Horned Frogs Host Cincinnati Saturday at 2 PM
11/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 14, 2003
QUICKLY: It's Senior Day at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth when the TCU Horned Frogs (9-0, 6-0) put their undefeated record on the line against the Cincinnati Bearcats in a Conference USA matchup on Saturday, November 15. The Frogs are ranked 10th in the country in the latest Associated Press poll and enter the contest as the ninth-ranked team in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. They were ninth in the country in both polls on October 28, 2000, the only time they've been ranked higher than this week since the end of the 1959 season. They are one of just two undefeated teams in the country, joining the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Horned Frogs have recorded their first 9-0 start since the national championship season of 1938 by posting wins over Tulane (38-35), Navy (17-3), Vanderbilt (30-14), Arizona (13-10 in OT), Army (27-0), USF (13-10), UAB (27-24), Houston (62-55) and Louisville (31-28). The Bearcats are 5-4 overall and 2-3 in Conference USA action. They are coming off a 31-24 win over Division I-AA Rhode Island.
FROGS EYE RECORD HOME WINNING STREAK: The Frogs are putting a 12-game home winning streak on the line. Their current streak matches the longest winning streak in school history, set from 1932-1934 They have posted consecutive home wins over Louisville (twice), SMU, North Texas, Houston, Southern Miss, Tulane, Memphis, Navy, Vanderbilt, Army and UAB. The last visiting team to leave Amon G. Carter Stadium with a victory was East Carolina. The Pirates defeated the Frogs 37-30 on October 30, 2001. TCU has won 24 of its last 26 home games, dating back to a loss to Arizona which opened the 1999 season.
SENIOR SALUTE: This contest marks the final home game for 18 seniors at TCU, one of the most successful classes in school history. Over the past four years, the Frogs have recorded 35 wins (10-6-10-9). That represents the best four-year total since the '38 seniors posted 36 wins (12-9-4-11). The school record for wins over a four-year period is 40, set from 1932-35. The 2003 seniors are: Andy Boerckel, Nick Browne, Corey Connally, Destiny Curlee, Devon Davis, Bruce Galbert, John Glud, Josh Goolsby, Kenny Hayter, Ricky Madison, Jon Morgan, Stanley Moss, Robert Pollard, Chad Pugh, Tyrone Sanders, Bo Schobel, Brandon Williams and Chris Wingate.
TCU HISTORY: This is the 107th year of intercollegiate football for TCU. The Frogs own an all-time record of 509-493-57. TCU has fielded a team every year since 1896, with the exception of the 1900 campaign. The Frogs have posted wins in 19 of their last 20 games since a 36-29 overtime loss at Cincinnati which opened the 2002 season.
THE LAST TIME OUT: The TCU Horned Frogs extended their winning streak to 11 straight games by outlasting the 25th-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 31-28 on Wednesday, November 5, in a nationally-televised game. Quarterback Brandon Hassell completed 17-of-27 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown and carried 11 times for 61 yards and another score. Reggie Harrell caught a career-high eight passes for a career-high 128 yards in the contest. The Frogs did not have a 100-yard rusher in the game, but totaled 210 yards on the ground on 46 carries. Nick Browne tied the school record for kicking points in a career as he tallied seven points in the contest to increase his career total to 259, matching the mark set by 1995 Lou Groza Award-winner Michael Reeder.
THEN THERE WERE TWO: TCU and Oklahoma are the only two undefeated teams in Division I football. Oklahoma owns a 12-game winning streak, the longest in the country, with TCU right behind with 11 consecutive wins.
LONGEST TCU WINNING STREAKS:
14 1937-1938
12 1999-2000
12 1932-1933
11 1934-1935
11 2002-2003
10 1928-1929
BCS TALK: The Frogs moved up three spots in the Bowl Championship Series Standings and come into this contest ranked sixth in the nation in the BCS. The ranking is the highest ever for a non-BCS school. If TCU can hold that ranking over the final three weeks of the season, they figure to end up in one of the BCS bowls- the Sugar, Rose, Orange or Fiesta.
JUST WIN BABY: Gary Patterson can't be accused of running up the score to secure additional votes in the polls, as five of the Frogs' nine victories have been by just a three-point margin and another was a seven-point win They have three-point wins over Tulane, Arizona, USF, UAB and Louisville and defeated Houston by a touchdown. The Frogs have nothing to apologize for, as they went from 1972-1984 without winning a single game by three points or fewer. They were 0-9 during that stretch in games decided by a field goal or less. Five of the Frogs last nine wins have been decided by three points or less. Prior to this season, they had won just five of the previous 49 games by three points or less.
BOWL ELIGIBLE: TCU is bowl eligible for a school-record sixth consecutive season. TCU had never appeared in bowl games in even three consecutive seasons prior to the current streak. TCU is one of just 18 Division I programs which 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.
9-0 AND LOOKING FOR MORE: The Frogs are off to a 9-0 start for the first time since the national championship season of 1938. They have been 9-0 five times in school history. Here's a look at those seasons, how they did in Game 10 and the Frogs' final record in those campaigns:
Year Game 10 Opponent Final Record
1920 L, 7-63 Centre College 9-1
1929 T, 7-7 SMU 9-0-1
1935 W, 27-6 Rice 12-1
1938 W, 20-7 at SMU 11-0
2003 ??? Cincinnati ???
TEN WIN SEASONS: A victory over Cincinnati would give the Frogs their second straight 10-win season and their third in the last four years. They have recorded 10 or more wins in a season just six times in school history: 1935 (12), 1938 (11), 1932 (10), 1933 (10), 2000 (10) and 2002 (10). To put that in perspective, the Frogs went from 1974-1980 winning just nine times combined!
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. and climbed to as high as ninth in both polls that year. The Frogs are 10th in the AP poll this week and come in as the ninth-ranked team according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.
TCU-UC...THE SERIES: This is the second meeting on the gridiron between these two schools. Cincinnati overcame a 15-point deficit in the final 5:17 of regulation and came away with a 36-29 overtime victory on September 2, 2002 in the season-opener for both squads. The Frogs dominated much of the game, but had to settle for a school record five field goals from Nick Browne, keeping the Bearcats within striking distance. The Frogs intercepted Cincy QB Gino Guidugli four times in the game.
FIRST HALF SUCCESS: TCU has trailed heading into halftime in just one of its last 21 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.
QUARTERBACK TANDEM: The Frogs have received solid play from the quarterback position whether Tye Gunn or Brandon Hassell has been under center. The two have combined to hit 57.7 percent of their passes for 2,106 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing just five interceptions. The Frogs are averaging 234.0 yards through the air. In fact, the Frogs have already thrown for more yards in nine games this year (2,106) than they did during the entire 12-game schedule of 2002 (2,003).
GUNN HOLSTERED AGAIN: Quarterback Tye Gunn suffered a groin injury in the third quarter of the win over UAB and has not played in the last two games. He is doubtful for the Cincinnati game. Gunn has been hampered by injuries all season. After blowing out his knee against Southern Miss a year ago, Gunn started each of the Frogs' first two games this year before suffering a separated right (throwing) shoulder in practice on September 9. He returned to the starting lineup at USF and also started against UAB. For his career, he is 118-for-193 (61.1 pct). for 1,420 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He is 8-0 as a starter and the Frogs have averaged 32.1 points per game when he starts.
NO HASSELL TO PLAY BRANDON: Junior Brandon Hassell has started five games at quarterback this season. He also led the Frogs to a come-from-behind win over UAB, subbing for the injured Tye Gunn. In addition to the most important statistic (5-0 as a starter), Hassell has completed 78-of-139 passes (56.1 percent) for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. He threw for 375 yards at Houston, the eighth most prolific passing game in TCU history, with four touchdowns, one shy of the school record and the most since Casey Printers threw four against SMU in 2000. In the last two games, Hassell has completed 34-of-54 passes (63.0 percent) for 626 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Hassell had appeared briefly in two collegiate games but had never thrown a pass prior to the Vanderbilt contest this season. Due to an injury to Tye Gunn, Hassell went through the entire 2003 spring practice session as the team's number one quarterback. The Frogs are averaging 32.6 points when he starts.
RETURN OF THE RUNNING GAME: The Frogs have gotten the running game back on track. In the last three games, TCU has rushed 159 times for 829 yards and nine TDs. They have averaged 276.3 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry during the three-game stretch. Their season-high 407 yard rushing day at Houston was the high mark since 1999 vs. UTEP (475). For the season, the Frogs are averaging 209.0 yards rushing per game, ranking second in the conference and 17th in the nation. The Frogs have had six 100-yard rushing games this season, four by Robert Merrill and one each by Lonta Hobbs and Ricky Madison.
THE NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman Robert Merrill has quickly made his presence felt at the Division I level. After not appearing in the backfield in either of the season's first two games, Merrill posted three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. In his first career start, he rushed 31 times for 148 yards in the win over Arizona. He went for a career-high 204 yards on 22 carries against Houston, an average of 9.3 yards per game, including a career-long run of 58 yards. In just seven games in the backfield, Merrill has recorded 150 carries for 800 yards and two touchdowns, an average of 114.3 yards/game, and four 100-yard games.
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 the remaining 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, a member of the pre-season Doak Walker Watch List, has been hampered by a right ankle injury for much of the season. He looked healthy against Houston when he rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, his sixth career 100-yard game.
HARRELL HURDLES UP CHARTS: 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 41 receptions (after having just 13 in 2002) for 732 yards, an average of 17.9 yards per catch. He has caught at least three passes in each game this season, including a career-high eight receptions for a career-high 128 yards in the victory over Louisville. He also had a 127-yard receiving performance at Arizona, including a 98-yard touchdown reception, his first career TD. With 732 yards in nine games (81.3 yards per game), Harrell already is 10th on the single-season yards receiving charts at TCU and needs just 139 yards over the final four games (34.75 yards per game) to match the school record of 871 yards receiving in a season, set by James Maness in 1984.
RED ZONE SUCCESS: The Frogs have a huge advantage in the red zone this season. They have scored on 33 of 38 opportunities (88 percent), including 21 touchdowns and have tallied 184 points. Meanwhile, TCU has allowed opponents just 19 scores in 29 tries in the red zone (66 percent) for a total of 105 points. TCU has scored in 15 straight and in 19 of its last 20 times in the red zone.
BETTER OF LATE: The Frogs have done a better job of putting the ball in the end zone when getting into the red zone of late. In fact, nine of TCU's last 11 ventures into the red zone have resulted in a touchdown.
KICK WITH NICK: Senior placekicker Nick Browne is one of the top field goal kickers in the nation. He has hit on 13 of his last 14 field goal attempts and is 18-for-21 on the season. A Lou Groza Award semifinalist for the second straight year, Browne is a perfect 3-for-3 in his career from 50 yards out, including one vs. Vanderbilt earlier this year. He is tied for fifth in the nation with an average of 2.00 field goals made per game. He has been named the C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week four times this season and eight times in his career. He kicked a school record five field goals last season at Cincinnati. He is tied with 1995 Lou Groza Award winner Michael Reeder for the top spot on the all-time scoring list for kickers at TCU with 259 points and is tied with Reeder for second in career points at TCU regardless of position. Browne was a pre-season all-America candidate and the defending placekicker 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 was the pre-season co-favorite to win the 2003 Special Teams Player of the Year award.
CAREER KICKING POINTS AT TCU
Nick Browne (2001-03) 259
Michael Reeder (1994-97) 259
Chris Kaylakie (1998-2000) 237
CAREER POINTS AT TCU
LaDainian Tomlinson (1999-2000) 324
Nick Browne (2001-03) 259
Michael Reeder (1994-97) 259
Chris Kaylakie (1998-2000) 237
MR. RODGERS NEIGHBORHOOD: Red-shirt freshman Cory Rodgers has been hot of late. He had the best game of his career at Houston when he hauled in six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. It was the high mark for a TCU receiver since Adrian Madise logged 177 yards vs. Southern Miss in 2001 and the ninth best in school history. He also scored on a rushing touchdown on his only carry. Rodgers had just six catches for 71 yards and no touchdowns through the season's first four games, but has caught 21 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns in the last five games. He also has two rushing TDs in that five-game stretch. Rodgers also handles the Frogs kickoff and punt return duties and leads the squad with 118.6 all purpose yards per game.
SCHOBEL SACKS 'EM: Senior defensive end Bo Schobel is showing why he is an all-America candidate. He leads C-USA in sacks and in tackles for loss this season, figuring in on 10.5 sacks and on 16 tackles for loss. His 10 1/2 sacks this season establishes a new school record. The previous mark of 10.0 sacks was set by his cousin, Aaron Schobel, in 1999. He was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week at USF. With 29 sacks as a team, the Frogs easily lead Conference USA. USF is second with 26.
RECOGNIZING SCHOBEL: Defensive end Bo Schobel's feats have not gone unnoticed. Not only is he an all-America candidate, he is one of six finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation's top defensive end, and is one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's top lineman. He 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
PICKIN' & GRINNIN': The Frogs have intercepted 13 passes in nine games this season after recording 22 interceptions in 12 games last year. They are tied for 19th nationally this year with 13 interceptions.
THORPE SEMIFINALIST: Cornerback Mark Walker has intercepted five passes in the last seven games and has six picks in his last 10 regular season contests. His five interceptions lead Conference USA and his 0.56 interceptions per game ranks tied for 13th in the nation. He was recently named one of 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back.
MEET YOU ANYTIME: The Frogs have games scheduled for every day of the week except Sunday and Tuesday. They scheduled Tulane on a Monday, Louisville on a Wednesday, Southern Miss on a Thursday, USF on a Friday and eight games on Saturday.
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: The Frogs are winning the turnover battle, 21-13 after nine games, averaging a plus-0.89 per game, tying Louisville for the top mark in the league and 14th in the nation. More importantly, TCU has come out ahead in points off turnovers. The 13 turnovers by the Horned Frog offense (8 fumbles, 5 interceptions) have led to just 17 points for the opposition, while the Frogs have turned 21 turnovers (13 interceptions, 8 fumbles) into 69 TCU points.
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. Schobel and Pugh are pre-season all-league selections, according to the league's coaches. The trio has made 71 career starts. Pugh leads the way with 26, followed by Pollard (23), Schobel (22).
PLAYING SHORT: The Frogs have started 18 drives in their opponents territory, resulting in 13 scores (7 TDs and 6 FG), three punts, one interception and one clock expired. TCU's opponents have started 13 possessions in Horned Frog territory but have come away with just four scores (3 TDs, 1 FG).
RE-ESTABLISHING THE TRADITION: The Frogs have assured themselves of posting a .500 or better record for the sixth straight season. The last time TCU recorded six consecutive winning seasons was from 1955-60. TCU has had a winning campaign in eight of the last 10 years including 2003 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 50-19 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.
TEXAS FLAVOR: The TCU squad is full of home-grown talent with only nine players on the original fall list of 105 coming from outside the state lines. Of those on the depth chart, only Chase Johnson, Andrew Calovich and Reeves Dalton grew up outside the Lone Star state.
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.
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 meet in Sacramento 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.
INJURY BUG: The Frogs have overcome their share of injuries this season. Senior tailback Ricky Madison, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week in the season-opener at Tulane, was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in the season's second game. All-America candidate Marvin Godbolt was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury at Arizona in the season's fourth game. He had four interceptions in the first four games. Starting defensive tackle Brandon Johnson suffered a knee injury and has not played since the Houston game. Starting quarterback Tye Gunn has started just four of nine games due to a shoulder and a groin injury. In addition, defensive tackle Richard Evans, an all-conference candidate, was lost just prior to the start of the season due to academics.
REMEMBERING 1938: The Frogs are 9-0 in a season for the first time since 1938, 65 years ago. Here are some of the events of that year:
* The March of Dimes is established by FDR.
* Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
* "Superman" first published in comic book form.
* Howard Hughes sets record by completing 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
* Orson Welles's radio adaption of The War of the World is broadcast, causing mass panic in the eastern United States.
* MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture.
* Glenn Cunningham breaks the world record for the indoor mile run by completing the distance in 4:04.4.
* Don Budge becomes the first male tennis player to complete the Grand Slam in tennis of all four championships.
* In what was billed as the "Match of the Century", Seabiscuit defeated the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing champion, War Admiral.
* The Dutch Meyer-led Horned Frogs, behind quarterback Davey O'Brien, rolled to 11 straight wins, including a 15-7 triumph over Carnegie Tech in the Sugar Bowl. The club outscored its opponents 269-60 and never found itself behind, except briefly in the Sugar Bowl encounter.
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.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Frogs will have a short week to get ready for their final conference game of the season, a November 20 date with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. An ESPN national television audience will be watching the 6:30 p.m. start, which will decide the Conference USA champion. TCU leads the series 3-1, winning last year in Fort Worth in a 37-7 rout and winning in Hattiesburg two years ago by a 14-12 score. The Frogs will wrap up the season against SMU in Dallas on Saturday, November 29. The winner of that rivalry game takes home the Iron Skillet. The all-time series is tied, 38-38-7, but TCU has won each of the last four contests by a combined score of 138-23.
FAMILY TIES: The Frogs have several family members with ties to TCU and football. 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 is the son of Bob Pollard, who played 11 seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Cardinals. Jeremy Modkins is the brother of Curtis Modkins, who 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 Talbert, 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.
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: The TCU Leadership Council is a 12-member unit represented by a player from each position. The 2003 unit consists of placekicker Nick Browne, running backs Corey Connally and Ricky Madison, wide receiver Bruce Galbert, offensive guard John Glud, safety Marvin Godbolt, linebacker Josh Goolsby, quarterback Tye Gunn, tight end Stanley Moss, defensive ends Robert Pollard and Bo Schobel and cornerback Tyrone Sanders.
BOWL TIE-INS: Conference USA will have five bowl tie-ins this season . The champion of Conference USA will go to the AXA Liberty Bowl and the league will also send teams to the GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Ala.), Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl and New Orleans Bowl.
NFL ON THE HORIZON: The Frogs sent eight players from the 2002 senior class to NFL training camps, four from the offense and four from the defense. Wide receivers LaTarence Dunbar and Adrian Madise each were drafted, while Jason Goss, Kenneth Hilliard, Reggie Holts, LaMarcus McDonald, Jamal Powell and John Turntine signed free agent contracts. Over the past three years, TCU has had 19 players gain tryouts in NFL training camps, the most of any Texas-based university.
