Football Set to Tackle Navy
9/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 30, 2000
- 11:09 a.m. (CDT)
Navy-Marine Corps Stadium (30,000)
Annapolis, Maryland
- Live TotalCast!
- Live Audio
Television: Fox Sports Net (Barry Tompkins and Mike Mayock). The game will be televised nationally.
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 131-64-2 (.670)
at TCU: 3rd year 18-9 (.667)
Charlie Weatherbie (Oklahoma St., 1977) Overall Record: 9th year 44-50 (.468) at Navy: 6th year 29-31 (.483)
The Series: First meeting
Frogs Travel to Navy
The TCU Horned Frogs (3-0) travel to Annapolis, Maryland, Saturday, September 30 to take on the Navy Midshipmen (0-3). The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net (Barry Tompkins and Mike Mayock). Kickoff for the contest is set for 11:09 a.m. The Frogs enter the contest ranked 16th by the Associated Press and 18th by the ESPN/USA Today. Navy is not ranked. TCU and Navy have never met.
Winning Streak Climbs to Eight
TCU's 52-3 win over Arkansas State extended the Frogs' winning streak to eight games. The streak is the third longest in the nation, trailing only Florida State (16 consecutive wins) and Nebraska (9). 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 nine games.
- TCU is 3-0 for the first time since the 1991 season, when the Frogs opened the year with a 4-0 record.
- Heisman Trophy Candidate LaDainian Tomlinson needs only 86 yards to establish a TCU record for career rushing yards.
- Under Coach Fran, TCU has a 13-1 record when rushing for 240+ yards.
- TCU is the only team in the country ranked in the top-10 in both rushing offense and rushing defense. Also, the Frogs are one of three teams ranked in the top-10 nationlly in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
- The TCU defense is ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, allowing only 226.3 yards per game.
- TCU has outscored their opponents by 107 points (134-27). Opponents have scored three touchdowns this year, two in the first quarter and one in the fourth.
Poll Notes
For the sixth consecutive week, the Frogs are ranked in the national polls. This week, TCU is ranked 16th by the Associated Press and 18th by ESPN/USA Today.
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.
Against the WAC
In four-plus seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, the Frogs have compiled a win-loss mark of 14-18 against WAC competition. However, TCU has won eight of their last 10 conference games. Nevada, the newest member of the WAC, was the 15th different conference opponent for the Frogs since joining the league in 1996.
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 all three games this season, including 265 yards against Arkansas State.
Last season, the Frogs were 4-0 when they surpassed the 240-yard barrier. Franchione-coached teams have won 29-of-33 games since 1992, when rushing for at least 240 yards. The game-by-game totals for 2000:
Opponent Att. Yards Avg. TDNevada 55 317 5.8 4Northwestern 69 387 5.6 3Arkansas State 44 255 5.8 4
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 TotalNevada 7 2 9Northwestern 9 2 11Arkansas State 6 4 10 NavyHawaii
Individual Rushing: Tomlinson (12), Printers (6), Layne (2) Stilley (1), Madison (1).
Individual Receiving: Maiden (1), James (2), Brown (2), Dunbar (1), M.Schobel (1), Layne (1).
Explosives by year Run Pass Total2000 22 8 301999 60 31 911998 38 16 54
LaDainian Tomlinson led the 1999 Frogs with 39. The single-game high under Franchione is 12, which the Frogs recorded in 1999 against Tulsa.
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 ReceptionsLaDainian Tomlinson, Senior 33Cedric James, Senior 25LaTarence Dunbar, Sophomore 25Tim Maiden, Senior 17Kevin Brown, Sophomore 12B.J. Roberts, Junior 7George Layne, Junior 6Matt Schobel, Junior 5Terran Williams, Sophomore 4Andrew Hayes-Stoker, Junior 2Chad Purcell, Senior 1
SOLID START FOR LT
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.
- Tomlinson ranks second in the nation in rushing with 186.3 yards per game. He is tied for first in scoring (14.0) and fifth in all-purpose yards (188.0).
- Tomlinson has rushed for 559 yards on 86 attempts this season, scoring seven touchdowns.
- Tomlinson has scored 42 points this season, 15 more than the TCU defense has allowed.
- Tomlinson has scored 15 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 86 yards to move 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 39. All 39 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 3,664 career rushing yards on 624 attempts. Last week, Tomlinson moved past Maryland's Lamont Jordan, who has rushed for 3,415 yards on 658 attempts. Last week, Jordan rushed for 88 yards on 24 carries against West Virginia. Anthony Thomas (Michigan) is third with 3,383 yards.
- LT is also moving his way up the WAC's career record lists. He is fifth in rushing yards with 3,664 yards. He needs 1,149 yards to pass Steve Bartalo (Colorado State) and become the Western Athletic Conference's all-time leading rusher. He is only 90 yards behind Woody Green (Arizona State) and 198 yards behind Mike Williams (New Mexico).
- Tomlinson's 39 career rushing touchdowns ranks sixth in WAC history. He is two behind Dee Dowis' (Air Force) 41 rushing TDs and three behind Air Force's Beau Morgan's 42 rushing TDs. He needs to score seven rushing touchdowns to move into the NCAA career top-25.
- He needs to rush for 1,284 yards, an average of 160.5 yards per game to move into the top-10 in NCAA Career rushing.
- He has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier on 13 occasions in his career, including seven times in 1999. Andre Davis owns the record with 16 career 100-yard games. The Frogs have a record of 10-3 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 131-64-2 record during his stints at Southwestern (Kan.), Pittsburg (Kan.) State, Southwest Texas State, New Mexico and TCU.
Coach Fran is 18-9 overall at TCU, 10-4 at home and 8-5 on the road (including neutral sites). The Frogs had won only 18 games in the previous four seasons. 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 16th among active NCAA Division I-A coaches in winning percentage (.670) and 13th in victories (131). 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 37 straight games in his TCU career.
Player, Class, Position StartsAaron Schobel, Senior, DE 37Mike Keathley, Senior, OL 30 Greg Walls, Senior, CB 28Shawn Worthen, Senior, DT 27Curtis Fuller, Senior, FS 26Shannon Brazzell, Senior, LB 25 Russell Gary, Senior, SS 25Jeff Millican, Senior, OL 25Jeff Garner, Senior, C 22David Bobo, Senior, OT 20LaDainian Tomlinson, Senior, TB 19B.J. Roberts, Junior, TE 16Jason Goss, Sophomore, CB 15Victor Payne, Junior, OL 15Chad Bayer, LB 15Casey Printers, Sophomore, QB 13Shane Ladewig, Senior, OL 12Tim Maiden, Senior, WR 12George Layne, Junior, FB 10
Experienced O-Line
Entering Saturday's contest against Navy, the TCU offensive line has combined to start 124 games. Mike Keathley leads the way with 30 starts in his TCU career. Guard Jeff Millican has 25 starts, center Jeff Garner has started 22 games and tackle David Bobo has 20 starts to his credit. Junior Victor Payne has started 15 games and senior backup guard Shane Ladewig has started 12 games.
O-Line Knockdown Blocks
After recording 139 knockdown blocks against Northwestern, the TCU offensive line posted 83 knockdowns against Arkansas State. The game-by-game totals for 2000 with the starters totals in parentheses.
Oppt. (total) Bobo Millican Garner Payne KeathleyNev. (88) 17 16 8 10 12NU (139) 30 33 25 36 13ASU (83) 12 16 12 11 14Totals (225) 47 49 33 46 25
Now Wearing #1, Casey Printers
In 13 career starts, Casey Printers has a 11-2 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 two weeks, Printers has completed 19-of-27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries. 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 1136 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 22-36-3 358 5 26 126 199 86-150-7 1213 8 32 -69 1Tot. 108-186-10 1571 13 58 57 2
Special Teams
Entering Saturday's contest at Navy, the Frogs are ranked first in both the WAC and the NCAA in kickoff returns and Net Punting, plus they are ranked sixth in punt returns.
The Frogs have returned five kicks for 180 yards, an average of 36.0 yards. TCU has returned nine punts for 166 yards, an 18.4 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.
Although punter Joey Biasatti's 43.7 average ranks 11th nationally, TCU leads the NCAA in net punting. None of Biasatti's 11 punts have been returned this year.
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.
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 37 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 22
Career Tackles Behind the LineRank Player Total1. Aaron Schobel, 1997- 56.52. 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 133 85 218 30.5-213 56.5-297
Tough Against the Run
In the last eight games, TCU has allowed only 349 yards rushing on 250 attempts, an average of 1.39 yards per attempt and 43.6 yards per game. This season, the Frogs have allowed 210 yards rushing on 108 attempts, an average of 1.9 yards per rush. TCU is ranked ninth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 70.0 yards per game. Overall, the Frogs are ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, allowing 226.3 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 27 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 Yds Passing Yds Total Yds NCAAYear Avg./GM Avg./Gm Allowed TDs Avg./GM Total Def. Rank1998 163.1 182.7 25 345.7 40th1999 100.9 183.5 24 284.5 5th2000 70.0 156.3 3 226.3 5th
Sack Attack
The 1999 TCU pass rush recorded a school-record tying 37 sacks. The 2000 Frogs are over halfway there. TCU has recorded 22 sacks in three 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 three 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 42 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in losses of 180 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 12
Run-Stopper
Shannon Brazzell is TCU's active leader in career tackles with 219, three ahead of teammate Aaron Schobel.
Player, Class Career TacklesShannon Brazzell, Senior 219Aaron Schobel, Senior 216Curtis Fuller, Senior 203Russell Gary, Senior 118Chad Bayer, Junior 115Terrance Maiden, Senior 108LaVar Veale, Senior 98Shawn Worthen, Junior 87Greg Walls, Junior 78
Points on the Board
The Frogs have scored points in 18 of 36 possessions this season... TCU's 134 points scored this season are the most scored over a three-game span since the 1990 Horned Frogs scored 134 against SMU (42-21), Arkansas (54-26) and Rice (38-28)... the Frogs would have to score at least 41 points against Navy to surpass the four-game record of 174, which was set by the 1932 team... TCU needs to average 28.5 points per game in the final eight 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 two of the first three 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 95 consecutive games... the last time the Frogs were shutout was a 32-0 blanking by Texas on November 15, 1991... 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 46.5 321.0 156.0 477.0
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
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.
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 8-3 against non-WAC opponents, including wins over USC and East Carolina. TCU has won five 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 will host the Hawaii Rainbows in a WAC contest. Kickoff for the Fox Sports Net regionally-televised game is set for 11 a.m. central time.
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... kicker Chris Kaylakie needs only 10 field goals to move into second in career field goals... 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.
