TCU 17, Boise State 16

Five years ago to the day, Boise State beat TCU in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl, because the Frogs missed a field goal. Today, wearing Sam Baugh's 45 on their helmets, the TCU Horned Frogs beat the Broncos by 1-- and it was Boise that missed a field goal. It was sweet revenge in a squeaker of a game.

TCU played a typical game, holding Boise State to just 28 yards rushing, and holding the ball over 36 minutes. The Frogs' offense was sluggish at times, including throwing an interception each by Dalton and Kerley. Joe Turner and Aaron Brown ran for touchdowns; Dalton and Christian were key on their feet as well (Christian hustled not only for key yards, but to a key tackle after an interception). Hughes sacked Kellen Moore, Hodge had a game-saving interception, and the Frogs' defense generally stifled the Broncos very impressively after the first quarter.

The victory is TCU's fourth consecutive bowl win-- a Frog record-- and this senior class's 41st win-- another record. The Frogs finish the season 2-2 against top-10 competition. Rumors have it Boise State will be invited to join the Mountain West this offseason; the Wimple hopes this occurs.

Here's a highlights compliation-- watch it in high quality; AP; ESPN's recap video and a short interview with CGP; Watson's first impressions; CBSsports.com; FWST special; MM Frogs Pull Rank; Washington, Hodge turn up intensity; LeBreton: Frogs take risk, earn reward; SMQ calls the Frogs more NFL-like; CFN's Five Thoughts and Instant (and overblown, generally lame) Analysis; Frogs' D; BSU wanted perfection, TCU's D demanded it; Frogs rush by committee; SD Union Tribune lead; Spitblood;

Sam Baugh, 1914-2008

Lower the team flags; fly the championship standards at half-mast; the Wimple will be draped for mourning until the Frogs win their next game. TCU's- and football's- first great passer has crossed the plane of that great endzone in the sky. Baugh was the last living member of the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a member of the college hall of fame as well. As the FWST aptly puts it, he was the original cowboy quarterback. He was 94.

Here're clips of a interview with Baugh when he was already an old man, with footage from his NFL days; see him passing as a Washington Redskin.


The Deseret News ran a great editorial about Baugh prior to the Frogs' '06 clash with BYU. Ray Buck, Jeff Wilson, Kevin Sherrington; Washington Post; ESPN's Luksa; Baugh timeline; LATimes; AP; ESPN story, and interviews Mike Ditka (in video), Dr. Saturday; Dick Heller.

TCU Football's Most Beautiful

Shannon, guest posting:
As a follow-up to this year's Players of the Year awards, I thought it would be nice (or just humorous) to give a nod to those young men who are beautiful both on and off the field. I won't list names, but as I was selecting those who would make the cut as "Most Beautiful", I noticed more than one outstanding player that isn't exactly easy on the eyes (most of the offensive line).

-

Let's get started.

5. Jeremy Kerley

I wish I had a better photo of this guy, becasue this one just doesn't highlight all his best features. In a word: cute-as-a-button.

4. Robert Henson

It's all in the eyes with this one. Oh, and what's more beautiful than a happily married man?

3. Aaron Brown

Luscious lips. Chiseled jaw. He's got a good thing going on and off the field.

2. Shae Reagan

It's hard to tell from this picture, but up close (yes, I've been lucky enough to be inches away from this guy) Shae has a chest as deep as it is wide. And he's got a darn cute face to boot.

And TCU's #1 Most Beautiful Football Player is...

1. Bart Johnson

I just call him Harvard Hottie.

Poinsettia

Calling TCU-BSU the best non-BCS bowl game, CFN's Matt Zemek says "When Ball State lost the MAC Championship Game, this encounter became the undisputed non-BCS conference blockbuster of the bowl season. Bronco coach Chris Petersen—after the masterpiece against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl—has to be given a great deal of respect. He’ll have a tremendous game plan ready for the Horned Frogs, who—though 10-2—lost to Oklahoma in Norman and came agonizingly close to beating Utah in Salt Lake City. Had kicker Ross Evans not biffed two easy kicks (and Evans was a Lou Groza semifinalist, it should be noted), TCU—and not the Utes—would have won the Mountain West Conference and found itself playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Given the fire-breathing nature of TCU’s defense, led by the overwhelmingly athletic Jerry Hughes, Petersen’s going to have to have to come up with something special.
"There you have it: It’s the brainy Boise boss against TCU’s talented toughs. Offensive creativity comes up against defensive dominance. Irresistible force, meet immovable object. Yum, yum, gimme some. Let’s get it on in San Diego!"

Mandel calls this the 5th best bowl of the season; TCU lost its only contest against Boise State in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl. , by three points. Poinsettia Bowl officially invites TCU and Boise State. FWST lead. Hype is already sprouting: the matchup; Idaho scouts TCU; Idaho finds storylines; FWST reports Frogs eyeing Boise State in the film room. Broncos say TCU is the fastest team they've ever seen; Broncos report; ESPN's Schlabach calls this the 4th best matchup this bowl season; Graham Watson; Bowl thrilled; Frogs' D is best BSU's ever seen; Frogs prepare for fundamentally strong Boise offense, trick plays notwithstanding; LeBreton; BleacherReport previews the bowl, and calls it a lose-lose for TCU and BSU; Boise wants to blanket San Diego; Kerley's back at full speed; Spitblood analyzes TCU's and BSU's QBs, RBs, USAToday on Boise State; Collegesports-fans.com likes TCU by 7; TCU and BSU like mirror images;

In the Wimple's opinion, Boise State engineered the most spectacular ending to any football game in the history of the sport, winning the '07 Fiesta Bowl with these three plays:

Here's ESPN's Todd McShay's (oddly slanted) analysis:

The funniest dig at the BCS, ever.

Seriously; it's brilliant.

MWC lands five bowl berths

Utah will face Alabama in the Sugar Bowl;
TCU will play Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl;
BYU plays Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl;
Air Force matches up with Houston (rematch) in the Armed Forces Bowl;
Colorado State plays Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.

18 Frogs '08 All-MWC

Defensive Player of the Year: Jerry Hughes.
First Team: Blake Shlueter, Jeremy Kerley (KR), Jerry Hughes, Robert Henson, Jason Phillips, Stephen Hodge
Second Team: Marshall Newhouse, Cody Moore, Matt Panfil, Stephen Coleman, Raphael Priest.
Honorable Mention: Andy Dalton, Jimmy Young, Marcus Cannon, Aaron Brown (KR), James Vess, Nick Sanders, Anson Kelton.

The 2nd Annual Wimple Awards

Last year the Wimple awarded several Horned Frog standouts for the '07 season. (awarded with what? ask you... With kudos, comes the answer.)

The 2008 Purple Wimple Player of the Year: Jason Phillips
This year's TCU team has an embarassment of riches; how do you pick just one of them for this award? Phillips led the team in tackles, gets credit for teaching Robert Henson how to watch film (and that from Henson, a short-list second for this honor, himself), is invariably the coach's first answer to why this year's team has succeeded so well, and the senior linebacker won't be around to pick next year. He'll be in the NFL-- perhaps a first day draft pick-- terrorizing offenses just like he's been doing for four years in the Mountain West.
Photo: M. Walters

Offensive Player of the Year: Andy Dalton
Statistically, the 2007 and 2008 Horned Frog offense was nearly identical, except in one glaring way: interceptions. In '07, the freshman Dalton threw 11 INTs and 10 TDs, and in the process, probably accounted more for 4 of the the Frogs 5 losses than any other player. Enter Andy Dalton, the sophemore. In 2008, prior to the bowl, Dalton has thrown for 11 scores, and only 4 interceptions, and one of those turnovers came as a forgivable hail-Mary pass for the final play in Salt Lake City. Add smart rushing (and 8 TDs with his feet) and Dalton's improvement under center accounts more much of the Frogs' improvement in the win column over last year.
Photo: M. Walters

Defensive Player of the Year: Jerry Hughes
What hasn't been said about Jerry Hughes' dream season? He's a finalist for much more prestigious awards than this one; he's been the step-up player the Frogs needed on the line; his best game was the Frogs' grudge match against BYU on a Thursday, to a national audience; at Utah, he commanded double teams on nearly every play. In short, Hughes stepped into the very large shoes that Chase Ortiz left for a Frog DE, and filled them to overflowing. Hughes will be the only returning starter on next season's front four, and will perhaps be the key defenseman to keep pressure off a new linebacker, defensive tackle and end.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Drew Combs
While the Frogs broke in two freshmen kickers, it was Drew Combs who modeled consistent performance for the youngsters. The senior never made Frog fans nervous as he lined up to for kickoffs.








Seniors of the Year: James Vess, Walter Bryant
Two seniors deserve particular recognition here, because they seem not to get it elsewhere. Walter Bryant turned in his best year in 2008, delivering one clutch catch after another. James Vess returned to the line after a year's suspension, and dominated. Vess's absence last year was palpable, and this year Jerry Hughes was always quick to credit Vess with attracting blockers and paving the way for his own success.
Photos: M.Walters





Freshman of the Year: Kyle Dooley
Sure to be unnoticed in next year's pre-season analyses of the Frogs will be Dooley's status as a returner at left guard. This walk-on freshman beat out two older players, including senior starter Preston Phillips, to guard Dalton's blind side this season. Dooley injured his knee late in the season, but will be an experienced-- and likely scholarship-- force on the interior line next season.
Photo: Texas Football/Jim Thompson


Can't Wait to See Next Year:
Turner, Hicks, Kerley, Washington, Bledsoe, Foltz, Dooley, Caveness, Carder, Broughton. . . just to name a few!

TCU 44, Air Force 10

The Horned Frogs ate Air Force for lunch on Saturday, topping the Falcons by almost 5 touchdowns. TCU held AFA to 161 yards-- its lowest this season; 113 of those yards came on two big plays.

Air Force likely returns to Amon Carter Stadium for the Armed Forces Bowl on New Year's Eve. TCU likely returns to San Diego for its second Poinsettia Bowl in 3 years; Boise State be TCU's opponent. The Broncos beat TCU in the '03 Fort Worth Bowl.

pre-game press: Frogs prepping for AFA; Frogs motivated for AFA; AFA calls TCU a tough test; FWST Monday notes; Denver Post notes; CGP's press conference FWST, excerpts; Calhoun's comments; CBS preview; Hughes a finalist for the Nagurski, Turner at full speed, Calhoun says TCU is NFL-fast; AFA has lots of Texans; FWST focus on DTs; LeBreton on senior night; AFA run v. TCU D; RockyMtnNews notes.
post-game press: FWST lead; tribute to seniors; FWST notes; RMN; DMN; Spitblood (beware the vulgarity)

photo: M.Walters

bowl chatter

TCU is just a few days into a very long break before its last game of the regular season. How shall we pass the time? By speculating about bowl bids, of course!

The early skuttlebutt puts TCU in either Las Vegas to face a mid-level Pac-10 team (Arizona or Oregon), or in Fort Worth to face a low-level Conference USA team (perhaps Rice). For the Las Vegas Bowl to pick the Frogs, it must not have the chance to pick Utah-- which means the Utes must win out and take the non-cartel autobid. The Wimple always prefers to watch the Horned Frogs beat a cartel team, so here's to the Las Vegas Bowl.

Link to this post in the future through the "BOWL" item on the schedule block on the left sidebar.

November 13 update: The MWC bowl picture is slightly less blurry. UNLV beat Wyoming lastnight, to go 5-6 with one game remaining at the very bad SDSU Aztecs. Wyoming is now the third MWC team to become ineligible for a bowl, joining the hapless Aztecs and New Mexico. Colorado State must win both of its remaining games-- New Mexico and at Wyoming to clinch eligibility. Best case scenario, UNLV and Colorado State win out, and the MWC finds bowl berths for a record six teams: Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force, UNLV, and Colorado State.

Five conferences look unlikely to fill all of their tie-ins: CUSA (St. Petersburgh/New Orleans); Big 10 (Motor City/Champs Sports); Big 12 (Independence/Texas); Pac 10 (Poinsettia/Hawaii/Emerald); and the SEC (Independence/PapaJohns/Music City). Along with the Mountain West, the MAC, Sunbelt, and WAC will be vying to put a conference member into these slots.

November 20 update: Bowl officials are going on record with their preferences, in this or in that scenario. The Las Vegas Bowl has indicated it's not interested in UNLV, but wants one of the MWC's ranked teams; the Poinsettia Bowl says it wants Utah if the Utes fail to make the BCS. I see this to mean TCU goes to the Poinsettia Bowl if Utah wins on Saturday, and like BYU is going to Las Vegas for the... fourth year in a row?

November 22 update: Utah pulled it off; behind sensational performances from their D and Brian Johnson, they reached 12-0 this season, and will receive an autobid to a BCS game-- likely the Sugar or Fiesta. Elsewhere in the MWC, Colorado State topped Wyoming to become the conference's fifth bowl eligible team. UNLV lost to SDSU (who promptly fired their coach-- a regrettable move, methinks), ending its season with only 5 wins.

November 24 update: The MWC bowl picture is pretty clear now. Utah gets the non-cartel autobid; BYU and TCU will go to Las Vegas and Poinsettia (likely in that order). Air Force and Colorado State likely go to the Armed Forces and New Mexico bowls (likely in that order, as well.) Each team's opponent is very much unclear.

December 3 update: The BCS helped college football fans everywhere understand a nuance in the at-large eligibility rules, when it did not oust TCU from its "might pick 'em" list yesterday. The Frogs are outside of the cartel, and did not win their conference-- and now we understand that any top-14 ranked team is eligible for an at-large berth. This is nice news-- but there's precisely a 0.00% chance that a BCS bowl will pick TCU over the ticket-selling behemoths also elilgible, like Texas and Ohio State. But it's nice to know we're allowed to play the game.

Utah 13, TCU 10

The Horned Frogs paved the Utes' way one giant step closer to a BCS berth with a litany of mistakes-- most glaringly true freshman Ross Evans' two missed field goals late in the fourth quarter. Both of Evans' kicks capped failed bids to score only a few yards from the endzone. TCU extended the Utes' next drive with a pass interference penalty on a 3rd down. A couple plays later, Brian Johnson passed for a touchdown, and the Utes' first lead in the game. Down 3 points with less than a minute to play, Dalton drove the Frogs halfway down the field before throwing his second interception of the game. Then it was curtains for the game-- and for TCU's third attempt to jump over the brink of almosts, and jubiliant celebration for the blacked out Utes.

The Frogs have two Saturdays off, before concluding the season against Air Force, in Forth Worth.

Post-game press: FWST lead; Dalton pressured; bowls attending; CGP doesn't blame Evans; LeBreton; CGP staying at TCU, and ain't the type to leave; Graham Watson 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Dr. Saturday; Spitblood; DMN;

In the meantime, here's a theraputic visual for recovering Frog fans, and any aspiring kickers:

Waiting for Thursday

Thursday's game against Utah is as big a game as TCU has played since its revival in the late 1990s. Frankly, it's as big a game as TCU has played since the 1950s. Not since then has a late-season conference game meant as much as this-- a win in Salt Lake City tomorrow makes TCU the frontrunner for an autobid to the BCS, with only two off weeks and one game left to play.

The football stars do not align very often to create a matchup for cartel outsiders with this much riding on the outcome. In 2000 and '03 the Frogs confronted very similar situations, and lost each time. If TCU can pull off the win (bettin' money is split almost evenly), its strength of schedule and media notoriety very likely will push it ahead of Boise State, to lead the non-cartel teams that are eligible for a lucrative BCS bid. The leader gets the only autobid reserved for the cartel outsiders.

A win tomorrow night would mark a new height for the modern Horned Frogs, who have not ascended to eligibility for a January bowl since two-squad play began. (Ironically, it was TCU's last triumph over Texas in 1962 that provoked the 'Horns' coach to support the switch to two-squad play, hastening its arrival.) Gary Patterson's teams have camped out in the BCS rankings, but have never finished a season eligible for a bid. (Although under current rules, the 2000 and 2005 teams would have received the non-cartel autobid, which wasn't created until '06.)

Pregame Press: Kragthorpe says the Utes are lucky UNM ain't TCU; November is the Utes' defining month; SI looks at the four non-cartel teams still vying for a BCS bid; Utah-TCU winner likely will lead cartel outsiders in BCS poll; BCS elimination game; Brian Johnson is inconsistent; Utes' defense (6th nationally) shut down Lobos; Utes rise in BCS poll; BYU wants Utah to win; FWST on top defenses, lots of penalties, Kerley likely to travel; some Ute fans don't like the blackout; focus on Utes' D-ends; SLTrib notes; SportsIllustrated takes note, and says the MWC oughtta have two BCS bids this year; Stewey Mandel ranks both teams in his top ten; Gordon Monson calls the Utes overrated; SLTrib Wednesday notes; focus on McCain; quotes from Whittingham's presser; Patterson's; FWST's Wednesday notes; DMN on the non-cartel leaders' interest in each others' games;

a little shameless sentimentality from a Ute:

TCU 44, UNLV 14

TCU pounded UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday, adding both a fifth win to its own current streak, and a fifth loss to the Rebels' current streak. Andy Dalton threw touchdowns to three different Horned Frogs-- Justin Watts, Jimmy Young, and Evan Frosch. Luke Shivers, Aaron Brown, and Jai Caveness added scores on the ground. Jerry Hughes sacked the Rebel QB twice; Stephen Hodge once.

Joe Turner sat out much of the game due to a possible concussion-- and a likely critical absence for the Frogs' next game. All eyes turn to the Mountain West's premier matchup on Thursday in Salt Lake City, when the Frogs face the undefeated Utes. Between them, TCU and Utah bring 18 wins and one loss to the gridiron this season. Utah escaped Albuquerque with a 13-10 win over the Lobos.

The only teams ranked higher than TCU that lost this weekend were #1 Texas and #6 Georgia. The Mountain West's three ranked teams all won; Air Force also won, and will add to its vote tally. The Falcons are 6-2.

The eight touchdowns in Las Vegas:

Pre-game press: USA Today on MWC leaders' upset avoidance; LVSun preview; focus on Clayton; LVRJ Preview; FWST: Frogs getting long drives this year; Frogs get ready for UNLV; ESPN-StatsLLC preview; Sports Network; Rebel fans think TCU's headed for an upset; focus on Henson and Phillips.
Post-game press: LVSun blog and recap; LV R-J recap; analysis, notes; DMN lead; WFAA sportsblog; FWST Frogs good on third down; Mercedes Meyer's lead, notes;

TCU 54, Wyoming 7

TCU ate Wyoming for lunch on Saturday, despite being outgained on the ground and holding the ball for fewer minutes than the Cowboys-- both firsts this season for the Frogs.

Andy Dalton connected with Jimmy Young five times for 226 yards-- a school record-- and three touchdowns. Aaron Brown returned a kickoff to the endzone.

The game was poorly attended, but the win was enough to push the Frogs on spot higher in the BCS poll, matching their highest ranking since 2003-- 13th.

Utah tops the cartel outsiders on the poll at 10; if the Frogs can beat UNLV and the Utes beat New Mexico, the two winners will meet for a monster game in Salt Lake City on the 6th.

pre-game press: CGP focuses on Wyoming, not polls; Wyoming optimistic; CGP determined to prevent Wyoming from running all over TCU; matchup notes; AP; Watson; FWST notes.
Post-game press: FWST lead; FWST notes; FWST key performances; Jimmy Young's big day; DMN; Laramie Boomerang lead; CGP's Sunday notes.

photo: M. Walters

Poll Climbing

The Frogs rode their highly-touted Thursday-night victory over #9 BYU out of the dregs and into the sweet middle of all three major college football polls. AP and the coaches both ranked TCU at #15.

The BCS put the Frogs at #14-- the team's highest BCS ranking since November 8, 2005. TCU is one of a record six non-cartel teams to appear on this week's BCS poll. Utah leads them at #11; Boise State is #12. Tulsa, Ball State, and BYU are nos. 19-21.

Meanwhile, something tells me Utah fans might be looking beyond the mark.


The TCU-Utah game has sold out, and Utah is asking its fans to come in black. The question remains: whose funeral will they be attending?

TCU 32, BYU 7

TCU tore the Mountain West's script for the 2008 season to shreds on Thursday, clobbering BYU in Fort Worth. The Frogs played with more intensity, speed, and creativity than the Cougars, who seemed bewildered from the getgo. BYU's first drive collapsed after Daryl Washington dropped a would-be interception, Jerry Hughes sacked Max Hall, and then on the next play he fumbled the ball away. By the game's end, TCU had sacked Max Hall six times, four by Jerry Hughes.

In the first drive of the third quarter, BYU drove to TCU's 11 yard line, and then tried four consecutive pass plays to score. Three were batted away, and Nick Sanders intercepted the fourth in the endzone.

The Frogs showed offensive spark from the first drive-- featuring a 25-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton touchdown to Jimmy Young-- both player's first TD passes of the year. Jeremy Kerley took several direct snaps, netting 77 yards from them and leading the Frogs in rushing.

After shoving the Cougars off the mountain top, TCU must beat Wyoming and UNLV before it faces Utah-- likely for the conference championship, and perhaps for a BCS berth (see Mandel's story, below).

Here's a YouTube compilation of highlights:



Post-game press: Dr. Saturday; Stewart Mandel; Watson spotlight on Kerley; Watson mourns BYU's busted BCS hopes; Watson summary; radio interview; Watson's bewildered at halftime; Watson's morning-after thoughts; Hall takes the blame; TCU's D lives up to its billing; Kerley's direct snaps bewildered BYU; Kragthorpe: TCU beats BYU black, blue, and purple; Rivals write-up (subscription required); FWST focus on Dalton; FWST summary; FWST focus on Kerley direct snaps; Harmon's take; DMN focus on Hughes; Spit Blood's take (not for the sensitive); FWST notes; Sporting News's Five Things; BYU feels humble; Scout explores the consequences of this game.

TCU v. BYU pregame buzz

It's finally here-- the biggest game of the year, unless TCU wins, in which case the Utah game will morph into a bigger matchup.

Dare we predict the outcome? Not unconditionally. Rather, the Wimple predicts BYU will win of TCU can't figure out how to stop the Cougars from converting 3rd-and-long plays to its their tight ends. If the Horned Frogs do that, they'll keep BYU's offense off the field-- like they've done to almost every opponent they've seen this year-- and end another NCAA-leading winning streak in Fort Worth.

Pre-game press: spotlight on Daryl Washington; BYU gets film after UNM game; ACS is where winnings streaks come to die; Mendenhall on BYU's D; CGP on BYU's D; focus on the Frogs' D; Cougs good, but imperfect; FWST Wednesday notes; Max Hall is Danny White's nephew; AP says MWC has only 2 teams in contention for a BCS bowl-- BYU and Utah; CGP's weekly presser; BYU's O meets its match in TCU's D; SpitBlood's 10 things to consider; CGP says TCU must play better to beat BYU; ESPN on TCU's D; BYU's a stiff test for TCU; MWC champ and BCS spots go through ACS; turnovers are key; LeBreton: times have changed since SWC days; Frogs ready to win on a Thursday night; beating TCU would validate Hall's record; Deseret News gameday report; Rivals' pre-game report (subscription req'd);

TCU 13, CSU 7

It was cold, messy, wet, and ugly, but the Frogs will take it. Marcus Jackson led the Frogs to a second straight win over a conference foe, beating Colorado State. The defense shone bright, holding the Rams to eleven yards on the ground, and 199 total. The offense, however, was dismal. The Frogs had better return to earlier form by Thursday's show down with BYU-- or the show will be all Cougar.

Pre-game press: CSU runs well; Dalton might play; CSU preps for both TCU QBs; spotlight on Gartrell Johnson; CSU hopes to sell out; splotlight on Stephen Hodge, Dalton's status uncertain; spotlight on CSU's D.C.; CSU calls TCU the benchmark; two CSU injured players return; CSU hopes to topple TCU;
Post-game press: CSU misses upset; CSU comes up short; FWST lead; FWST notes; FWST knick knacks. DMN story; CSU coach throws clipboard after a missed pass interference; Daryl Washington and Anson Kelton pick up MWC weekly honors. Spit Blood's breakdown.

TCU 41, San Diego State 7

TCU renewed its winning ways after last week's loss to OU, beating SDSU for the fourth time in conference play. Marcus Jackson started his second career game, and after an unproductive 20 minutes, lead the remaining 40 with remarkable success. Jackson led five touchdown drives and contributed 131 rushing yards-- the team high-- in the effort.

Dalton did not play, due to a knee injury last week. His status for next week is questionable-- Coach Patterson said Dalton could have played today.

Colorado State appears ready to give the Frogs much stiffer competition than they have in the past.

Press: CGP's comments Sunday; Dalton's status; FWST review; FWST analysis; spotlight on Frogs' D; LeBreton on MJ; DMN; San Diego Union-Tribune; Spit Blood's analysis (queasy alert).

MWC Lookaround

Conference play begins in earnest this week in the Mountain West. What do we know about the conference's nine teams? How do we expect the conference to stack up? Who will surprise its fans pleasurably? And who will stink? Here, we will analyze each conference team based on its resume; on the likelihood of it either winning the conference championship, or going to a bowl, or failing to do either; we'll also look ahead to next season.

Resumes
Utah has assembled the best resume of any team in the MWC to date-- its wins over Michigan, Air Force, and UNLV have to be considered quality wins, even though Michigan has only one win this season. A win tonight over Oregon State would put the Utes' resume head and shoulders above any other MWC team's marks.

The UNLV Rebels' win over highly ranked Arizona State, with wins on either side of it as well, is unexpectedly catchy. BYU has beaten four very weak foes, but done so in style, pitching two shutouts. TCU's only loss was to #2 (now #1) Oklahoma, and the Horned Frogs boast a win against an over-.500 Pac-10 team. Air Force and Colorado State both upset Houston. Wyoming, New Mexico, and San Diego State have weak resumes-- the only quality win among them is the Lobos shellacking of Arizona. SDSU lost to 2A Cal-Poly, again.

Summary: by resume, I'd rank the MWC (1) Utah, (2) Air Force, (3) TCU, (4) UNLV, (5) BYU, (6) Colorado State, (7) New Mexico, (8) Wyoming, and (9) San Diego State.

Contending for the Top
The conference pecking order will take a giant leap into focus on October 16, when BYU plays TCU in Fort Worth. The Cougars are expected to be 6-0 coming to Texas, and ranked in the top 5. The Horned Frogs should be 6-1, and may be ranked. Because this is the Cougars' first strong test, I don't know what to expect. The Horned Frogs' defense looked weak on and off against the pass in Norman-- but very strong against the run. If the Frogs tighten up against an aerial attack, BYU's winning streak against TCU will not continue into this season.

The winner of the BYU-TCU tilt will have the inside track to the conference title. Utah plays both teams at home, in November. I believe a two- or three-way tie for the title is very likely this season.

Contending for a bowl
This year the Mountain West may break last year's record of five bowl teams, and put six of its teams into bowls. If BYU, TCU, or Utah can earn a BCS berth, I expect the conference to put a team into the Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico bowls-- each a conference tie-in. I expect that a MWC team will snag an open slot in one of the new bowls premiering this season, or in the Humanitarian Bowl.

If BYU, TCU, and Utah make the one-two-three teams in the conference, in one order or another, Air Force, UNLV, and Colorado State are the four-five-six, and the order remains unclear here too. All three were stronger out of conference than I expected. All three likely will lose to BYU, TCU, and Utah (AFA and UNLV already have lost to the Utes). To get to six wins-- bowl eligibility-- UNLV and Air Force need three; Colorado State needs four. How successfully these three teams perform against the bottom dwellers in the conference likely will dictate whether or not they reach the post-season.

Rebuilding
Somebody has to be at the bottom, and this season New Mexico, Wyoming, and San Diego State staff the cellar in the conference. San Diego State and Wyoming each appear least likely to rise from the depths. New Mexico has shown signs of life-- but Donovan Porterie's absence due to injury will take its toll in conference losses again and again. SDSU hasn't developed a rushing attack to free its young and very talented passing attack; Wyoming has the opposite problem. The Cowboys don't have a passing attack to free its seasoned and potentally-gangbuster rushing attack. I expect to see the Cowboys and the Aztecs vie for last place, and the Lobos to be only a win or two ahead. Look for a new coach in Laramie next season.

Next Season?
The biggest turnaround waiting to happen-- next season's UNLV-- likely will be San Diego State. They're very young, but have finally begun acting like a winning D-1 program. The injury bug has bitten them with unusual vigor this year, but Ryan Lindley will lead a much improved passing game next season, and will have considerably more help from his defense. Air Force, TCU, and Colorado State return most of their offenses. BYU and Utah shed offensive starters in droves-- Utah probably more painfully than their rivals in Provo. Wyoming, New Mexico, and UNLV will be searching for their first-team runningbacks.

TCU 10 OU 35

Sam Bradford ate the Horned Frogs for lunch in Norman Saturday, passing over blitzing safeties for 4 touchdowns-- three in the first half. OU rode the Frogs out of the polls, while raising its rank to #1.

The Frogs turned the ball over four times, and never forced a break to come their way. A lonely bright spot: TCU frustrated the Sooners' ground attack, holding it to only 25 yards.

Pre-game press: FWST Sep 22; CGP's 5 biggest wins; DMN: OU coach reminds players about '05 loss; DMN spotlights TCU DEs; USAToday: TCU's D #1; OU's offense #1; AP; Gil LeBreton;
Post-game press: DMN; FWST, Patterson's day after; FWST notes. Spit Blood.

TCU 48, SMU 7

The Frogs opened a can on the Mustangs, claiming the iron skillet for the second time in as many years, and turning in the most dominating performance for the fryer since TCU's 44-0 beat down against SMU in 2004.

It could have been even worse: several Horned Frog receivers dropped would be touchdown passes at or near the goal line. SMU's only long play was a 46-yard pass that got passed Nick Sanders, setting up the Mustang's only score.

The Frogs now prepare to face #2 Oklahoma in Norman next week.

DMN's lead; Aaron Brown returns; SMU's QB stinks against TCU; Startle-gram's lead; highlight on Jerry Hughes; Aaron Brown.
Pre-game press: June Jones will learn to respect TCU football; FWST; FWST. Spit Blood.

MWC goes 4-0 against the Pac-10

It's a banner week for the Mountain West-- the conference's teams went 6-1 against division 1-A competition, including four wins over Pac-10 foes. BYU shut out UCLA 59-0; TCU beat Stanford 31-14; New Mexico upset Arizona 36-28; and UNLV shocked #15 Arizona State, in Tempe, 23-20 in double overtime, blocking the Sun Devils' attempt to tie the game with a field goal. (in that game, Rebels' QB Omar Clayton took a hit in the jaw so hard in the second quarter that they team x-rayed him to make sure it wasn't broken. It wasn't. Clayton returned to the game, and led UNLV to the win.)

BYU, TCU, and New Mexico each capitalized on multiple turnovers by their BCS foes.

The Mountain West is 6-3 against BCS competition this year, and 10-3 against all D-1A teams.

TCU 31, Stanford 14

Beginning the Mountain West's sweep of the Pac-10 in four matches Saturday, the Horned Frogs' defense thoroughly overpowered the Stanford Cardinal, allowing only one offensive touchdown. The Frogs' offense remains tepid, but expects to feature Aaron Brown next week against SMU.

Press: San Jose Mercury News; LeBreton;

TCU 67, SFA 7

On Saturday the Frogs did what a 1-A team is supposed to do when it plays a 2-A team: beat them with its first team, and its second team, and its third team, and its walk-ons. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, the 2-A team, gave TCU an exhibition game before Stanford comes calling this weekend.

Notable: TeeJay Johnson returned in the secondary; Coach Patterson says the safeties communicate "15 times better" when Johnson plays. One of those safeties, Stephen Coleman, had another interception. Senior Jason Phillips sat out this contest-- his first missed start at TCU. Marcus Jackson took more snaps than starter Andy Dalton, who we presume began watching film on Stanford at halftime. Jimmy Young had seven receptions for over 100 yards, five for third down conversions. Shea Reagan-- to whom the Frogs never threw a pass at New Mexico-- caught three. Joe Turner did the heavy lifting for the first team.

Press: FWST main article, spotlight on Jimmy Young, commentary on upset avoidance, spotlight on Joe Turner, reserves get PT.

TCU 26, New Mexico 3

There are a dozen or more newspaper stories about TCU's win over New Mexico Saturday. But I think this picture says more all of them. God bless the kid-- we all know he's a hoss. But don't put Ryan Christian in at tailback, for crying out loud!

Oh well. TCU won anyway. The game wasn't as easy as the score indicated, but it was on the road, in conference, and the opener. If the offense and the playcalling improve, the sins of this win will be quickly forgiven and forgotten.

Here're the press clippings. Fast starting Frogs dominate UNM, Satisfying but not Dazzling, GoFrogs, AP, FWST Notes

Photo: Keith Robinson

Previewing the Frogs for '08

TCU came up short in half of its conference games last year-- by a combined sum of only 18 points. Reversing that tide in 2008 will require just minimal improvement overall. What units on the team look ripe for improvement this season or, gasp, what units might look worse, and will the result be a better team in '08?

THE RUNNING GAME:
Look for the Frogs' o-line to be its best in several years. Center Blake Schlueter is one of the NCAA's best, and he veterans to work with. Marshall Newhouse continues to start at left tackle; Giles Montgomery and Nic Richmond return on the right side. New talent has deepened the line as well: JUCO transfer Zack Roth is as good as advertized, and will rotate at right tackle. Redshirt Freshman Josh Vernon is battling senior Preston Phillips for the starter spot at left guard. The bottom line is that the second-team line doesn't appear to be any weaker than the first-team, except perhaps at center.

One of the biggest mysteries about this year's team is not just how the new offense will use runningbacks, but who will become the go-to runner. The roster of legs that the Frogs will feature is exhausting: Aaron Brown, James Watts, Joe Turner, Ryan Christian, Chris Smith, return. Newcomers Ed Wesley, Jai Caveness, Jercell Fort, and Luke Shivers all will press for playing time. What's not a mystery is who will appreciate the improved O-line at TCU the most: crucial rushing yards were largely missing from last year's offensive production.

THE PASSING ATTACK
By all reports, Andy Dalton had a masterful fall camp, and appears ready to throttle opposing defenses with greater confidence, experience, and finesse than he showed last year. Dalton is no longer only capable of exploiting the Frogs' upgrade at wide receiver (see below), but will make good on those expectations this year and put up very unusual numbers for a TCU quarterback.

The most noticable talent upgrade at TCU this year will be at wide receiver. Behind seniors Walter Bryant and Shea Reagan (TE) is a remarkable gaggle of sophemores who will surprise the conference every week. Jeremy Kerley, Jimmy Young, Bart Johnson, Ryan Christian, and Alonzo Adams have turned heads day after day in practice. Freshmen Antoine Hicks and Jonathan Jones aren't far behind. Working in tandem with Dalton, TCU's receivers will blow the Frogs' passing attack as wide open as it's been in a generation.

THE FRONT SIX
Unlike last season, the defensive line and linebackers appear primed for an outrageously productive season. Nobody in the group has been suspended, or has developed life-altering anxiety, etc. Rather, both units will be one of the strongest in recent memory. James Vess and Cody Moore anchor the d-line; add returning depth at ends with Jerry Hughes, Matt Panfil, Christopher Leatch, and the freshman phenom Braylon Broughton, and it seems only unfair to finish the front six with returning linebacks Jason Phillips, Robert Henson, and Daryl Washington, and youngster Tank Carder. No opposing offense will be able to overpower TCU's defensive front, though OU and possibly the very best of the MWC may be able to match it.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
At last we find a position among the Frogs that might be problematic: one of the five defensive backs likely won't be a veteran-- until Teejay Johnson returns, that is. RSFr Tekerrein Cuba will fill in while the returning sophemore heals from a fall camp injury. However, the other four d-backs are juniors or seniors, each with either an all-conference resume, or potential.

SPECIAL TEAMS
How will the freshmen handle gameday pressure? Anson Kelton and Ross Evans will handle most of the kicking for the Frogs-- and neither has booted the ball in a college game. This will only be worrisome if the offense and defense are less than dominating. We have only a few days' wait to find out, but the Wimple is confident the Frogs' line play won't disappoint, giving the kickers time to grow into their responsibilities.

BOTTOM LINE:
The Frogs' offense looks to improve dramatically. No unit will surprise the conference more than the wideouts, and the offense as a whole gives the Frogs the improvement it needs to push for the conference title. The defense looks primed to exceed last year's performance, especially up front. If these predictions come to pass, we won't even notice a drop off in kicking, if there even is one to be noticed!

Non-cartel wins over cartel-members

------------------ESPN has the best presented graphic showing the 5 outsider conferences' wins over insider teams. By this metric-- which isn't flawless-- the Mountain West clearly is the most competitive non-cartel conference.

Too bad its teams get no browny points for the strength of its conference schedule!

Startlegram articles

Mercedes Mayer reports:
August 4: TCU looks for intensity as practice begins
August 5: Joe Turner gives knee a good workout
August 5: Frogs deal with the heat
August 6: Receivers shine in practice
August 7: One-on-one drills a hit with linemen
August 8: Competition keen along 0-line
August 9: Patterson likes team's effort (Stevenson)
August 9: Frogs practice early (Thompson, blog)
August 10: Two-a-days tire the Frogs
August 11: Monday at TCU (blog)
August 12: Patterson unhappy with Defense
August 13: Defense impressive during workout
August 13: Monday morning (blog)
August 14: Kickers have tough day in camp
August 15: Young players grow up
August 15: Friday morning (blog- Thompson)
August 16: A few starter spots up for grabs
August 17: Offense holds own against defense
August 18: Monday morning (blog)
August 19: Frogs cut back to one practice
August 20: Newhouse focused on football
August 20: Dog days continue (blog)
August 21: Frogs get primer on UNM
August 22: Frogs do 'mock weekend'
August 23: Last practice 'worst' of fall
August 24: Sunday practice (Thompson- blog)
August 25: Frogs have lot riding on opener (Thompson)
August 26: Simulated noise helps kickers

Preview Season

Here's a growing assembly of all the previews of TCU and the MWC that I can find online.

First, and perhaps not even best, is the '08 TCU media guide.
MWCBoard's Mars has his own collection, with commentary.
USAToday had a great post-spring analysis, here with commentary.
Feisty previews TCU's runningbacks, quarterbacks, o-line, tightends, wideouts (before Adams and Hicks replaced Moreux and Parker), d-line, linebackers, corners, safeties, and special teams.
ESPN's Blue Ribbon preview is more thorough than most.
CFN's TCU, TCU offense, TCU defense, and MWC previews.
goFrogs.com previews the Frogs' D-line, wideouts, cornerbacks, runningbacks, safeties, O-line, special teams, linebackers, quarterbacks, and tightends.
the mtn. interviews Jason Phillips, Blake Schlueter, and Gary Patterson.
ESPN has a pretty good summary of the Frog's position this year, in relation to last year, as does AP.

Insight-free previews are a dime a dozen; here're several:
RedZoneReport, Yahoo-Rivals, Athlon, BleacherReport, TriCities Sports, Lindy's, The Sports Network

USAToday has quality previews of the MWC, team-by-team, at the end of spring, and then at the beginning of fall.