2008 TCU Horned Frogs Season

2008 TCU Horned Frogs Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 TCU Horned Frogs

Dec. 23
2008 Poinsettia Bowl
TCU 17 ... Boise State 16
TCU overcame a 13-0 deficit with a 17-point run with a 16-yard Aaron Brown touchdown run with 24 seconds left to play in the first half, a 32-yard Ross Evans field goal in the third, and a 17-yard Joseph Turner scoring dash midway through the fourth. Boise State answered with a 10-play drive culminating in a 33-yard Kyle Brotzman field goal, his third field goal of the game, with under five minutes to play. The Bronco offense had two final chances with the first one halted by a Stephen Hodge interception of Kellen Moore, and the second one, with six seconds to play, stopped as Matt Panfil stole the ball on a desperation hook-and-lateral attempt. Boise State started off the scoring with two Brotzman field goals and a 20-yard Ian Johnson touchdown run.
Player of the game: TCU S Stephen Hodge made 11 tackles, one sack, an interception, and three tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Boise State - Passing: Kellen Moore, 22-35, 222 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ian Johnson, 7-28, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Childs, 7-61
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 22-35, 197 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Aaron Brown, 14-102, 1 TD. Receiving: Walter Bryant, 6-67
Inside The Box Score ... Boise State's Jeron Johnson led all tacklers with 14 stops and an interception ... Third down conversions: TCU 9-of-18 - Boise State 3-of-11. ... Time of possession: TCU 36:07 - Boise State 23:53 ... Rushing yards: TCU 275 - Boise State 28. ... TCU DE Jerry Hughes was held to one sack, but it came on a key play late in the fourth quarter

- 2008 TCU Preview
- 2007 TCU Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2008 Record: 11-2

Aug. 30 at New Mexico W 26-3
Sept. 6 Step. F. Austin W 67-7
Sept. 13 Stanford W 31-14
Sept. 20 at SMU W 48-7
Sept. 27 at Oklahoma L 35-10
Oct. 4 San Diego State W 41-7
Oct. 11 at Colorado St W 113-7
Oct. 16 BYU W 32-7
Oct. 25 Wyoming W 54-7
Nov. 1 at UNLV W 44-14
Nov. 6 at Utah L 13-10
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 Air Force W 44-10
Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 23 Boise State W 17-16

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

Nov. 22
TCU 44 … Air Force 10
TCU dominated on both sides of the ball as the defense held the Air Force offense to just 161 yards while the Horned Frog attack rolled for 504 yards highlighted by a huge day from QB Andy Dalton. Dalton threw two touchdown passes and ran for two touchdowns as TCU rolled up a 37-3 lead after three quarters. Air Force finally got into the end zone on a 57-yard Jared Tew touchdown run, but TCU answered with a scoring drive ending with a two-yard Justin Watts run.
Player of the game: TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 21-of-27 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 39 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shea Smith, 1-3, 8 yds
Rushing: Asher Clark, 14-63. Receiving: Travis Dekker, 2-10
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 21-27, 321 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Joseph Turner, 9-50. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 5-100
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about a total and complete domination, TCU allowed just 161 yards of Air Force offense, with 150 on the ground, and 57 of the yards came on one play when the game was already a blowout. The defensive front got into the backfield all game long and blew up plays before they could start, while the offensive line gave Andy Dalton all day to work. Now that Bill Snyder has returned to Kansas State and Gary Patterson is safe, for now, all is right with the world.  

Nov. 8
Utah 13 … TCU 10
Brian Johnson connected with Freddie Brown on a nine-yard slant pattern for a touchdown with 48 seconds to play to give Utah its first lead of the game, and Robert Johnson snuffed out TCU’s final drive with an interception to seal the win. TCU had chances to put the game away, but couldn’t as Ross Evans hit the upright with a late field goal and pushed a second attempt wide right. Either kick would’ve put the Horned Frogs up seven. TCU got all its points in the first quarter on a 37-yard Evans field goal and a three-yard Ryan Christian run, but that was it. Utah got two Louie Sakoda field goals, including a 37-yarder as time ran out in the first half, and didn’t get back on the board until Johnson took the offense 80 yards in nine plays for the win.
Player of the game: Utah QB Brian Johnson completed 24-of-39 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-37, 251 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Aaron Brown, 15-106. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 6-97
Utah - Passing: Brian Johnson, 24-39, 230 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Matt Asiata, 6-19. Receiving: Freddie Brown, 9-105, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... TCU will be kicking itself for the rest of the season for not being able to put the Utah game away. It wasn’t Ross Evans’ fault for the loss; the offense should’ve been able to stick it in the end zone once more to put the game out of reach when the Utah defense was on its heels and gassed. When the defense had to come up with the one big stop late to win the game, the pass rush was snuffed out and the secondary struggled. 11 penalties for the game didn’t help, and now the team will have to try to keep its head up over the off week before facing Air Force.

Nov. 1
TCU 44 … UNLV 14
TCU dominated the Rebels from the start with a swarming defense that allowed a mere 175 yards of total offense and an offense that got seven touchdowns from seven different players. Four of the scores came from four yards and in, while Aaron Brown ran for a 23-yard score. A Brown fumble on a punt return led the way to the first UNLV touchdown, a 15-yard catch from Rodelin Anthony, but the Rebels didn’t get on the board again until the final moments on a one-yard David Peeples run.
Player of the game: TCU DE Jerry Hughes made four tackles and two sacks with a forced fumble.
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Omar Clayton, 5-13, 45 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Channing Trotter, 1-58. Receiving: Ryan Wolfe, 4-31
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-29, 151 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Aaron Brown, 9-60, 1 TD. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 3-42, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... TCU is playing at a high level at just the right time. There wasn’t any looking ahead to the Utah showdown with a great game against UNLV, but there were 10 penalties and two turnovers. Even so, the defense didn’t allow the Rebels to get into any sort of a groove, while the offense pounded its way for 259 yards. The offense isn’t getting enough ink. There are several different players contributing, and QB Andy Dalton has proved to be a good ringleader.

Oct. 25
TCU 54 … Wyoming 7
Jimmy Young set a school record with 226 yards on five catches with touchdowns from 60, 55 and 39 yards out to propel TCU to the easy win. Wyoming’s only score, a 42-yard Devin Moore run, was answered by a 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Aaron Brown. Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes in all and ran for a score.  
Player of the game: TCU WR Jimmy Young caught five passes for a school-record 226 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween, 5-10, 89 yds
Rushing: Devin Moore, 25-114, 1 TD. Receiving: Greg Bolling, 3-43
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-22, 334 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Joseph Turner, 10-25. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 5-226, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... No letdown problems here after the BYU win. The team showed against Wyoming that it’s not just the defense as Jimmy Young kept getting open and he kept making big plays. Meanwhile, the defense allowed one big run, and that was it. It was another dominant performance to show that the Horned Frogs deserve to be in the Mountain West title and BCS buster discussion, and now the focus has to be maintained against UNLV before the showdown at Utah.

Oct. 16
TCU 32 ... BYU 7
TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes came up with four sacks and two forced fumbles with the first coming on BYU's opening drive. The offense immediately capitalized with a 25-yard touchdown catch from Jimmy Young, and the rout was on. The Horned Frogs scored the first 26 points of the game with Andy Dalton throwing two touchdown passes and Jeremy Kirley running for a 16-yard touchdown when lined up under center. BYU finally got on the board late in the third quarter on a two-yard Max Hall run, but the Cougars couldn't generate more of an attack thanks to Hughes and a pass rush that generated six sacks. The two teams combined to convert 21 of 34 third down chances.
Player of the game: TCU DE Jerry Hughes made five tackles, four sacks and forced two fumbles
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 12-19, 170 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jeremy Kerley, 9-77, 1 TD Receiving: Jimmy Young, 4-78, 1 TD
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 22-42, 274 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 14-53. Receiving: Dennis Pitta, 8-84
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Welcome back to the BCS talk. The Oklahoma loss doesn't appear to be any big deal anymore now that TCU was able to obliterate BYU. Everything worked from Andy Dalton's effectiveness after coming back from a knee injury, to using Jeremy Kerley in a variety of ways, to a defensive line that was always two steps quicker than the Cougar offensive front. There were too many penalties, committing 10 for 87 yards, but the Horned Frog offense didn't let the mistakes become a problem by completing third down after third down early, and letting the defense clean everything else up. Now the goal is to keep improving against Wyoming and UNLV before dealing with a trip to Utah.

Oct. 11
TCU 13 … Colorado State 7
TCU wasn’t sharp, and it got down early as Gartrell Johnson capped off a Ram drive with a four-yard touchdown, but the defense would eventually show up. The Horned Frog offense got a six-yard touchdown run from Aaron Brown in the first quarter and Joseph Turner ran for a three-yard score in the second. Colorado State was held to 11 rushing yards for the game, with -49 yards on the ground in the second half.
Player of the game: TCU DB Tejay Johnson made six tackles, made a sack, two tackles for loss, broke up two passes, and forced a fumble
Stat Leaders: Colorado State - Passing: Klay Kubiak, 12-24, 121 yds
Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 16-30, 1 TD. Receiving: Kory Sperry, 6-104
TCU - Passing: Marcus Jackson, 16-26, 166 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Marcus Jackson, 19-54. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 5-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... There were 11 penalties for 115 yards, a brain cramp from QB Marcus Jackson on a spike late in the first half, and little overall offensive production, but the defense made it an easy win over Colorado State. The line destroyed the CSU offensive front, but the offense has to start to do far more with BYU coming to town. A performance like the one in Fort Collins won’t get the job done.

Oct. 4
TCU 41 … San Diego State 7
Marcus Jackson filled in for an injured Andy Dalton and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Shae Reagan and ran for two short scores. The Horned Frogs dominated on both sides of the ball holding San Diego State to -13 yards rushing and just four first downs. The one Aztec touchdown came on a two-yard Mekell Wesley run following a Jackson fumble.
Player of the game: TCU QB Marcus Jackson completed 10-of-19 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 27 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Marcus Jackson, 10-19, 115 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Marcus Jackson, 27-131, 2 TD. Receiving: Shae Reagan, 4-53, 1 TD
San Diego State - Passing: Drew Westling, 6-17, 61 yds
Rushing: Atiyyah Henderson, 4-5. Receiving: Vincent Brown, 6-52
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... TCU beat San Diego State with as dominant a performance as any team has come up with this season. 28 first downs to four. 498 yards to 85. 43:29 time of possession to 16:31. Everything went perfectly, including Marcus Jackson, who stepped in for an injured Andy Dalton, who got hurt against Oklahoma, and was the Marcus Jackson many expected him to be a few years ago. Now the goal is to get through the road trip to Colorado State with the showdown against BYU coming five days after.

Sept. 27
Oklahoma 35 ... TCU 10
Sam Bradford threw four touchdown passes with three of them going to Manuel Johnson on plays from 76, 55 and 63 yards out as part of a 28-point run to put the game away. TCU came up with four sacks and held OU to 25 rushing yards, but the offense couldn't keep up the pace. The lone TCU touchdown came on a one-yard Joseph Turner run in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game: Oklahoma WR Manuel Johnson caught five passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 19-34, 411 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Chris Brown, 13-27, 1 TD. Receiving: Manuel Johnson, 5-206, 3 TD
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-39, 212 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Joseph Turner, 14-54, 1 TD. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 6-111
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oklahoma is going to bomb away against everyone, so there's no reason to fret too much about the loss, but it's a positive that the pass rush was working and the run defense was fantastic. The secondary got shredded and the TCU offense struggled to get anything going. Nothing worked. Andy Dalton, under plenty of pressure, kept misfiring, and Joseph Turner and the running game only averaged 2.9 yards per carry. The offense needs Aaron Brown to be Aaron Brown, while the attach should find a groove against San Diego State and Colorado State over the next two weeks.

Sept. 20
TCU 48 … SMU 7
TCU coasted after getting out to a 34-0 lead helped by two four-yard touchdown runs from Joseph Turner and a 24-yard interception return for a score from Jerry Hughes. SMU broke the run with a four-yard Cole Loftin touchdown catch late in the third quarter, but TCU made it a blowout with a Marcus Jackson one-yard touchdown pass to Evan Frosch and a 79-yard touchdown dash. SMU was held to -8 yards rushing.
Player of the game: TCU LB Cody Moore made five tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, and an interceptions
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-25, 210 yds
Rushing: Marcus Jackson, 7-115, 1 TD. Receiving: Aaron Brown, 4-60
SMU - Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 20-36, 218 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Butler, 2-5. Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 6-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense is dominating. Granted, SMU doesn’t run the ball, but TCU never let the Mustangs think about a ground game thanks to yet another big game from the defensive front. The offense got back Aaron Brown and the running attack was effective, but that was mostly due to the scrambling of Marcus Jackson in garbage time including a 79-yard touchdown dash. Against Oklahoma, the defensive front has to be fearless. It’ll be all about the pressure into the backfield, and this group might be able to do it.

Sept. 13
TCU 31 … Stanford 14
In the wind from the coming of Hurricane Ike, TCU managed to break through a 14-14 tie with a 17-0 second half run with short touchdown runs from Ryan Christian and Andy Dalton. Stanford came up with a 38-yard Doug Baldwin touchdown run and a 21-yard Richard Sherman blocked punt for a score within three minutes of each other in the second quarter, but that would be it for a Cardinal offense that managed just 193 yards. TCU DE Matt Panfil came up with five tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble and recovery.
Player of the game: TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 20-of-36 passes for 145 yards and ran 17 times for 91 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Stanford - Passing: Tavita Pritchard, 11-21, 122 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Toby Gerhardt, 15-45. Receiving: Toby Gerhart, 3-42
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 20-36, 145 yds
Rushing: Andy Dalton, 17-91, 1 TD. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 5-36
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... TCU held on to the ball for 39:29 against Stanford and ran for 233 yards to 71 all without RB Aaron Brown. Andy Dalton ran well, and considering the windy conditions, threw even better, Ryan Christian and Joseph Turner ran well, and TCU is quietly playing well. Matt Panfil and the defense are playing in midseason form. Stanford had one good drive, and that was about it. Three turnovers, little Stanford success on third downs, and three sacks … the TCU D did it all.

Sept. 6
TCU 67 … Stephen F. Austin 7
Five possessions, five touchdowns as TCU rolled to a 42-7 halftime lead on three Joseph Turner scoring runs, scoring dashes from Joseph Turner and Ryan Christian, and a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown from Steven Coleman. The Horned Frogs scored 49 unanswered points after a one-yard Aaron Rhea touchdown run midway through the second quarter for Stephen F. Austin. TCU converted 12-of-15 third down conversions and SFA converted 2-of-13.
Player of the game:  TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 11-of-13 passes for 131 yards and ran three times for 16 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 11-13, 131 yds
Rushing: Ryan Christian, 11-67, 1 TD  Receiving: Jimmy Young, 7-104
Stephen F. Austin- Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 27-36, 345 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dimitri Nance, 18-75, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Jones, 6-79, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... TCU did what it was supposed to do against a team like Stephen F. Austin and dominated from the word go. The offense didn’t miss in the first half, while the defense held the Lumberjacks to just 143 yards, three rushing yards, and 2-of-13 third down conversions. TCU held on to the ball for 37.59. Basically, everything worked right. Again, it’s only Stephen F. Austin, but this was an impressive performance.

Aug. 30
TCU 26 ... New Mexico 3
TCU's defense stuffed New Mexico holding the Lobo attack to 186 yards and just nine first downs, while the offense did what it needed to do with Andy Dalton running for scores from 11 and four yards out, while Ross Evans nailed field goals from 50 and 39 yards away. New Mexico managed a 28-yard James Aho field goal, but the offense was completely ineffective throwing the ball.
Player of the game: TCU QB Andy Dalton completed 16-of-25 passes for 120 yards and an interception, adding a team-high 56 yards and two scores on the ground.
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 16-25, 120 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Andy Dalton, 17-56, 2 TDs. Receiving: Jimmy Young, 4-44
New Mexico - Passing: Brad Gruner, 3-13, 93 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 18-64. Receiving: Chris Hernandez, 3-99
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Horned Frogs used a familiar formula for success in a rout of New Mexico, getting 171 yards on the ground and a huge effort from the defense. TCU completely shut down the Lobo offense, limiting it to 186 yards, getting five sacks, and creating three key turnovers. Led by DE Jerry Hughes and LBs Darryl Washington and Robert Henson, the Frogs owned the line of scrimmage against a New Mexico front breaking in a slew of new starters. If TCU can get a little more from the passing game, it’ll again be a prominent factor in the Mountain West.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Jeremy Coleman DT 6-2 266 Missouri City (Fort Bend Marshall)
A two-time, first-team all-district selection ... a member of Dave Campbell's Texas Football Super Team Defense ... totaled 92 tackles, including 24 for a loss and 13 sacks, his senior year ... selected to the Space City Classic All-Star Game ... appeared on Scout.com's Texas All-Combine Team ... recorded 84 stops and six sacks as a junior ... a three-year letterman in football and track and field ... his father, Darrell Coleman, played football at Lamar University while a cousin, Michael McFarland, played football for Baylor.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Greg Burks LB 6-1 205 Houston (Spring Woods)
All-district selection as a senior who saw action at both wide receiver and running back ... named Spring Woods' Most Valuable Offensive Player ... also utilized on defense ... was honorable-mention all-district as a sophomore and junior

Walker Dille TE 6-3 217 Sugar Land (Clements)
All-State as a senior by the Texas Sportswriters Association ... was also All-Greater Houston and a unanimous selection to the all-district squad ... set single-season school records for receptions (32), yards (750) and touchdowns (9) ... averaged 23.4 yards per catch ... selected by his teammates for the Best Receiver Award ... helped lead Clements to its first perfect regular season and the District 23-5A championship ... a Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star nominee ... a two-year academic all-district selection ... lettered twice in football and three times in baseball

Rest of the Class

Greg Burks	6-1	205	LB	Houston, TX (Spring Woods HS)
Jeremy Coleman	6-2	266	DT	Missouri City, Texas (Fort Bend Marshall HS)
Walker Dille	6-3	217	TE	Sugar Land, Texas (Clements HS)
Ross Evans	5-8	173	PK	Burnet, Texas (Burnet HS)
Blaize Foltz	6-4	295	OL	Rose Hill, Kan. (Rose Hill HS)
James Fry	6-3	269	OL	Spring Branch, Texas (Smithson Valley HS)
Corey Fuller	6-5	219	TE	La Vernia, Texas (La Vernia HS)
Yogi Gallegos	6-0	182	QB	Irving, Texas (Irving HS)
Trevius Jones	6-3	293	OL	Tyler, Texas (Robert E. Lee HS)
Marques Parker	5-11	179	WR	(North Iowa Area CC)
Edward "Bud" Patterson	6-0	180	CB	Bastrop, La. (Bastrop HS)
Zach Roth	6-5	298	OL	Garden City, Kan. (Garden City CC)
Chris Scott	5-10	178	S	Baton Rouge, La. (Southern Lab HS)
Sam Shutt	6-0	178	WR	Savannah, Tenn. (Hardin County HS)
Edward Wesley	5-9	185	RB	Irving, Texas (MacArthur HS)

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: The offense that struggled so much with its consistency should be far better with everyone coming back. There's only one loss off the line, and receivers Ervin Dickerson and Marcus Brock are gone, but the backfield is loaded with RB Aaron Brown coming back from a broken ankle and QB Andy Dalton experienced after being thrown to the wolves early on. The corner tandem of Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest should grow into one of the Mountain West's best.
Why to be grouchy: The rest of the league should be improved while TCU should be a little worse. O will be better, but the D will likely take a step back. DE Tommy Blake didn't get into the mix until the end, but he'll still be missed, while there's no replacing Chase Ortiz on the other side. Losing safeties David Roach and Brian Bonner, a top kick returner, will be a problem, and replacing PK Chris Manfredini will be tough.
The number one thing to work on is: Getting the defensive attitude back. When TCU is really humming, the defense is crushing and killing everyone, and while it was fine, it wasn't the brick wall it was expected to be. Making things worse was the lack of takeaways to make up for the offense's problems. Last year, everyone had TCU as a possible BCS buster. This year, most will pick the Horned Frogs to finish in the middle of the pack. Head coach Gary Patterson has to use this to have his team flying under the radar.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Ervin Dickerson
Biggest defensive loss: DE Chase Ortiz
Best returning offensive player: C Blake Schlueter, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Jason Phillips, Sr.

2007 Recap
Recap: Considered by many to be “this year’s Boise State” from a non-BCS conference, very little went as scripted for the Horned Frogs, which surprisingly finished in the middle of the league pack.  TCU proved unworthy of national attention after losing to Texas and Air Force in September, but did rebound to finish 8-5, including a 20-13 Texas Bowl victory over Houston.  Big chunks of the disappointing season were spent without RB Aaron Brown and DE Tommy Blake, the preseason Mountain West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.            

Offensive Player of the Year: C Blake Schlueter

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Chase Ortiz

Biggest Surprise: With an extra week to prepare, TCU absolutely smoked New Mexico on Nov. 3, ending the surging Lobos’ three-game winning streak.  Finally playing like the team that was ranked in August, the Horned Frogs suffocated the potent New Mexico offense in a fork-in-the-road 37-0 statement win.     

Biggest Disappointment: As if collapsing in the second half to Texas wasn’t painful enough on Sept. 8, TCU remained in a funk five days later, losing in overtime to Air Force and officially ending any dreams of playing in a January bowl game. 

Looking Ahead: Outside Fort Worth, the expectations won’t be the same for TCU in 2008, but head coach Gary Patterson will still be pointing toward a Mountain West crown and a major bowl game.  Even without Ortiz and Blake on the line, the defense will be predictably stingy, and the offense will benefit from a more seasoned Andy Dalton, who started at quarterback as a freshman.  Keeping Brown healthy for an entire season will be a major priority next fall.