Colorado State vs. TCU Football 2009
Unbeaten Horned Frogs Try to Rebound from Rocky Outing
The No. 12 Horned Frogs will try to make things a bit smoother Saturday, Oct. 17, when they take on Colorado State in a Mountain West Conference game at Fort Worth, Texas.
Texas Christian (5-0 overall, 1-0 Mountain West) has won seven consecutive games dating back to 2008. But the streak was severely tested by Air Force (3-3) in its conference opener last week in Colorado.
The Horned Frogs labored hard in bitterly cold conditions, and did not have victory secure until they recovered an onside kick by the Falcons in the final minute. There was mixed reaction to the tight win.
TCU dropped from No. 10 to No. 12 in the AP rankings. But in the USA Today coaches poll, which figures into the Bowl Championship Series standings, the Horned Frogs moved up from ninth to eighth.
On Saturday, TCU will face a Colorado State team that came close to upsetting Utah last weekend. The Rams blew a 17-3 in the final 20 minutes, with quarterback Grant Stucker being intercepted three times by Utah's Robert Johnson.
Coach Steve Fairchild's Rams (3-3, 0-2) have lost three straight. The defeats all came to teams with 5-1 records, and two of the opponents – Brigham Young and Utah – are ranked in the Top 25.
TCU and Colorado State will be meeting for the seventh time. The Rams won the first game, in 1998, but the Horned Frogs have taken the last five. Last year, TCU pulled out a 13-7 victory at Fort Collins, Colo.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST and will be telecast by the Versus network.
TCU Offense Fails to Land Knockout Blow
TCU's offense never quite hit full stride last week. The Horned Frogs had committed just six turnovers all season, but had three vs. Air Force. They had given up just four sacks, but surrendered three to the Falcons.
As a result, the Horned Frogs had trouble finishing off their MWC rival. They put together two solid first-half scoring drives, but had to rely on their defense to hold on.
TCU finished with 393 yards, which might not be a bad figure considering the bad climate. The Horned Frogs average 417.4 yards per game on the year, along with 31.8 points.
A staple for TCU has been a running game featuring Joseph Turner (371 yards, 6 TDs), Ed Wesley (229 yards, 1 TD) and quarterback Andy Dalton (191 yards). The efficient Dalton has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,012 yards and six touchdowns, with only three interceptions.
The top receivers are Bart Johnson (17 receptions, 172 yards), Jeremy Kerley (16 catches, 189 yards) and Jimmy Young (13 catches, 261 yards, 2 TDs). Young had six receptions for 113 yards vs. Air Force.
Horned Frogs Defense Holds Firm
The Horned Frogs rank seventh in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense (249.2 yards per game) and are ninth against the run (83.4). They yielded 229 rushing yards to Air Force's triple-option, but that's 52 below the Falcons' average. And Air Force passed for only 58 yards.
Because Air Force doesn't throw much, TCU only managed to add one sack to considerable season total. The Frogs have 16, and are tied for eighth in the FBS, averaging 3.2 per game.
That's largely because of Jerry Hughes, who has six. The All-America end is tied for fifth in the FBS with his average of 1.2 per contest. He's made 27 tackles overall, including 7.5 for losses.
The tackling leader is linebacker Daryl Washington, who has racked up 43. Linebacker Tank Carder has 30 and defensive end Wayne Daniels has tallied 23. Tejay Johnson paces the defensive backs with 18.
TCU, though, has forced only six turnovers this season, and rank among the bottom 10 in the FBS.
Untimely Picks Hurt Colorado State
Colorado State, meanwhile, has not fumbled the ball away all year. But the Rams have thrown nine interceptions, and they were costly in the loss to Utah as well as a 42-23 defeat vs. Brigham Young. A pick also ended CSU's final drive in a 31-29 loss to Idaho
The Rams have shown promise behind Stucker, who's passed for 1,429 yards and11 TDs. Yet the interceptions and a rather mediocre 54.9 completion percentage haven't helped.
Rashuan Greer has hauled in a team-high 22 passes for 436 yards, and explosive Dion Morton has 17 catches for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Eric Peltz has come up with three TD receptions, and Tyson Liggett has two.
Leonard Mason, meanwhile, has rushed for 100 times for 469 yards and two touchdowns, helping Colorado State record 376.5 yards and 25.2 points per game.
Rams Defense Evens Interception Battle
The Colorado State defense has been up and down, giving up 26.2 points and 376.5 yards a game. But the Rams have been consistent in at least one area. They've produced at least one interception in each game and have a total of nine – the same number CSU has thrown.
Free safety Elijah-Blu Smith and cornerback Nick Oppenneer lead the team with three apiece, and cornerback Gerard Thomas has a team-high four pass breakups.
Strong safety Klint Kubiak tops Colorado State's tackles list with 48, and linebacker Mychal Sisson has team-highs of 6.5 tackles for losses and three sacks among his 43 tackles. The defensive line features tackle Guy Miler (4.5 tackles for losses, 2 sacks) and end Cory Macon (2.5 sacks).
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