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Sunday Night Rewind

September 21, 2008 By toddler Leave a Comment

You really begin to figure things out after about 4 weeks of football.  What we are learning is that there seems to be a clear cut top tier of college football this year.  USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Georiga all have impressive wins over quality programs.  Georgia and Florida’s road gets a lot tougher as they have entered conference play in the SEC.  Oklahoma has to take on TCU this Saturday in Norman, and the Sooner fans recall rather well the upset the Frogs handed them in 2005.  The Frogs have won two in a row in Norman (1996 and 2005), but neither Sooner team was as good as this one.  That being said, this game is between two ranked teams as TCU debuted in the Top 25 at number 24 in the AP and 23 in the USA Today.


The Clash of Mother Nature’s Wrath

Trine vs. Defiance

This is Mike and Mike in the Morning’s pick for the small college football game of the week.  Quarterback Eric Watt passed for 265 yard and 3 touchdown passes as Trine whipped Defiance 42-14.  Trine broke open a close game in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns.

Looking Ahead

Alabama vs. Georgia
The Tide passed their first road test smoking pork on Saturday, and they get a crack at a bona fide top ten football team.  The ‘Dawgs rolled over Arizona State in prime time Saturday night, and now they are cranked up and ready for the SEC and the Eastern Division title.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Is Penn State for real?  Their offense has been off the chart scoring and gaining yards against mediocre teams.  Of course, the Illini haven’t had top level competition either.  This is a chance for one of these two teams to make a step toward filling the possible void left by Ohio State.

TCU vs. Oklahoma
As I mentioned above, the Frogs are now ranked so this makes this game a top 25 match-up.  The Frogs defense has been dominant holding teams to 183 yards per game, but the teams they have played aren’t anywhere near the caliber of the Sooners.  That being said, the Sooners haven’t seen a defense like TCU’s yet either.  And, TCU’s offense does what the coaches want it to do; they hold the ball for 37 minutes a game which is among the tops in the country.  They get smart quarterback play, they use multiple backs, they have good young receivers, and Aaron Brown has returned to the field giving the Frogs a big play threat at any time.

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Running the Spread: TCU’s Schedule

July 25, 2008 By toddler Leave a Comment

While Phil Steele has TCU’s schedule ranked number 85, it’s hard to believe the Frogs will have an easy time playing Oklahoma in Norman and hosting Stanford.  Add to that what I believe to be the toughest non BCS conference, and TCU will have a challenge to win 10 games.  But, for the Horned Frogs, it is possible that they return to double digit wins in 2008.  Here is TCU’s schedule.

Keith Robinson Photography

@ New Mexico, August 30, 5 PM

They don’t seem to excited to see TCU in August out in Albuquerque.  And for good reason, the Lobos only return 10 starters from a year ago, including just one on the Offensive Line.  Also gone are the two leading receivers from 2007, both of whom had over 1000 yards receiving.  But the Lobos return Jr. QB Donovan Porterie (6-3, 206) who passed for 3006 yards and 15 TD’s.  They also return Sr. RB Rodney Ferguson (6-0, 229) who rushed for 1177 yards a year ago.  On defense, the Lobos return their top tackler Jr. Lobo Ian Clark (6-0, 210) and their unique 3-3-5 defensive scheme.

Stephen F. Austin, September 6, 6 PM
Not much went right for the Lumberjacks last year as they were 0-11.  SFA, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), will need more than a few axes when they come into Amon G. Carter Stadium for their appointment with the Horned Frogs.

Stanford, September 13, 6 PM
One week after Stanford had the biggest upset of the year beating USC in the L A Coliseum, the Frogs overcame a 14 point lead in the second half to beat the Cardinals 38-36 in Palo Alto.  The Cardinals return 16 starters and look to improve on last season’s 4-8 record.  The Cardinals return their top three tacklers from 2007 including Fr. FS Bo McNally (6-0, 208) who recorded 114 tackles.  On offense the Cardinals return So. RB Tony Gerhart (6-1, 228) from a Medical Redshirt in 2007.

@ SMU, September 20, 7 PM
2008 is the beginning of the June Jones era in Dallas.  The Mustangs will have to improve dramatically, but with Jones in charge, SMU may make a big turn around.  This year’s game is being dubbed the DFW Duel:  The Battle for the Iron Skillet.

@ Oklahoma, September 27, TBA
The Sooners cannot forget 2005 when the Frogs went in to Norman and beat OU in front of 80,000 fans.  Not only did the Frogs beat them in 2005, but they beat them in 1996 as well.  The Sooners will run some no huddle Spread Offense this year, but I don’t know how well So. QB Sam Bradford (6-5, 213) moves.  The Sooners return 8 starters on Offense including Bradford and the entire Offensive Line.  The Defense only returns 5.

San Diego State, October 4, 5 PM
There is good news, bad news, and very bad news for the Aztecs which finished 4-8 last year.  The good news is they return 8 starters on Defense.  The bad news is that defense was not good as it gave up 242 yards rushing per game, 257 yards passing per game and 34.4 points per game.  TCU had 694 yards of total offense and 45 points against SDSU in 2007.  Now for the very bad news.  SDSU only returns 3 starters on Offense.

@ Colorado State, October 11, 5 PM
The Rams were really close to being a winning team last year.  They took Colorado to Overtime, the scared Cal when the Bears were ranked 10th, and would not go away against TCU.  On Offense, the Rams return 7 starters, including Sr. RB Gartrell Johnson (6-0, 227) and Sr. RB Kyle Bell (6-2, 231) who combined to rush for 1648 yards in 2007.  On Defense the Rams return 5 starters including 2007 leading tackler Sr. MLB Jeff Horinek (6-3, 234) who had 94 tackles.

BYU, October 16, 7 PM
Heading into 2008, it seems most people think BYU will be great.  The media has tabbed them as their favorite to win the MWC, Jr. QB Max Hall (6-1, 201) is the Preseason MWC Offensive Player of the year and has been added to the 2008 O’Brien Watch List, and Jr. DE Jan Jorgensen (6-3, 256) has been named to the 2008 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.  Last year BYU began the year losing at UCLA and at Tulsa before going undefeated in the MWC.  The Cougars finished the year 11-2, winning 10 straight games including nail bitters against Utah, TCU and  UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.  BYU only returns 3 starters on Defense, but 10 of the projected starters are upperclassmen.  The Offensive should be great, led my Max Hall who passed for 3848 yards and 26 TD’s they also return their top 4 receivers and So. RB Harvey Unga (6-0, 243) a big punishing back who averaged 5.0 yards per carry for 1227 total rushing yards in 2007.

Wyoming, October 25, 5 PM
This a game the Horned Frogs want to win to avenge last year’s 24-21 loss in Laramie.  The Cowboys return 8 starters on offense and 6 on deffense.  Sr. RB Devin Moore (5-10, 191) rushed for 965 yards in 2007 and Sr. RB Wynel Seldon (6-0, 219) added 554 yards.  Jr. QB Karsten Sween (6-2, 222) is back looking to improve on his 2028 yards passing.  The Defense returns 2 of its top 5 tacklers.  Sr. WLB Ward Dobbs (6-0, 230) had 98 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 INT.

@ UNLV, November 1, 7 PM
TCU has owned UNLV the past three years, but this Rebels team might be a dangerous one.  UNLV returns 9 starters on Offense that rushed for 141 yards per game and passed for 213 yards per game but averaged only 18.2 points per game.  The top two QB’s return, and that may be the biggest battle in Fall camp, and both are capable performers.  UNLV also returns their top RB, Sr. Frank Summers (5-10, 200) who rushed for 928 yards and 6 TD’s.  The Offensive Line returns 7 with starting experience.  The Defense only returns 5, but their projected starters include 9 upperclassmen.  The Rebels return their number two tackler from 2007, Jr. SS Daryl Forte (5-11, 185) who had 94 tackles.

@ Utah, November 6, 7 PM
The media voted BYU to be the preseason favorite of the MWC, but Phil Steele, the college football magazine guru, has the Utes as his favorite.  One reason may be the return of Sr. QB Brian Johnson (6-1, 205).  Johnson who redshirted in 2006 due to an injury, played much of 2007 injured and only passed for 1847 yards while rushing for 314 (net just 150 yds.).  As a starter in 2005, Johnson passed for 2892 yards while rushing for 690 yards in 10 games missing the last three games due to, you guessed it, an injury.  A healthy Johnson will mean a good Utah Offense as they return 8 starters on that side of the ball including Sr. RB Darrell Mack (6-0, 219) who rushed for 1204 yards and 12 TD’s in 2007.  Defensively, Utah returns 6 starters including 2 of it’s top 3 tacklers from a year ago.

Air Force, November 22, 2:30 PM
This another game the Frogs will want to avenge.  The Frogs,  just 5 days after playing Texas, lost a heart breaker in Colorado Springs 20-17 in Overtime where it seemed the Frogs just ran out of gas.  The Falcons went on to win 9 games and receive a birth to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.  The Defense returns 5 starters and the Offense just 3.  The Falcons have to replace a lot of offense from 2007.

Photo Credit:  Keith Robinson Photography

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UNT Preview: Defense

July 9, 2008 By toddler Leave a Comment

While UNT’s offense was productive last season and stands in a position to improve, the defense struggled and its ability to improve is uncertain.  The defense seemed unable stop any opponent last year, and was a nation’s worst in scoring at 45.1 ppg.  In an era of the high-flying, air-it-out football of the Sun Belt, UNT gave up 229.7 yards per game rushing.  Much of the damage in rushing defense was done against stellar run teams and nonconference foes Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Navy.  UNT still gave up 300 yards rushing to Louisiana-Lafayette, and only held one opponent less than 100 yards rushing (Florida Atlantic).  UNT didn’t do much better with pass defense ranking 95th giving up 256.8 yards per game.  UNT ranked 110 in UNT Helmetturnovers at -11 for the year.

With six returning starters, it looked as if UNT had something to build upon, but yesterday UNT announced that Eddrick Gilmore will not return for UNT in the fall.  Gilmore was one of UNT’s few returning starters at Defensive Line, but certainly not the only Defensive Lineman with experience.  UNT will return the services of Sophomore OLB Craig Robertson who had 48 tackles and 5 interceptions.  Robertson finished the year with an Honorable Mention All Sun Belt Conference award.  They also will return Antoine Bush and Kartey Agbottah in the secondary.  The Mean Green may have gotten a big boost to its defense when it nabbed Alonzo Horton.  Horton was rated as a JUCO Top 100 by Rivals.

Coach Dodge has turned the defense over to former Defensive Coordinator Gary DeLoach in an attempt to shore up the defense.  DeLoach’s defenses were very good in 2001 and 2002 ranking first in the Sun Belt Conference.  DeLoach may have to count on some young players to help turn the defense around.  If he can find more young players like Robertson, he might make the turn quicker than later. Royce Hill of Cypress Ridge HS in Houston, Darien Williams of Vernon, TX and James Hamilton of Cedar Hill, TX look to be able to contribute early.  A darkhorse early contributer is Jeremy Phillips of Waller, TX.  His brother is All Mountain West LB Jason Phillips of TCU.  Phillips is a coach’s son, and former QB for Waller.  He may be too good to keep on the sidelines.

Special Teams

If any area was worse than defense, it might have been special teams.  UNT Punter Truman Spencer fell off his pace last year with a 34.2 Net Avg.  His actual punting average went up, so look for improvement in the punting game with better coverage.  UNT Place Kicker Thomas Moreland was 8 for 15 kicking and did not hit a field goal longer than 37 yards.  However, UNT signed JUCO kicker Jeremy Knott who was an NJCAA All-American kicker at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M.  Micah Mosely held the KR duties last year and returns for the Mean Green.  UNT will be searching for a new Punt Returner and a second Kick Returner.

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Preseason Magazine Top Tens

June 26, 2008 By toddler 1 Comment

Here it is. The top 4 magazines’ preseason top ten. You can buy each magazine at your local Borders.

Athlon Lindy’s Sporting News Phil  Steele
1 Florida Georgia Georgia Florida
2 Ohio State USC Ohio State Ohio State
3 Oklahoma Ohio State USC Oklahoma
4 USC Oklahoma Oklahoma USC
5 Georgia Missouri LSU Clemson
6 Missouri Florida Missouri West Virginia
7 West Virginia LSU Clemson Missouri
8 Auburn Texas West Virginia South Florida
9 LSU Clemson Florida Georgia
10 Clemson West Virginia Illinois Penn State

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Sporting News’ Top Ten

June 26, 2008 By toddler 1 Comment

Sporting News has its magazine out now, and in case you haven’t heard, Street & Smith’s has partnered with them.  So, Street & Smith’s annual magazine has been merged into Sporting News’ and the magazine is issued with the Sporting News name.  You can pick one up at your local Borders.  Now for the top ten.

  1. Georgia
  2. Ohio State
  3. USC
  4. Oklahoma
  5. LSU
  6. Missouri
  7. Clemson
  8. West Virginia
  9. Florida
  10. Illinois

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Success at TCU is a Tradition

June 23, 2008 By toddler Leave a Comment

Sitting in my favorite eating establishment this morning, The Old Neighborhood Grill in Fort Worth, I was thinking about Dan Jenkins.  Dan is one of the greatest sports writers in the last 50 years, and he is a native TCU Helmetof Fort Worth.  He is also a big TCU fan.  Peter, the owner of Old Neighborhood Grill, and I were talking about some of Dan’s books including his latest one.  Dan is a reminder of just how successful the program has been in years past.  And, recently, with coaching of Gary Patterson, the program has returned to prominence.  It is telling when you realize that the Frogs won 8 games last year, including the Texas Bowl, and that was considered a disappointment.

For years, the Horned Frogs were a part of the old Southwest Conference.  Usually, any team who was at the top of the Southwest Conference was considered relevant in the national rankings, scene.  When the conference folded, the Frogs missed out on going to the Big Twelve.  They spent time in the Western Athletic Conference and the Conference USA before moving the Mounatin West Conference a few years ago.  They seem to have found a home.  As conference strength goes, the MWC is the toughest outside of the BCS power conferences.  It boasts at least two teams with national championships:  TCU and BYU.  TCU came close to busting the BCS “glass ceiling” in its first year in the MWC going 11-1.  Its lone loss was to SMU one week after beating Oklahoma in Norman, keeping it out of the BCS bowls.

When people think of TCU, they might think of “Slingin Sammy” Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Bob Lilly and LaDainian Tomlinson.  You might not realize that the Horned Frogs have two national championships.  The 1930′s were very good to the Frogs as they took the 1935 and 1938 national titles.  TCU has 14 conference championships in 5 different conferences (source).  For a team that is not in a “power” conference, TCU has a pretty rich tradition.  Recently, winning games has become an expectation again.

TCU is not afraid to play against their share of BCS conference teams.  As I mentioned earlier, TCU knocked off OU in Norman in 2005.  They have played Texas Tech home and away, Baylor, Stanford (who comes to Fort Worth this year) and Texas in Austin.   And TCU has beaten every team mentioned but Texas in the past 3 years.  What’s more, the Frogs travel to Norman again this season to take on the Sooners.  The past two trips to Norman have been wins for the Frogs.  Do you think the people in Norman remember?

Bowl games against BCS teams have been successful too.  They started this recent success by knocking off USC in the 1998 Sun Bowl.  Granted, that wasn’t a Pete Carroll coached team, but it was a win over USC.  Then, the Frogs knocked off Iowa State in the 2005 Texas Bowl.  They also own victories this decade over Vanderbilt,  Arizona, and Northwestern.  They have suffered losses to Texas A&M (2001 Bowl game) and Nebraska (2001).  And, the Frogs have a future date with the SEC’s Arkansas.

If the past is any indication, especailly the recent past, the Horned Frogs look to have another succes-field season.  Look for the Frogs to contend for the Mounatin West Conference Title once again.

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Top Ten Coaches

May 5, 2008 By toddler 6 Comments

I wrote in a previous post that I would reveal my top ten coaches list. Here is my list. Of course, I know it is a subjective exercise. Most will not agree with me. That’s fine. But I’ll give you my list, and I will also try to explain why. As before, this list is not in ascending or descending order.

1. Jim Tressel, Ohio State University–It’s hard to argue with Tressel’s success at Ohio State. However, he won four national titles in Division I-AA before jumping to Division I-A (now the Bowl Championship Division) to coach Ohio State. In 21 years as a head coach Tressel has 11 Ten Win seasons. Four titles in Division I-AA and one in Division I-A while at Ohio State. His accomplishments should not be diminished by the Buckeye losses in two straight national title games. The Buckeyes will be an early favorite to make a third straight appearance in 2009, and this time they might win the game. Tressel’s ability to lure prize recruit Terrelle Pryor may have been the advantage he needed to win the title.

2. Urban Meyer, University of Florida– Coach Meyer has been head coaching for 7 years, and 3 of those seasons were Ten Win seasons. Remarkably, Meyer has not finished a year as a head coach with less than 8 wins. Meyer is the hot new young coach for most. His Gators expect to be a major contender both in the SEC and nationally during the 2008-09 season behind returning QB and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

3. Pete Carroll, University of Southern California– Few could argue with Carroll’s inclusion on a Top Ten Coaches list. USC had an astounding 10 players taken in the 2008 NFL draft. Carroll was 6-6 in his first season at USC, but then he won at least 11 games in each of his next six seasons. Carroll led USC to 2 BCS National title game appearances, 2 AP and 1 BCS National Championships, and six straight top 4 finishes. Carroll’s Trojans have either won or tied for the Pac 10 Championship for six straight seasons. In the last three years, USC has been an early season favorite to play in the BCS National Championship Game. Carroll’s resume is impressive.

4. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State University–In 21 seasons as head coach, Erickson has 7 10 win seasons and 2 National Championships. Erickson has coached six different college football teams and is prone to jumping around a bit. Nevertheless, when Erickson takes over a program, he usually makes it a winner. His first year at Arizona State, Erickson led the Devils to 10-3 record and a share of the Pac 10 Championship. Erickson is leading a Devil Storm in the Desert.

5. Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma–Stoops had a fast start in Norman. In just his second year, the Sooners won the National Championship. Rarely does Stoops lose the annual Red River Rivalry against Texas. Stoops has seven 11 win seasons in 9 years as the head Sooner coach. Stoops’ teams have reached a BCS Bowl 6 different times, winning the first 2.

6. Mac Brown, University of Texas–Brown’s resume was punctuated by a National Championship in 2005 with a thrilling win over USC in one of the greatest 1 vs. 2 and National Championship Games ever. Led by QB Vince Young, Brown’s Longhorns answered every challenge during the year by several teams to make it to the Rose Bowl for the National Title. USC did not have answer for UT’s Young as he scrambled and passed his way to a second consecutive Rose Bowl title and the BCS National Championship. Brown has ten 10 win seasons in 20 years of coaching.

7. Phillip Fulmer, University of Tennessee–Fulmer has nine 10 win seasons in 16 years as head coach of the Volunteers. Fulmer has six SEC East Division Titles (1 shared) and 2 SEC Championships. Fulmer’s Vols have been to two BCS Bowl games and won one National title. Fulmer has a 76.6% winning percentage. All he has done at Tennessee is win. In Knoxville, there are 109,000 screaming fans singing Rocky Talk.

8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech University–Beamer has been a head coach for 27 years, yet he still produces good teams. Beamer has nine 10 win seasons including four straight. Bearmer’s teams are usually among the best in special teams, and players regularly compete for a lunch pail.

9. Mark Richt, University of Georgia–Richt has five 10 win seasons in 7 years as a head coach, all at Georgia. Richt’s teams have been to three BCS Bowls and has two SEC Championships. Richt’s ‘Dawgs are many people’s pre-season favorite to win the 2008-2009 BCS National Championship. Georgia rallied last year after two early season losses to finish number 2 in the final polls. The Bulldogs were widely considered the hottest team at the end of the 2007-2008 season.

10. Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University–Patterson’s Horned Frogs have four 10 win seasons in his 7 years as head Frog. Patterson’s teams have finished ranked four times. The Frogs have accomplished all of this during the Patterson era while competing in three different conferences and knocking off teams from BCS conferences. Twice in the Patterson era TCU knocked at the BCS Bowl party door. The Frogs under Patterson have upsets against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Iowa State. The Frogs recently knocked off Stanford in 2007 the week after the Cardinals upset USC at the Coliseum. The Frogs return a lot of talent to make another run at the Mountain West Conference Title.

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