TCU Travels to Tulsa
10/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Game 6
Oct. 21, 2000 -- 6:05 p.m. (CDT)
Skelly Stadium (40,385)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Television: ESPN Regional (Dave Weekley and Harold Muckleroy). The game will
be televised locally on K-Star Channel 49.
Radio: TCU/ESPN Sports Network (Brian Estridge and John Denton). The game
will be broadcast on KWRD 94.9 FM in Fort Worth-Dallas.
The Coaches:
Dennis Franchione (Pittsburg State, 1973)
Overall Record: 18th year - 133-64-2 (.673)
at TCU: 3rd year - 20-9 (.689)
Keith Burns (Arkansas, 1984)
Overall Record: 1st year - 3-4 (.428)
at Tulsa: 1st year - 3-4 (.428)
The Series: 18th meeting - TCU leads 12-5 Last Meeting: TCU 56, Tulsa 17 (1999)
Frogs Open Second Half of Season, Travel to Tulsa
The TCU Horned Frogs (5-0, 2-0) open the second half of the season Saturday,
October 21, when they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face the Tulsa Golden
Hurricane (3-4, 2-1) in a Western Athletic Conference game. The game will
be televised locally by ESPN Regional (Dave Weekley and Harold Muckleroy).
Kickoff for the contest is set for 6:05 p.m. The Frogs enter the contest
ranked 11th by the Associated Press and 10th by ESPN/USA Today.
Winning Streak Climbs to 10
TCU's 41-21 win over Hawaii extended the Frogs' winning streak to 10 games.
The streak is the second longest in the nation, trailing only Nebraska (12).
TCU's streak is the longest since the 1937-38 teams produced 14 straight
victories. The 1937 Frogs ended the season with three straight wins, then
the 1938 team ran off 11 consecutive wins on their way to the national
title. The next longest winning streak in school history is an 11-game
streak by the 1935 Frogs.
Key Notes
Poll Notes
For the 9th consecutive week, the Frogs are ranked in the national polls.
This week, TCU is ranked 11th by both the Associated Press and 10th by
ESPN/USA Today. The Frogs are ranked in the top-10 for the first time since
1959, when TCU reached as high as 7th in the Associated Press poll. Before
this season, TCU last appeared in the national polls on October 23, 1990,
when TCU was ranked 24th by the AP and 19th by UPI. TCU's preseason national
ranking was the first for the school since the 1960 season, when the Frogs
were ranked 11th by the AP.
Associated Press 1. Nebraska 6-0 1,770 2. Virginia Tech 6-0 1,656 3. Oklahoma 6-0 1,603 4. Miami, Fla. 4-1 1,546 5. Clemson 7-0 1,523 6. Florida State 6-1 1,439 7. Oregon 5-1 1,290 8. Florida 6-1 1,242 9. Washington 5-1 1,147 10. Kansas State 6-1 1,118 11. TCU 5-0 1,042 12. Georgia 5-1 898 13. Mississippi St. 4-1 865 14. Ohio State 5-1 854 15. Southern Miss 5-1 845 16. Michigan 5-2 737 17. Purdue 5-2 586 18. South Carolina 6-1 517 19. Oregon State 5-1 493 20. Notre Dame 4-2 458 21. Arizona 5-1 378 22. Minnesota 5-2 227 23. UCLA 4-2 210 24. N.C. State 5-1 183 25. Northwestern 5-2 146 ESPN/USA Today 1. Nebraska 6-0 1,473 2. Virginia Tech 6-0 1,412 3. Clemson 7-0 1,308 4. Oklahoma 6-0 1,276 5. Miami, Fla. 4-1 1,262 6. Florida State 6-1 1,166 7. Florida 6-1 1,116 8. Kansas State 6-1 943 9. Washington 5-1 934 10. TCU 5-0 897 11. Oregon 5-1 894 12. Georgia 5-1 794 13. Ohio State 5-1 790 14. Mississippi St. 4-1 731 15. Southern Miss 5-1 713 16. Michigan 5-2 621 17. Purdue 5-2 434 18. Oregon State 5-1 433 19. South Carolina 6-1 362 20. Arizona 5-1 346 21. Texas 4-2 193 22. Notre Dame 4-2 162 23. Minnesota 5-2 158 24. UCLA 4-2 145 25. N.C. State 5-1 130 TCU Week-by-Week Week AP ESPN/USA Today Preseason 20 23 Aug. 28 20 21 Sept. 3 22 22 Sept. 10 20 21 Sept. 17 18 19 Sept. 24 16 18 Oct. 1 14 14 Oct. 8 12 11 Oct. 15 11 10
TCU-Tulsa Series
The Frogs and Golden Hurricane are meeting for the 19th time... TCU leads in
the series, 13-5-0... since joining the Western Athletic Conference, TCU has
won three-of-four against Tulsa... last season, the Frogs won 56-17, scoring
a school-record 35 points in the third quarter... in Tulsa, the Frogs
defeated the Golden Hurricane, 17-7 (1998), 31-24 (1996)... Tulsa's lone win
as WAC rivals came in 1997, when they defeated TCU, 33-22... Dennis
Franchione is 4-0 against Tulsa as a head coach.
Red Zone Scoring Success
TCU has been extremely successful when penetrating the "Red Zone" during the
2000 season. The Frogs have scored points in 20 (15 touchdowns/5 field
goals) of their 20 drives inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Last season,
TCU scored on 35-of-43 trips (26 TDs/9 FGs) in the Red Zone. Opponents have
scored in 4-of-7 trips (2 TD/2 FG) inside the TCU 20-yard line.
Winning Season
A win over Tulsa would provide the Frogs' with their sixth win of the season,
allowing TCU to post three straight winning-seasons. TCU last posted three
straight winning seasons in the 1950s, when the Frogs recorded winning
seasons in 1955-56-57-58-59. The winning campaign would be the fifth in the
last seven years, and the eighth in the last 35 years.
Rush for 240
A major statistical trend under Coach Fran has been TCU's success when they
rush for at least 240 yards in a game. Overall, TCU is 14-1 in two-plus
seasons under Franchione, when rushing for 240 yards or more. TCU has rushed
for at least 240 yards in 4-of-5 games this season, including a season-high
393 yards against Hawaii.
Last season, the Frogs were 4-0 when they surpassed the 240-yard barrier.
Franchione-coached teams are 30-4 since 1992, when rushing for at least 240
yards.
The game-by-game totals for 2000:
Opponent Att. Yards Avg. TD Nevada 55 317 5.8 4 Northwestern 69 387 5.6 3 Arkansas State 44 255 5.8 4 Navy 51 197 3.9 1 Hawaii 71 393 5.5 5
Opening Drive Scores
TCU has scored points on their first possession in 16 of the last 21 games,
including four times this season. TCU has scored touchdowns against Nevada
and Hawaii, and kicked field goals against Northwestern and Navy. Last
season, the Frogs scored points on the opening drive in eight of 12 games.
Scoring Points
The Frogs have scored points in 30 of 59 possessions this season... TCU needs
to average 27.1 points per game in the final six games to tie the school
record for points in a season... the 1984 Frogs scored 362 points on a
school-record 48 touchdowns, while the 2000 Frogs have already scored 199
points on 26 touchdowns and six field goals... TCU has scored in 97
consecutive games... the last time the Frogs were shutout was a 32-0
blanking by Texas on November 15, 1991... TCU has shutout their opponent in
three of the last 12 regular-season games... last season, TCU shutout San
Jose State (42-0) and SMU (21-0).
Big Play Offense
The Frogs have an offensive category titled "Explosives", which are rushing
plays of 12 yards or more and pass plays of 16 yards or more. TCU's goal is
to get at least eight per game. The breakdown for the 2000 season:
Opponent Run Pass Total Nevada 7 2 9 Northwestern 9 2 11 Arkansas State 6 4 10 Navy 1 4 5 Hawaii 7 2 9
Individual Rushing: Tomlinson (18), Printers (7), Layne (3) Stilley (1), Madison (1). Individual Receiving: Maiden (2), James (3), Brown (2), Dunbar (2), M. Schobel (2), Layne (4), Ellis (1).
Explosives by year Run Pass Total 2000 30 14 44 1999 60 31 91 1998 38 16 54
TCU's Workhorse
In the first five games of the season, LaDainian Tomlinson has shown that he
gets better the more he touches the ball. The TCU workhorse is averaging
194.8 yards rushing per game on an average of 33.6 carries.
Tomlinson by Attempt Plays Attempts-Yards Average 1-10 50-366 7.3 11-20 50-231 4.6 21-30 34-258 7.6 31-40 19-91 4.8 41+ 9-38 4.2 Tomlinson by Quarter Quarter Attempts-Yards Average 1st 53-356 6.7 2nd 49-288 5.9 3rd 37-267 7.2 4th 23-73 3.2
Now Wearing #1, Casey Printers
In 15 career starts, Casey Printers has a 13-2 record as the starting
quarterback. Last season, he led the Frogs to a 8-2 record, earning
third-team Freshman All-America honors. Printers, the MVP of the Mobile
Alabama Bowl, helped lead the Frogs to a five-game winning streak to end the
1999 season.
In his career, Printers has completed 58.6% of his passes. This season,
Printers has completed 61.4% (43-70) of his passes for 637 yards. He
completed a single-game school record 82.3% (14-of-17) of his passes for 188
yards and two touchdowns against Navy. In the Arkansas State contest,
Printers completed 11-of-15 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns,
including a career-long 74-yard strike to LaTarence Dunbar. He enters the
Navy game, needing 858 yards to move pass Lindy Berry into 10th in career
passing yards at TCU.
Printers Career NumbersPassing Rushing Yr. C-A-I Yds TD Att. Yds TD '00 43-70-4 637 7 39 135 1 '99 86-150-7 1213 8 32 -69 1 Tot. 129-220-11 1850 15 71 66 2Frogs are not one Dimensional
Entering Saturday's game at Tulsa, the Frogs are ranked first in the WAC and 9th in the NCAA in passing efficiency. The Frogs have completed 46-of-75 (61.3%) passes for 648 yards. TCU has a efficiency rating of 151.34. Against Navy, the Frogs completed 15-of-18 passes for 192 yards. Casey Printers set a TCU single-game record for completion percentage (82.4). Printers completed 14-of-17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.Receiving Leaders
Tailback LaDainian Tomlinson enters the 2000 season as the active leader in career receptions. The following list is a breakdown of TCU's receptions leaders.Player, Class Receptions LaDainian Tomlinson, Senior 35 LaTarence Dunbar, Sophomore 29 Cedric James, Senior 28 Tim Maiden, Senior 20 Kevin Brown, Sophomore 13 George Layne, Junior 9 B.J. Roberts, Junior 8 Matt Schobel, Junior 7 Terran Williams, Sophomore 5 Andrew Hayes-Stoker, Junior 2 Quint Ellis, Sophomore 2 Chad Purcell, Senior 1Another Threat
TCU's leading rusher, based on average per carry is not LaDainian Tomlinson, but fullback George Layne. The junior from Alvin has rushed for 189 yards on 24 carries, an average of 7.9 yards per attempt. Layne has also shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He is second on the team in reception yards with 133 yards on five receptions, an average of 26.6 yards per catch. Overall, Layne has 322 yards of total offense on 29 touches, an average of 11.1 yards per play. Layne is second on the team with five touchdowns, three rushing and two receiving.LaDainian Tomlinson -- Heisman Trophy Candidate
One of the premier college football players in the country... a candidate for the 2000 Heisman Trophy, Doak Walker National Running Back Award and the Maxwell Award... on his way to leading the NCAA in rushing, Tomlinson burst onto the college football scene with an NCAA single-game record 406 yards rushing on 43 attempts against UTEP on November 20, 1999.Solid Start for LT
Tomlinson rushed for a season-high 294 yards and four touchdowns on a school-record 49 attempts against Hawaii. The outing was the third best day in his career, and it ranks fifth in TCU history. In the process, he became the first TCU player to rush for over 4,000 yards in a career. Tomlinson leads the nation in rushing with an average of 194.8 yards per contest, and scoring (14.4). Tomlinson has rushed for 974 yards on 168 attempts this season, scoring 12 touchdowns. Tomlinson is averaging 18 more yards per game this season than he did in the first five games of the 1999 season. He is on pace to rush for 2143 yards. Tomlinson has scored 72 points this season, 24 more than the TCU defense has allowed. Tomlinson has scored 20 touchdowns in the last five regular-season games. LT has rushed for 523 yards and 7 touchdowns on 70 attempts in three games against Tulsa. Last season, he rushed for 178 yards and four TDs on 16 attempts against Tulsa. In 1998, he rushed for 165 yards and one TD on 27 carries. As a freshman (in 1997), he rushed for 180 yards and two scores on 27 attempts. Despite playing only three quarters against Arkansas State, he rushed for 140 yards on 23 carries, a 6.1 average. He scored touchdowns on runs of 64 yards and one yard. -- LT rushed for 243 yards on 39 attempts against Northwestern, scoring two touchdowns. Despite playing only three quarters against Nevada, Tomlinson rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns on 24 attempts. He had one pass reception for two yards. LT is the TCU record holder for touchdowns with 44. All 44 of his touchdowns have been on the ground. He tied the single-season record with 18 rushing scores in the 1999 season. Tomlinson is first in the NCAA among active leading rushers with 4,079 career rushing yards on 706 attempts. Tomlinson is trailed by Anthony Thomas (Michigan) who has rushed for 3,563 yards, and Maryland's Lamont Jordan, who has rushed for 3,486 yards. LT is also moving his way up the WAC's career record lists. He is third in rushing yards with 4,079 yards. He needs 735 yards to pass Steve Bartalo (Colorado State) and become the Western Athletic Conference's all-time leading rusher. He's 510 yards behind Marshall Faulk (San Diego State). Tomlinson's 44 career rushing touchdowns ranks third in WAC history. He is two behind Steve Bartalo (Colorado State) 46 rushing TDs and 13 behind Marshall Faulk's (San Diego State) 57 rushing TDs. He needs to score two rushing touchdowns to move into the NCAA career top-20. He needs to rush for 879 yards, an average of 146.5 yards per game to move into the top-10 in NCAA Career rushing. He is currently in 44th in NCAA Career rushing yards. He has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier on 15 occasions in his career, including each of the last seven regular-season games. Andre Davis owns the record with 16 career 100-yard games. The Frogs have a record of 12-3 when Tomlinson rushes for at least 100 yards. He can become the first TCU running back to earn first-team All-America honors since Kenneth Davis in 1984. Jim Swink earned first-team All-America honors in 1955. Entering the 2000 football season, Tomlinson is the only running back in NCAA Division I history to surpass the 400-yard mark in a single-game. He led the country in rushing in 1999 with 1,850 - the first TCU player to lead the nation in rushing. The yardage total set a new WAC record and it ranks 22nd in NCAA history. Tomlinson can become the fifth TCU player to finish in the top-five in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Sam Baugh finished fourth in 1935, Davey O'Brien won the award in 1938, Jim Swink was the runner-up in 1955 and Kenneth Davis finished fifth in 1984. He is averaging 109.5 yards per game against ranked opponents. Since Tomlinson arrived at TCU in 1997, the Frogs have faced four nationally-ranked foes. He has rushed for 438 yards on 96 attempts, scoring five touchdowns. TCU has a record of 2-2 in the four games. He owns five of TCU's top-seven single-game rushing efforts, rushing for at least 269 yards three times in 1999. In the process, he tied Kenneth Davis' school-record for 200-yard games in a season at three. He is the TCU single-season record holder in attempts in a game (43), attempts in a season (268), yards in a game (406), yards in a season (1,850). He owns three of TCU's 15 longest runs from scrimmage, including a school-record 89-yard touchdown run vs. San Jose State. Tomlinson also had an 80-yard touchdown run against Tulsa and a 79-yard run at Arkansas State. A first-team pre-season All-America selection by Athlon, Playboy, Football News, The Sporting News, Texas Football, Blue Ribbon, Street and Smith and Preview Sports... a second-team All-America honoree by Lindy's... WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year by Athlon, The Sporting News, Dave Campbell's Texas Football, Street and Smith, Preview Sports, Rivals.com and Lindy's... Texas Colleges Offensive Player of the Year by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. According to history, if you play for a nationally ranked team and you rush for 2,000 yards, then you should win the Heisman Trophy... of the seven individuals that have rushed for at least 2,000 yards in a single-season, five won the Heisman Trophy... the two individuals that did not win the Heisman were not on nationally ranked teams... each of the five 2,000 yards rushers that won the Heisman Trophy played for a team that was ranked in the top-25... Tomlinson needs to average 171.0 yards in the final six games to crack the 2000-yard barrier. Head Coach Dennis Franchione
In his third season at the helm of the TCU football program is Dennis Franchione (Pittsburg State '73). He has recorded a 133-64-2 record during his stints at Southwestern (Kan.), Pittsburg (Kan.) State, Southwest Texas State, New Mexico and TCU. Coach Fran is 20-9 overall at TCU, 11-4 at home and 9-5 on the road (including neutral sites). The Frogs had won a total of 18 games in the previous four seasons combined. He has led the Frogs to bowl wins over USC (Sun Bowl) and East Carolina (Mobile Alabama Bowl). In his 18th season as a head coach, the 49-year old Franchione is presently ranked 15th among active NCAA Division I-A coaches in winning percentage (.673) and 13th in victories (133).The 1999 WAC title was TCU's first football title in the conference, and the school's first football championship since 1994, when the Frogs tied for the Southwest Conference Championship. TCU's bowl win against USC was the school's first since the 1957 Cotton Bowl, when TCU defeated Syracuse, 28-27. Plus, the win over East Carolina gave Frogs back-to-back bowl wins for the first time since 1936-37, when TCU defeated LSU in the 1936 Sugar Bowl and Marquette in the 1937 Cotton Bowl.
Franchione has recorded a win-loss mark of 35-18 in the last five years, posting winning seasons in both his last two years at New Mexico and his first two seasons at TCU. Under Franchione, 18 Frogs have received first or second-team all-conference honors in the last two years, plus LaDainian Tomlinson was named the 1999 WAC Player of the Year. Franchione was a member of the West coaching staff in the 2000 East-West Shrine game.
Double-Digit Starters
Nineteen Horned Frogs have double-digit starting assignments to their credit, including Aaron Schobel who has started 39 straight games in his TCU career.
Player, Class, Position Starts Aaron Schobel, Senior, DE 39 Mike Keathley, Senior, OL 32 Greg Walls, Senior, CB 30 Shawn Worthen, Senior, DT 29 Curtis Fuller, Senior, FS 28 Shannon Brazzell, Senior, LB 27 Jeff Millican, Senior, OL 27 Russell Gary, Senior, SS 26 Jeff Garner, Senior, C 24 David Bobo, Senior, OT 22 LaDainian Tomlinson, Senior, TB 21 B.J. Roberts, Junior, TE 17 Jason Goss, Sophomore, CB 17 Victor Payne, Junior, OL 17 Chad Bayer, LB 17 Casey Printers, Sophomore, QB 15 Tim Maiden, Senior, WR 14 Shane Ladewig, Senior, OL 12 George Layne, Junior, FB 11
O-Line Knockdown Blocks
The Frogs recorded 88 knockdown blocks against Hawaii, including 22 by Jeff
Millican. The game-by-game totals for 2000 with the starters totals in
parentheses.
Oppt. (total) Bobo Millican Garner Payne Keathley Nev. (88) 17 16 8 10 12 NU (139) 30 33 25 36 13 ASU (83) 12 16 12 11 14 Navy (109) 25 25 15 20 14 Hawaii (88) 16 22 10 15 15 Totals (422) 100 112 70 92 68
Experienced O-Line
Entering Saturday's contest at Tulsa, the TCU offensive line has combined for
134 career starts. Mike Keathley leads the way with 32 starts in his career.
Guard Jeff Millican has started 27 games, center Jeff Garner has posted 24
starts and tackles David Bobo has 22 starts to his credit. Junior Victor
Payne has started 17 games and senior backup Shane Ladewig has started 12
times.
Special Teams
Entering Saturday's contest against Tulsa, the Frogs are ranked first in the
WAC in kickoff returns and net punting, and second in punt returns. In the
NCAA, TCU is ranked first in the nation in kickoff returns, 15th in punt
returns and 18th in net punting. The Frogs have returned eight kicks this
season for 252 yards, an average of 31.5 yards per return. TCU has returned
15 punts for 208 yards, a 13.9 average. In the Nevada contest, LaVar Veale
returned eight punts for 143 yards, scoring one touchdown on an 85-yard
return. The punt return for a touchdown was the first by a TCU player since
John Washington returned a punt 65 yards against Texas in 1995. LaTarence
Dunbar also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score against Nevada. Dunbar
leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 34.0 average. Last season, the
Frogs led the NCAA in kickoff returns with a 27.5 average. Reggie Hunt
established a TCU single-season record with a 34.1 average. His average did
not meet NCAA minimum requirements, or he would have led the nation in
kickoff returns. Punter Joey Biasatti's 40.3 avearage ranks fourth in the
WAC.
Kaylakie Continues to Climb in Record Books
Senior kicker Chris Kaylakie has successfully converted six of seven field
goals and all 25 PAT attempts. In his career, Kaylakie has now kicked 31
field goals in 45 attempts. He needs to kick eight more field goals to climb
into 2nd place. All-American Michael Reeder kicked a school-record 57 field
goals in his career. Kaylakie, a 1998 All-WAC choice, has successfully
converted 89-of-91 PAT attempts. He is second in TCU history in PAT
conversions, 12 behind Ken Ozee's 100 PATs. Kaylakie has converted his last
36 PATs, a streak that ranks third in TCU history. With 25 PATs this
season, he is closing in on the top-five in single-season PATs.Kaylakie has
scored 182 points in his career, which ties him for third with Jeff
Wilkinson. Reeder is the record holder with 259 points. Ozee ranks second
with 205 points.
The Nation's Top-Ranked Defense
TCU enters Saturday's game as the top-ranked defense in the country,
allowing only an average of 236.6 yards per game. The Frogs also are tied
for first in scoring defense, allowing only 9.6 points per contest.
In the last 10 games, TCU has allowed only 579 yards rushing on 307 attempts,
an average of 2.8 yards per attempt and 57.9 yards per game. This season,
the Frogs have allowed 440 yards rushing on 165 attempts, an average of 2.7
yards per rush. TCU is ranked 12th in the nation in rushing defense,
allowing 88.0 yards per game. Since the arrival of Dennis Franchione and
defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, a TCU opponent has been held to 100
rushing yards or fewer in 14 of 29 games. The TCU pass defense has also
fared well this season, allowing only 148.6 yards per game. Opponent's have
completed only 46% of their passing attempts. The Frogs are ranked 3rd in
the nation in passing yards allowed and 14th in pass defense efficiency.
Last season, TCU allowed only 139 yards rushing in the final five games of
the year. In the Mobile Alabama Bowl, TCU held East Carolina to minus-16
yards rushing on 26 attempts. Overall, the Frogs finished the season fifth
in the nation in total defense, allowing a meager 284.5 yards per game. In
1999, the Frogs were first in the WAC and 14th in the final NCAA rushing
defensive statistics. Here is a closer look at how the TCU defense has
fared under Patterson.
Rushing Yds Passing Yds TDs Total Yds NCAA Year Avg./GM Avg./Gm Allowed Avg./GM Total Def. Rank 1998 163.1 182.7 25 345.7 40th 1999 100.9 183.5 24 284.5 5th 2000 88.0 148.6 6 236.6 1st
Sack Attack
The 1999 TCU pass rush recorded a school-record tying 37 sacks. The 2000
Frogs are over halfway there. TCU has recorded 23 sacks in five games,
including a single-game school-record 15 sacks at Nevada. The Frogs recorded
12 in the first half, erasing the previous school-record of nine in just two
quarters. Ten different Frogs have posted at least one sack. Aaron Schobel,
TCU's all-time leader in sacks, has a team-leading six sacks. Backup end Joe
Hill has recorded 4.5 sacks in four games. Shannon Brazzell is third with
three sacks, and Chad McCarty and Stuart Ashley are tie for fourth with two
sacks.
Behind the line of Scrimmage
The Frogs have recorded 54 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in
losses of 213 yards. Including the school-record 15 sacks, TCU posted 20
tackles behind the line against Nevada. TCU recorded 17 tackles behind the
line of scrimmage against Arkansas State, including four sacks. Shannon
Brazzell leads the team with eight tackles behind the line, while Chad
Bayer, Aaron Schobel and Joe Hill are tied with six each. Last season, TCU
recorded 117 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 452 yards.
Schobel led the team with 19 stops in the backfield, Brazzell had 15 and
Bayer had 14 tackles behind the line. The following is a list of TCU's
current leaders in career tackles behind the line.
Career Tackles Behind the Line Player, Class Total Aaron Schobel, Senior 56.5 Shannon Brazzell, Senior 29.5 Shawn Worthen, Senior 23 Chad Bayer, Junior 19 Russell Gary, Senior 12
Lombardi Semifinalist Aaron Schobel
Aaron Schobel, a semifinalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, has developed
into one one of the top defensive ends in the country. In the NCAA national
defensive stats released earlier this month, Schobel was tied for the
national lead in sacks. Schobel is also a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski
Award. Schobel, who has recorded six sacks this season, is TCU's all-time
leader in sacks, both career and single-season. He has posted 30.5 sacks in
three-plus seasons, resulting in losses of 213 yards. Overall, he has
recorded 56.5 tackles behind the line for losses of 297 yards. He
established the single-season record in 1999, recording 10 sacks. He added
three more to his total in the Mobile Alabama Bowl, when he posted three
sacks against East Carolina.
Schobel has started 39 consecutive games in his career. The only game he did not start was the first game of his redshirt freshman year. Schobel was a preseason second-team All-American by Football News, and the WAC preseason Defensive Player of the year by the WAC's head coaches, The Sporting News, Athlon, Preview Sports and Lindy's magazines. The Sporting News rated Schobel as the fifth best defensive end in the country.
Career Sacks Rank Player Total 1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 30.5 2. Royal West, 1991-94 22 Career Tackles Behind the Line Rank Player Total 1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 56.5 1. Royal West, 1991-94 56 Career Yards Lost Tackling Rank Player Total 1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 297 2. Royal West, 1991-94 209 Schobel Year by Year Year UT AT Total Sacks/Yds TFL/Yds 1997 42 27 69 7-39 15-64 1998 40 26 66 7.5-65 16.5-113 1999 43 27 70 10-63 19-74 2000 11 9 20 6-46 6-46 Totals 136 89 225 30.5-213 56.5-297
Run-Stopper
Shannon Brazzell is TCU's active leader in career tackles with 225, three
ahead of teammate Aaron Schobel.
Player, Class Career Tackles Shannon Brazzell, Senior 233 Aaron Schobel, Senior 223 Curtis Fuller, Senior 209 Chad Bayer, Junior 133 Russell Gary, Senior 127
Playing at Home
Dennis Franchione has preached to the Frogs the importance of protecting
their home turf. TCU has won eight straight at home, including all three
home games this year. Last year, the Frogs recorded a 5-1 (4-0 in WAC play)
mark at Amon Carter Stadium. The Frogs fared well both offensively and
defensively at home. The following is a look at how the TCU offense and
defense has performed at home in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Offense
Points Rushing Passing Total
Year Avg. Avg. Avg. Yards/Avg.
1999 38.1 305.6 100.1 405.8
2000 44.6 348.3 134.3 482.6
Defense
Points Rushing Passing Total
Year Avg. Avg. Avg. Yards/Avg.
1999 13.6 48.0 198.6 246.6
2000 12.6 105.6 158.6 264.3
Against the WAC
In four-plus seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, the Frogs have
compiled a win-loss mark of 15-18 against WAC competition. However, TCU has
won nine of their last 11 conference games. Nevada, the newest member of the
WAC, was the 15th different conference opponent for the Frogs since joining
the league in 1996.
Leadership Council/Captains
When Coach Fran arrived at TCU, he formed a group called the TCU Leadership
Council. The 12-member unit is represented by a player from each position.
Four game captains are chosen each week. The 2000 Leadership Council
consists of offensive tackle David Bobo, linebacker Shannon Brazzell, safety
Curtis Fuller, wide receiver Cedric James, kicker Chris Kaylakie, offensive
tackle Mike Keathley, defensive end Chad McCarty, offensive guard Jeff
Millican, quarterback Casey Printers, tight end B.J. Roberts, defensive end
Aaron Schobel, safety Cody Slinkard, tailback LaDainian Tomlinson and
cornerback Greg Walls.
Injury Report
Starting cornerback Jason Goss has been lost for the season. Goss tore his
ACL in his knee last week during practice.
Frogs on Television
Eight of TCU's 11 games are scheduled to be televised. ESPN Regional will
televise the Nevada (Sept. 9), Tulsa (Oct. 21) and Rice games (Oct. 28). Fox
Sports Net will nationally televise the Northwestern (Sept. 16), Navy (Sept.
30) and SMU (Nov. 24) contests. Fox Sports Southwest will televise the
Hawai'i (Oct. 7) and UTEP (Nov. 11) games on a regional basis. The Fresno
State contest is expected to be televised by Fox Sports Net. In the last two
seasons, TCU has appeared on television 10 times, including five national
broadcasts.
Fran vs. Non-WAC Opponents
Since Dennis Franchione arrived at TCU, the Frogs have compiled a record of
9-3 against non-WAC opponents, including wins over USC and East Carolina.
TCU has won six straight non-WAC games.
1999 Recap
The Frogs were 8-4 in 1999, winning the final five games of the season over
Hawai'i, North Texas, UTEP, SMU and East Carolina... TCU tied Fresno State
and Hawai'i for first in the WAC, compiling a 5-2 league record... the Frogs
were 5-1 at home, 2-3 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites... TCU faced two
ranked opponents, losing to Arizona (35-31) and defeating East Carolina
(28-14).
Up Next
The Frogs return to Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday, October 28 to host
the Rice Owls. Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. The game will be televised by
ESPN Regional.
Award Lists
The following players were listed among the preseason candidates for
postseason awards.
LaDainian Tomlinson -- Heisman Trophy / Doak Walker Award
David Bobo -- Outland
Shannon Brazzell -- Butkus Award
Curtis Fuller -- Jim Thorpe Award
Aaron Schobel -- Bronko Nagurski / Lombardi Award
Inside the Huddle
TCU has sold over 13,000 season tickets, breaking the previous school record
of 12,056.. there are three sets of twins on the roster, Terrance and Tim
Maiden, Jerrod and Jerome Braziel, and Allen and Adrian Lewis... in the
1990s, TCU compiled a 2-1 mark in bowl games... the Frogs posted wins over
USC (Sun Bowl) and East Carolina (Mobile Alabama Bowl)... TCU's lone bowl
loss was to Virginia (Independence Bowl)... the two wins tie the Frogs with
Texas (2-4) and Texas A&M (2-6) for number of bowl wins in the 1990s by
teams from the Lone Star State... Texas Tech and Baylor each won one bowl
game in the decade... the Frogs are the highest ranked team from Texas for
the first time since December 1958.
