Frogs Set To Host Army on Saturday
10/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2003
QUICKLY: The TCU Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0) return to Conference USA action as they host the Army Black Knights (0-4, 0-2) in a 6:05 p.m. contest on W.A. "Monty & Tex" Moncrief Field at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday. The Horned Frogs posted a win at Tulane (38-35), followed by home victories over Navy (17-3) and Vanderbilt (30-14) before winning last week at Arizona in overtime by a 13-10 count. TCU enters the game ranked 20th in the country in the Associated Press poll and as the 21st-ranked team according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The Cadets are winless in four games overall, and are 0-2 in C-USA action. They have dropped contests to Connecticut, Rutgers, Tulane and South Florida. This is their first road contest of the season.
RADIO COVERAGE: Due to contractual obligations with Major League Baseball, the TCU-Army game will be broadcast on 50,000-watt WBAP-AM Radio (820), along with KTCU-FM (88.7) in Fort Worth. Brian Estridge, John Denton and Jeff Williams describe the action.
TCU HISTORY: This is the 107th year of intercollegiate football for TCU. The Frogs own an all-time record of 504-493-57. TCU has fielded a team every year since 1896, with the exception of the 1900 campaign. With a 30-10 record since the start of the 2000 season, the Frogs are one of the nation's top winning teams this century. The Frogs have posted wins in 14 of their last 15 games.
PATTERSON'S POINTS: On the win over Arizona: "It was a great victory to come back and do what we did, but we paid a price for it. We lost some good players in that game. We played good defense, but we didn't execute offensively in the red zone. You have to make plays when you go on the road. We had too many penalties. We were real lucky to come out with a victory, but that's what winning teams do. You have to find a way." On the kicking of Nick Browne: "Nick's quality. He's been a guy who has bailed us out, both last year and this year." On returning to conference play: "We're more beat up than we were a year ago. We've got to be able to find a way to win." On Army: "Every time we've played them, it's been a hard-fought game. They have a lot of players from Texas on their roster. Every time they come back here it's like the Alamo."
THE LAST TIME OUT: The TCU Horned Frogs ran their record to 4-0 with a 13-10 overtime win at Arizona last Saturday night. Nick Browne connected on a 24-yard field goal with 1:07 remaining in regulation, then won it on a 33-yard field goal in overtime. Arizona had the ball first in the extra period, but Jeremy Modkins intercepted a pass, setting up Browne's game-winning heroics. The Frogs outgained the Wildcats by a 452-309 margin. Robert Merrill, making his first career start, rushed 31 times for 148 yards. Brandon Hassell, making just his second career start, completed 12 of 24 passes for 246 yards, including a 98-yard scoring strike to Reggie Harrell. Harrell finished the night with four catches for 127 yards. The TCU defense intercepted four Arizona passes, including two picks by Mark Walker.
4-0 AND LOOKING FOR MORE: The Frogs are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2000 season (when the team opened 7-0 before losing at San Jose State) and for the second time since 1991 (when they opened 4-0 before losing to Arkansas). Prior to that, the last time TCU was 4-0 was in 1955 (before losing to Texas A&M) . Prior to 2000, the last time they were 5-0 was in 1942 when they started 5-0 before losing to Baylor.
LUCKY 13: The Horned Frogs defeated Arizona despite scoring just 13 points. It was the fewest points TCU has recorded in a game since dropping a 28-9 decision in the 2001 galleryfurniture.com Bowl to Texas A&M and the fewest points in a Horned Frog victory since defeating Oklahoma State by a 13-11 count on October 3, 1992.
BIG PLAY HELPS: Brandon Hassell connected with Reggie Harrell for a 98-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter at Arizona. It was the second longest touchdown pass in TCU history, topped only by a 99-yarder from Scott Ankrom to James Maness against Rice in 1984. It was also the second touchdown pass of 80 yards or more for the Frogs this season, as Tye Gunn and Ricky Madison hooked up on an 80-yard score at Tulane.
BIG PLAYS HURT: The Frogs gave up four passing plays to Arizona which accounted for 198 yards (52, 44, 58 and 44 yard completions). In the Wildcats other 55 plays, the TCU defense held them to just 111 yards (2.0 yards/play).
HARRELL HITS A HUNDRED: Reggie Harrell caught four passes for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win at Arizona. It was the first 100-yard receiving day of his career and the first for a TCU player since LaTarence Dunbar had 111 receiving yards in the 2002 win over SMU. It was the most receiving yards since Adrian Madise logged 177 vs. Southern Miss in 2001. Harrell also notched his first career touchdown.
MERRILL CARRIES THE LOAD: Redshirt freshman Robert Merrill, making his first career start, carried the pigskin 31 times for 148 yards in the win over Arizona. Included was a 34-yard burst, the longest rush by a TCU player this season. Not included was an 80-yard scamper that was called back because of a penalty. Merrill has been impressive since taking over as the number one tailback following injuries to Ricky Madison and Lonta Hobbs. In just two games in the backfield, Merrill has responded with 60 carries for 267 yards and a touchdown. He also has caught four passes for 48 yards.
HASSELL STEPS UP: Junior Brandon Hassell has started each of the last two games at quarterback for TCU and has posted solid passing numbers. In addition to the most important statistic (2-0 as a starter), Hassell has completed 27-of-54 passes for 473 yards and two touchdowns. Hassell had appeared briefly in two collegiate games but had never thrown a pass prior to the Vanderbilt contest. Due to an injury to Tye Gunn, Hassell went through the entire 2003 spring practice session as the team's number one quarterback.
PICKIN' & GRINNIN': The Frogs intercepted four passes in the win at Arizona, two by Mark Walker and one each by Marvin Godbolt and Jeremy Modkins. The Frogs have intercepted nine passes in four games this season after recording 22 interceptions last year. They are tied for fifth nationally with nine interceptions.
WALKER PICKS 'EM: Cornerback Mark Walker intercepted two passes in the game at Arizona. He has three interceptions in his last two games and four picks in his last five regular season games. He is tied for eighth in the country with 0.75 interceptions per game.
GODBOLT STRIKES AGAIN: Weak safety Marvin Godbolt logged an interception at Arizona. He has recorded an interception in each of the season's first four games. Godbolt now has a team-high seven career interceptions and is tied for the nation's lead, averaging 1.0 interception per game.
BROCK PARTY: Wide receiver Marcus Brock became the first true freshman of this year's recruiting class to see action for TCU when he entered the game at Arizona.
BROWNE HONORED: For the second week in a row, placekicker Nick Browne was selected as the C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the win at Arizona.
LEADING AT THE HALF: TCU has trailed heading into halftime in just one of its last 16 contests. The only time the Frogs have trailed at the intermission since the 2001 galleryfurniture-.com Bowl loss to Texas A&M was a 3-0 deficit to Navy on September 6, 2003.
BIG CROWDS TURN OUT: The Frogs went over the 35,000 mark in home attendance for the second straight game as they put 37,192 into Amon G. Carter Stadium to see TCU take on Vandy. It was the largest home crowd since the TCU-Army game (38,168) on October 20, 2001. The Frogs have never had three consecutive home crowds of over 35,000.
HOME WINNING STREAK AT NINE: The Frogs' 30-14 win over Vanderbilt on September 20 extended TCU's home winning streak to nine, dating back to a 37-30 loss to East Carolina on October 30, 2001. The school record for consecutive home wins is 12 from 1932-34. The Frogs won 11 straight home games from 1999-2000 before a loss to Northwestern (La.) State in 2001 season ended the streak. TCU has won 21 of its last 23 home games, dating back to a loss to Arizona which opened the 1999 season.
GAME CAPTAINS: The Frogs have captains assigned for each game: Tulane: QB Tye Gunn, OG John Glud, DE Bo Schobel, CB Tyrone Sanders. Navy: OG John Glud, CB Tyrone Sanders, LB Josh Goolsby, WS Marvin Godbolt. Vanderbilt: DE Bo Schobel, WS Marvin Godbolt, DE Robert Pollard, WR Bruce Galbert. Arizona: DE Robert Pollard, OG John Glud, WR Bruce Galbert, LB Martin Patterson and WR Chris Wingate.
TCU-ARMY: This is third meeting between TCU and the Cadets of Army. TCU leads the series 2 games to 0. The Frogs posted a 38-20 win in Fort Worth in 2001, then won by a 46-27 count in West Point, New York last season.
LAST YEAR'S CONTEST: Ricky Madison led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown as TCU overcame seven fumbles and some key penalties to defeat Army, 46-27. The Frogs rolled up 265 yards on the ground and Tye Gunn completed 12-of-15 passes for 147 yards and a score. Lonta Hobbs added touchdown runs of 3 and 62 yards. The Frogs built a 23-7 lead in the contest, but the Black Knights rallied to close the gap to 23-20 early in the third quarter before the Frogs put the game away.
IT'S ALL ACADEMIC: The Frogs are 6-1-1 all-time against the three military academies, including wins in each of their last six contests. The Frogs defeated Navy by a 17-3 count earlier this season. TCU is 2-1-1 against Air Force and 2-0 versus Navy in addition to being 2-0 against Army. TCU's last loss to an academy was a 21-10 setback at Air Force in 1987.
IN THE POLLS: The Frogs opened the season ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll. It marked just the second time since 1960 that TCU was ranked among the nation's elite in the pre-season poll. They began the 2000 season ranked 20th by the A.P. The Frogs have climbed to 20th in the AP poll this week and come in as the 21st-ranked team according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.
WORKING OVERTIME: With its 13-10 overtime win at Arizona last week, TCU improved to 2-3 all-time in games decided in extra stanzas and snapped a three-game losing streak in those contests. Their only other overtime victory was a 19-16 win over Vanderbilt in two overtimes in 1998. Their losses have come at Fresno State in 1999, to Northwestern State in 2001 and at Cincinnati in 2002.
GUNN HOLSTERED: Starting quarterback Tye Gunn has been sidelined after injuring his right (throwing) shoulder during practice on September 9. Gunn took every snap for the Frogs in their first two games but did not play against Vanderbilt or Arizona. He is 31-for-47 (66.0 pct.) for 416 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions this season. For his career, he is 88-for-138 (64.8 pct). for 1,048 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He is 6-0 as a starter and the Frogs have averaged 36.2 points per game when he starts.
RUNNING GAME SHINES: The Frogs went into the season with a "three-headed monster" at tailback. Despite being hit by injuries, the trio of senior Ricky Madison, sophomore Lonta Hobbs and redshirt freshman Robert Merrill has proven to be solid, as TCU has averaged 192.50 yards per game on the ground, ranking 22nd in the nation in rushing offense.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK: The Frogs have produced a 100-yard rusher in 10 of their last 11 games with three different backs reaching that plateau. Seniors Corey Connally and Kenny Hayter also have had 100-yard rushing days in their collegiate careers, giving the Frogs' five backs who have gone over the century mark.
MADISON OUT FOR SEASON: The Frogs will be without the services of tailback Ricky Madison for the remainder of the season. Madison injured his right knee in the win over Navy and underwent arthroscopic surgery on September 11. Madison was the star of the Tulane game, rushing 23 times for 115 yards, his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, and catching a career-high three passes for 91 yards, including an 80-yard scamper. He was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Madison has carried the ball 377 times in his career for 1,536 yards, including a career-high 719 yards as a junior when he averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
THE NATURAL: Sophomore Lonta Hobbs. proved to be "the natural" when the Frogs took off his redshirt for game 5 of the 2002 season. In just eight games, he rushed for 1,029 yards (6.6 yards per carry) in breaking all the Frogs' freshman rushing records. He was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year, was TCU's offensive MVP and was a fourth team Freshman All-American. His yardage total increased in each of his first seven contests, culminating with a career-high 287 yards on 33 carries in the regular-season finale against Memphis. This season, Hobbs has 181 yards through three games, and was limited to five carries for 40 yards and a touchdown in the win over Vanderbilt, leaving with a right ankle injury. He did not appear in the win at Arizona. He is on the pre-season Doak Walker Watch List.
SCORING MACHINE: Lonta Hobbs scored three rushing touchdowns in the Labor Day win over Tulane and added a rushing touchdown against both Navy and Vanderbilt. He has logged 17 rushing touchdowns (and one receiving TD) in just 11 games, tying Cy Leland for sixth on TCU's career rushing touchdown list.
HARRELL STEPS UP: Junior wide receiver Reggie Harrell has become the 'go-to' guy, as he's been asked to fill the big shoes vacated by graduated seniors LaTarence Dunbar (Atlanta Falcons), Adrian Madise (Denver Broncos), Kevin Brown and Terran Williams. Harrell has all the tools to be a great one with excellent size (6-3, 209) and speed (national semifinalist in the 110m high hurdles). He leads the squad with 17 receptions (after having just 13 in 2002) for 324 yards, an average of 19.1 yards per catch. He has caught at least four passes in each game this season, including a career-high five receptions in the victory over Navy and a career-high 127 yards in the win at Arizona, including a 98-yard touchdown reception, his first career TD.
RED ZONE SUCCESS: The Frogs have a huge advantage in the red zone this season. They have scored on 14 of 18 opportunities, including nine touchdowns, after entering the opponents' 20 yard line, totaling 78 points. Meanwhile, TCU has allowed opponents just five scores in 11 tries in the red zone for a total of just 27 points.
RARELY IN THE THIRD: The Frogs have done a great job of making adjustments at halftime, as they have outscored their opponents by a 27-7 margin in the third quarter this season. Going back to last season, they have allowed just 10 points in the third quarter over their last six games. However, the Frogs have allowed 31 points in the first three quarters combined and 31 points in the fourth quarter alone.
WINNING THE TURNOVER WAR: The Frogs are winning the turnover battle, 12-9 after four games. Even more importantly, TCU has come out ahead in points off turnovers. The nine turnovers by the Horned Frog offense (6 fumbles, 3 interceptions) have led to just 17 points for the opposition, while the Frogs have turned 12 turnovers (9 interceptions, 3 fumbles) into 42 points scored by the TCU offense.
DID YOU KNOW... The Frogs held Arizona to zero first downs rushing? It was just the second time since 1930 that's been accomplished.
KICK WITH NICK: Senior placekicker Nick Browne has hit on seven of his nine field goal attempts this season, including a career-tying 50-yarder against Vanderbilt. He ranks third on the all-time scoring list for kickers at TCU with 209 points. The Lou Groza Award candidate is also fourth on the list for points scored at TCU regardless of position. Browne is a pre-season all-America candidate and the defending kicker on the first team Verizon academic all-America squad. He was Playboy magazine's 2003 Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was a first team all-league selection a year ago and is a pre-season co-favorite to win the 2003 Special Teams Player of the Year award.
TOP RANKED DEFENSE: TCU finished the 2002 season with the nation's top-ranked defense. The Frogs allowed just 240.25 yards per game and surrendered over 300 yards just once all year. It marked the second time in three years that TCU led the nation in total defense, also earning that distinction in 2000 when they allowed an average of 245.0 yards per game. The Frogs currently lead Conference USA in total defense and are ranked 26th in the country, allowing 306.25 yards per game.
STOPPING THE RUN: TCU led the country in stopping the run in 2002, allowing just 64.83 yards per game. The Frogs were the only team in the country to allow less than two yards per carry during the season. TCU picked up where it left off last season in the opener at Tulane. The Frogs held the Green Wave to 66 yards rushing, including just 42 by pre-season C-USA Offensive Player of the Year Mewelde Moore. Navy had a little more success, grinding out 132 rushing yards but only 23 came after intermission. Vanderbilt was held to 90 net rushing yards on 32 carries and had just 18 yards on 15 carries after halftime. Arizona had just 33 yards on 29 carries. For the season, TCU is first in the league and 12th in the nation, allowing 80.25 yards rushing per game.
SENIOR CITIZENS: The Frogs have a defensive line that is long on experience. The Frogs boast a starting lineup of three seniors in ends Bo Schobel and Robert Pollard and tackle Chad Pugh, and a junior in Brandon Johnson. Schobel, Pollard and Pugh are returning starters, while Schobel and Pugh are pre-season all-league selections, according to the league's coaches. The quartet has made 67 career starts. Pugh leads the way with 21, followed by Pollard (18), Schobel (17), Johnson (11).
DISTINCT TEXAS FLAVOR: The TCU football team is full of home-grown talent with only nine players on the original fall list of 105 coming from outside the state lines. Only two players on the two-deep, Chase Johnson, and Andrew Calovich grew up outside the Lone Star state.
FAMILY TIES: The Frogs have several players with family ties to TCU and the NFL. Bo Schobel is a cousin of former TCU standouts Aaron and Matt Schobel, both of whom now play in the NFL - Aaron with Buffalo and Matt with Cincinnati. Robert Pollard's father, Bob, played 11 seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Cardinals. Jeremy Modkins' brother, Curtis, ranks sixth on TCU's all-time career rushing chart. Matthew Grimmett's father, Frankie, lettered in football at TCU in the early 1970s. Cody McCarty's father, Mickey, is one of the all-time greats in TCU basketball history. Brad Talbert's father, Don, played professionally for the Cowboys, Falcons and Saints, and uncle, Diron, was a standout for the Rams and Redskins. Chad Huffman's father, Royce, Sr., played football at TCU, while his brother, Royce, Jr., played both football and baseball for the Horned Frogs.
GAME DAY ASSIGNMENTS: Mike Schultz, Dick Winder, Kyle Nystrom and Chad Glasgow work out of the press box on game day. Joining head coach Gary Patterson on the sidelines are David Bailiff, Eddie Williamson, Jarrett Anderson and Dan Sharp.
LONG & WINDING ROAD: The Frogs have 12 games on the regular season schedule this season. They have played 12 games each of the last five years, but that includes bowl appearances. They have not played 12 regular season games since 1936.
MEET YOU ANYTIME: The Frogs have games scheduled for every day of the week except Sunday and Tuesday. They played Tulane on Monday, and have Louisville slated on a Wednesday, Southern Miss on a Thursday, USF on a Friday and eight games on Saturday.
ALL-AMERICA NOD TO SANDERS: TCU senior cornerback Tyrone Sanders is an all-America athlete, but that claim to fame comes on the track, not on the football field. Sanders ran the leadoff leg on TCU's 4x100 meter relay unit that placed sixth at the NCAA outdoor track & field championships in June.
OTHER FLYIN' FROG STARS: Tyrone Sanders is not the only Horned Frog football player to stand out on the track. Wide receiver Reggie Harrell reached the national semi-finals in the 110-meter high hurdles at the NCAA Championships in June. He is the defending Conference USA champion in both the indoor and outdoor high hurdles. Junior safety Chris Peoples participated in the NCAA outdoor track & field championships in the high jump. Peoples established a new school record with a best jump of 7-3.25, earning him a silver medal at the C-USA Championships. Needing just one day of practice, Shane Sims earned a fifth place finish at the C-USA Indoor Championships in the shot put with a mark of 49-11.25.
10-WIN CAMPAIGNS: TCU has recorded two 10-win seasons in the past three years. They have won 10 or more games six times in school history: 1932 (10), 1933 (10), 1935 (12), 1938 (11), 2000 (10) and 2002 (10).
FROGS POST 10-2 MARK IN 2002: The TCU Horned Frogs earned a share of the Conference USA title and a spot as the league's representative in the AXA Liberty Bowl by going 6-2 in conference action and 9-2 during the 2002 regular season. The Frogs then defeated #23 Colorado State, 17-3, in the bowl game to finish the season with a 10-2 record and ranked in both polls: 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 23rd in the Associated Press poll. Gary Patterson was named the C-USA Coach of the Year, linebacker LaMarcus McDonald was the league's Defensive Player of the Year and Lonta Hobbs was recognized as the league's Freshman of the Year.
TCU BOWLS INTO HISTORY: The Horned Frogs made their fifth straight bowl appearance following the 2002 season. TCU had never appeared in bowl games in three consecutive seasons prior to the current streak. TCU is one of just 18 Division I programs that has gone to a bowl game in each of the past five seasons. The list includes four teams the SEC (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee); three teams from the Big 12 (Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas); two from the ACC (Florida State and Georgia Tech), the Big Ten (Michigan and Purdue), the Big East (Miami and Virginia Tech) and the Pac-10 (Oregon and Washington); Conference USA rival Louisville and Marshall from the MAC.
RE-ESTABLISHING THE TRADITION: The Frogs have posted a .500 or better record in five straight seasons. The last time TCU recorded as many as five consecutive winning seasons was during the 1950s when they recorded six straight .500 or better ledgers from 1955-60. TCU has had a winning campaign in seven of the last nine years after logging just three winning seasons (1971, 1984 and 1991) in the previous 28 campaigns.
RETURN TO GLORY: After posting just three winning seasons in 13 years from 1985-1997, including a 1-10 campaign in 1997, the Frogs have turned the corner. TCU has posted a 45-19 record since the start of the 1998 season. The Horned Frogs have recorded three conference championships and a trio of bowl victories over the last five years.
WINNING WAYS: The 2002 senior class was on the winning side of the ledger 34 times over the past four years, the best four-year total since the 1935-38 teams posted 36 wins. The 2003 Horned Frog seniors entered their final campaign with 26 victories under their belts. The school record for wins over a four-year period is 40, set from 1932-35.
SCHOBEL TO SHRINE: Defensive end Bo Schobel has been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Classic in January. He will become the third Schobel to play in the game. Aaron played following the 2000 season and Matt played following the 2001 campaign.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Frogs will receive national exposure again next week when they travel to Tampa, Florida to face the South Florida Bulls in Conference USA action. The rare Friday night clash is set for an 8 p.m. local start (7 p.m. Central time) and will be carried live by ESPN2.
