Football Frogs Resume WAC Play, Host Hawaii
10/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
FORT WORTH -- The TCU Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0) return to Amon G. Carter Stadium Saturday, October 7, to host the Hawaii Warriors (0-3, 0-2) in a Western Athletic Conference game. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Net (Bill Land and Gary Reasons). Kickoff for the contest is set for 11:07 a.m. The Frogs enter the contest ranked 14th by both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today.
Winning Streak Climbs to Nine
TCU's 24-0 win over Navy extended the Frogs' winning streak to nine games. The streak is the third longest in the nation, trailing only Florida State (17 consecutive wins) and Nebraska (10). 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
- A TCU win would extend the winning streak to 10 games, and send the Frogs to 5-0 for the first time since 1942.
- In the last three games, Casey Printers has completed 75% (33-44) of his passes for 493 yards and seven touchdowns.
- Heisman Trophy Candidate LaDainian Tomlinson (3,785) became TCU's all-time leading rusher last week. He needs 215 yards to become the first running back in school history to rush for over 4,000 yards.
- The TCU defense is ranked first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 6.75 points per game. The Frogs are second in the NCAA in total defense, allowing only 199.8 yards per game.
- Under Coach Fran, TCU has a 13-1 record when rushing for 240+ yards.
- TCU is one of two teams in the country ranked in the top-15 in all four major defensive categories (rushing, passing, scoring and total defense).
- TCU has outscored their opponents by 131 points (158-27). Opponents have scored three touchdowns this year, two in the first quarter and one in the fourth.
Poll Notes
For the 7th consecutive week, the Frogs are ranked in the national polls. This week, TCU is ranked 14th by both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today. The national ranking is the highest for TCU since November 14, 1984, when TCU was ranked 12th by the AP. 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. Florida State 5-0 1,745 2. Nebraska 4-0 1,731 3. Virginia Tech 4-0 1,576 4. Kansas State 5-0 1,574 5. Clemson 5-0 1,451 6. Michigan 4-1 1,353 7. Miami, Florida 3-1 1,274 8. Ohio State 4-0 1,218 9. Oregon 4-1 1,031 10. Oklahoma 4-0 1,017 11. Texas 3-1 999 12. Florida 4-1 940 13. Washington 3-1 920 14. TCU 4-0 875 15. Auburn 5-0 869 16. UCLA 4-1 831 17. Southern Miss 3-1 608 18. USC 3-1 514 19. Georgia 3-1 455 20. Mississippi St. 3-1 406 21. Tennessee 2-2 364 22. Northwestern 4-1 312 23. Oregon State 4-0 279 24. Wisconsin 3-2 210 25. Notre Dame 2-2 118Hawaii-TCU Series
ESPN/USA Today 1. Nebraska 4-0 1,452 2. Florida State 5-0 1,434 3. Virginia Tech 4-0 1,334 4. Kansas State 5-0 1,295 5. Clemson 5-0 1,180 6. Michigan 4-1 1,120 7. Ohio State 4-0 1,119 8. Miami, Florida 3-1 1,033 9. Florida 4-1 866 10. Texas 3-1 856 11. Washington 3-1 734 12. Oklahoma 4-0 713 13. Auburn 5-0 697 14. TCU 4-0 695 15. Oregon 4-1 613 16. USC 3-1 582 17. UCLA 4-1 550 18. Southern Miss 3-1 531 19. Georgia 3-1 455 20. Mississippi St. 3-1 355 21. Tennessee 2-2 338 22. Wisconsin 3-2 242 23. Oregon State 4-0 171 24. Northwestern 4-1 140 25. Michigan State 3-1 136
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
The Frogs and Warriors are meeting for the second time... TCU holds a 1-0 edge in the series with the lone win coming in the 1999 season... TCU defeated Hawaii, 34-14, in Honolulu... Dennis Franchione has faced Hawaii on four occasions, winning all four games... while coaching at New Mexico, Franchione led the Lobos to wins over Hawaii in 1993 (41-14), 1994 (38-21) and 1995 (24-10)... this will be last meeting between the two teams as WAC opponents.
Frogs are not one Dimensional
Entering Saturday's game at Hawaii, the Frogs are ranked first in both the WAC and the NCAA in passing efficiency. The Frogs have completed 39-of-58 (67.2%) passes for 557 yards. TCU has a efficiency rating of 173.94. Last weekend at Navy, the Frogs completed 15-of-18 passes for 192 yards. Against Navy, 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.
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 13-1 in two-plus seasons under Franchione, when rushing for 240 yards or more. TCU has rushed for at least 240 yards in 3-of-4 games this season, including a season-high 387 yards against Northwestern. Last season, the Frogs were 4-0 when they surpassed the 240-yard barrier. Franchione-coached teams are 29-4 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
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... A first-team 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.
Solid Start for LT
- Tomlinson rushed for 121 yards in the Navy contest to become TCU's all-time leading rusher with 3,785 yards.
- Tomlinson ranks second in the nation in rushing with 170.0 yards per game. He is third in scoring (12.0) and seventh in all-purpose yards (174.2).
- Tomlinson has rushed for 680 yards on 119 attempts this season, scoring eight touchdowns. Tomlinson is averaging 25 more yards per game this season than he did in the first four games of the 1999 season. He is on pace to rush for 1870 yards, 20 more than he did in 1999.
- Tomlinson has scored 48 points this season, 21 more than the TCU defense has allowed.
- Tomlinson has scored 16 touchdowns in the last five regular-season games.
- 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 needs only 215 yards to become the first TCU player to rush for over 4,000 yards in a career. Last week, he moved past Tony Jeffery into first in career rushing yards at TCU. Jeffery rushed for 3,749 yards from 1984-87.
- LT is the TCU record holder for touchdowns with 40. All 40 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 3,785 career rushing yards on 657 attempts. Tomlinson is trailed by Maryland's Lamont Jordan, who has rushed for 3,529 yards on 658 attempts. Last week, Jordan rushed for 114 yards Florida State.
- LT is also moving his way up the WAC's career record lists. He is fourth in rushing yards with 3,778 yards. He needs 1,035 yards to pass Steve Bartalo (Colorado State) and become the Western Athletic Conference's all-time leading rusher. He is only 84 yards behind Mike Williams (3rd-place) of New Mexico.
- Tomlinson's 40 career rushing touchdowns ranks sixth in WAC history. He is one behind Dee Dowis' (Air Force) 41 rushing TDs and two behind Air Force's Beau Morgan's 42 rushing TDs. He needs to score six rushing touchdowns to move into the NCAA career top-25.
- He needs to rush for 1,170 yards, an average of 167.1 yards per game to move into the top-10 in NCAA Career rushing.
- He has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier on 14 occasions in his career, including each of the last six regular-season games. Andre Davis owns the record with 16 career 100-yard games. The Frogs have a record of 11-3 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 four 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.
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 132-64-2 record during his stints at Southwestern (Kan.), Pittsburg (Kan.) State, Southwest Texas State, New Mexico and TCU. Coach Fran is 19-9 overall at TCU, 10-4 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 (.671) and 13th in victories (132). 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.
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 38 straight games in his TCU career.
Player, Class, Position StartsAaron Schobel, Senior, DE 38Mike Keathley, Senior, OL 31 Greg Walls, Senior, CB 29Shawn Worthen, Senior, DT 28Curtis Fuller, Senior, FS 27Shannon Brazzell, Senior, LB 26 Russell Gary, Senior, SS 26Jeff Millican, Senior, OL 26Jeff Garner, Senior, C 23David Bobo, Senior, OT 21LaDainian Tomlinson, Senior, TB 20B.J. Roberts, Junior, TE 17Jason Goss, Sophomore, CB 16Victor Payne, Junior, OL 16Chad Bayer, LB 16Casey Printers, Sophomore, QB 14Tim Maiden, Senior, WR 13Shane Ladewig, Senior, OL 12George Layne, Junior, FB 11Experienced O-Line
Entering Saturday's contest against Navy, the TCU offensive line has combined to start 129 games. Mike Keathley leads the way with 31 starts in his TCU career. Guard Jeff Millican has 26 starts, center Jeff Garner has started 23 games and tackle David Bobo has 21 starts to his credit. Junior Victor Payne has started 16 games and senior backup guard Shane Ladewig has started 12 games.
O-Line Knockdown Blocks
The Frogs recorded 109 knockdown blocks against Navy, 30 shy of the season-best 139 against Northwestern. 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 Totals (334) 84 90 60 77 53 Now Wearing #1, Casey Printers
In 14 career starts, Casey Printers has a 12-2 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 the last three weeks, Printers has completed 33-of-44 passes for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. Printers completed a career best 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 948 yards to move pass Lindy Berry into 10th in career passing yards at TCU.
Printers Career Numbers Passing RushingYr. C-A-I Yds TD Att. Yds TD00 36-53-3 546 7 32 109 199 86-150-7 1213 8 32 -69 1Tot. 122-203-10 1759 15 64 40 2Special Teams
Entering Saturday's contest against Hawaii, the Frogs are ranked first in the WAC in kickoff returns and net punting, plus they are ranked third in punt returns. In the NCAA, TCU is ranked first in kickoff returns, 13th in punt returns and ninth in net punting.
The Frogs have returned only six kicks this season for 193 yards, an average of 32.2 yards per return. TCU has returned 11 punts for 173 yards, a 15.7 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.
Punter Joey Biasatti's 41.9 average is not listed in the NCAA statistics, due to minimum requirements. Last week at Navy, the Midshipmen had three punt returns the first that the Frogs have allowed this season.
AARON SCHOBEL
Aaron Schobel, a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski and Lombardi Trophies, has developed into one one of the top defensive ends in the country. In the NCAA national defensive stats released last week, Schobel was tied for the lead in sacks.
Schobel, who has already 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 38 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 SacksRank Player Total1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 30.52. Royal West, 1991-94 22Tough Against the Run
Career Tackles Behind the LineRank Player Total1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 56.51. Royal West, 1991-94 56
Career Yards Lost TacklingRank Player Total1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 2972. Royal West, 1991-94 209
Schobel Year by YearYear UT AT Total Sacks/Yds TFL/Yds1997 42 27 69 7-39 15-641998 40 26 66 7.5-65 16.5-1131999 43 27 70 10-63 19-742000 8 5 13 6-46 6-46Totals 136 87 223 30.5-213 56.5-297
In the last nine games, TCU has allowed only 461 yards rushing on 291 attempts, an average of 1.58 yards per attempt and 51.2 yards per game.
The ground-oriented Navy Midshipmen rushed for 112 yards on 41 attempts against TCU. This season, the Frogs have allowed 322 yards rushing on 149 attempts, an average of 2.2 yards per rush. TCU is ranked 14th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 80.0 yards per game. Overall, the Frogs are ranked second in the nation in total defense, allowing 199.8 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 28 games.
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 Passing TDs Total NCAAYear Avg./GM Avg./Gm Allowed Avg./GM Total Def. Rank1998 163.1 182.7 25 345.7 40th1999 100.9 183.5 24 284.5 5th2000 80.0 119.3 3 199.8 2ndSack 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 four 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 49 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in losses of 203 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.
Last season, TCU recorded 117 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 452 yards. Aaron Schobel led the team with 19 stops in the backfield, Shannon Brazzell had 15 and Chad 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 LinePlayer, Class TotalAaron Schobel, Senior 56.5Shannon Brazzell, Senior 29.5Shawn Worthen, Senior 21Chad Bayer, Junior 18Russell Gary, Senior 12Run-Stopper
Shannon Brazzell is TCU's active leader in career tackles with 225, three ahead of teammate Aaron Schobel.
Player, Class Career TacklesShannon Brazzell, Senior 225Aaron Schobel, Senior 221Curtis Fuller, Senior 207Russell Gary, Senior 125Chad Bayer, Junior 124Terrance Maiden, Senior 113LaVar Veale, Senior 103Points on the Board
TCU's 158 points scored this season are the most scored over a four-game span since the 1990 Horned Frogs scored 165 against Oklahoma State (31-21), SMU (42-21), Arkansas (54-26) and Rice (38-28)... TCU needs to average 29.1 points per game in the final seven games to tie the school record for points in a season... the 1984 Frogs scored 362 points on a school-record 48 touchdowns... TCU has scored points on their first possession in three of the first four games this season... last year, the Frogs scored points on their first possession in eight of the 11 regular-season games... TCU has scored in 96 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 11 regular-season games... last season, TCU shutout San Jose State (42-0) and SMU (21-0).
Playing at Home
Dennis Franchione has preached to the Frogs the importance of protecting their home turf. TCU has won seven straight at home, including both 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 38.1 305.6 100.1 405.82000 46.5 321.0 156.0 477.0Leadership Council/Captains
Defense Points Rushing Passing Total Year Avg. Avg. Avg. Yards/Avg.1999 13.6 48.0 198.6 246.62000 8.5 99.5 105.0 204.5
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.
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.
