at Wyoming
L 24-21
Oct.
13
at Stanford
W 38-36
Oct.
18
Utah
L 27-20
Nov.
3
New Mexico
W 37-0
Nov.
8
at BYU
L 27-22
Nov.
17
UNLV
W 34-10
Nov.
24
at San Diego St
W 45-33
Texas Bowl
Dec. 28 Houston W 20-13 |
There’s no talk
of being a BCS buster like there was last off-season. There’s no real
consideration for the Mountain West title with BYU the prohibitive
favorite. There’s no buzz after an extremely disappointing 8-5 season.
That might be just like TCU likes it.
After 22-3 in its first two seasons after moving over from Conference
USA, TCU appeared to be the Mountain West’s dominant program. It can get
back to that point in a hurry by doing what worked in the first place:
tough defense, consistent offense, and more tough defense.
The defense has the potential to be fantastic and the offense could be
far better with experience at quarterback and a healthy Aaron Brown to
hand off to. But more than anything else, the team needs its swagger and
its us-against-the-world attitude it had when it entered the league.
The Horned Frogs should be able to sneak up on everyone; no one in the
Mountain West thrives on being disrespected like they do. This is when
they’ll be the most dangerous.
What to watch for on offense: The line to make up for plenty of
problems. The front five is loaded with veterans with four returning
starters and a decent player in Preston Phillips ready to step in at
left guard. There's a great mix of all-star talent, dependable
all-around blockers, and decent depth. If the running backs are healthy,
the ground game should be dominant.
What to watch for on defense: More of the same. After finishing
15th in the nation in total defense, the production should be fantastic
again as long as the ends can crank out consistent production in the
backfield. The back seven in the 4-2-5 alignment will be a brick wall.
New Mexico likely has the league's best cornerback tandem, but Rafael
Priest and Nick Sanders aren't far behind. It's possible LBs Jason
Phillips and Robert Henson, along with SS Stephen Hodge, will all be
first team all-stars.
The team will be far better if … the passing is more
efficient. QB Andy Dalton will get plenty of time behind the veteran
line and he has a great young receiving corps to get excited about. Now
he has to connect on a consistent basis. One of the league's least
efficient passing attacks needs to get just a little bit better for the
offense to him. The running game will be there, and now there needs to
be a complement for it.
The Schedule: It's not too bad, but the Horned Frogs have to be good on the road and
can't slip in non-conference play against SMU with the Oklahoma game
coming the week after. Winning the season opener at New Mexico is a must
and play Utah on the road won't be a picnic and the trip to Colorado
State could be a beartrap coming just five days before the showdown
against BYU. The other major battle, at Utah, also comes mid-week being
played five days after a trip to UNLV. On the plus side, there will be
16 days between the Ute game and the season ender against Air Force. The
key will be surviving 11 straight weeks before getting a week off in
mid-November.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior RB
Aaron Brown. The only question is whether or not he can stay healthy.
Unable to be a workhorse runner thanks to injuries, he finally appears
to be ready to deliver on his immense potential. At 6-1 and 196 pounds,
he has good power to go along with his home-run hitting speed. As long
as he's fine, the offense should keep things moving.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior LB
Jason Phillips. The leader of the defense and a steady producer in the
middle, he's a rock to build around. He doesn't miss any tackles and
he's one of the main reasons the run defense has been so tremendous.
While he's not a pass rusher, he makes plenty of plays behind the line.
Key player to a
successful season:
Junior DE Jerry Hughes. While he's not going to be Chase Ortiz, Hughes
has the job of replacing the star pass rusher and keeping the production
rolling. He has the tremendous speed and athleticism to become a
statistical superstar, but he has to find the full-time motor that Ortiz
had.
The season will be a
success if
... the Horned Frogs win the Mountain West title. They're not all that
far removed from dominating the league, and if everyone stays healthy,
and if the quarterback play improves a bit, and if the pass rush
dominates again, there's no reason to not be in the hunt for the whole
ball of wax all season long. It helps to get BYU at home, but the
schedule, overall, isn't going to make things easy.
Key game:
Oct. 16 vs. BYU. If the Horned Frogs can't win this one, the later date
at Utah will probably be meaningless for their Mountain West title
hopes. They came close to pulling off the win in Provo last season, and
they'll be primed and ready to battle their new rivals in what could be
the biggest game of the league's season ... at least until the Cougars
and Utes hook up.
2007 Fun Stats:
- 2nd quarter scoring: TCU 157 - Opponents 58
- Sacks: TCU 41 for 295 yards - Opponents 23 for 189 yards
- Fumbles: TCU 29 (lost 16) - Opponents 13 (lost 5)
