Frogs Hold 94-Play Scrimmage Friday
8/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 15, 2003
The TCU football squad went through a 94-play scrimmage on Friday morning on the grass at Amon G. Carter Stadium under sunny skies and warm temperatures. The Horned Frogs offense put the ball in the endzone three times against the TCU defense during the morning session.
"We were tired," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson. "I knew we were tired coming into the scrimmage, but we had to get it in. What I asked for today was effort, being smart and finishing. Each side of the ball had one additional focus. For offense, it was ball security and for defense it was tackling. We scrimmaged the younger guys more today as we continue to try to grow them up. We had some penalties, but most of them were on the "twos" and "threes," so that's a positive," added Patterson.
The Frogs three scoring plays came on a three-yard pass from Tye Gun to Reggie Harrell, and 21-yard burst up the middle by senior tailback Ricky Madison and a five-yard completion from Brandon Hassell to Cory Rodgers. The game's biggest plays were both pass receptions - a 47-yard completion from Gunn to tight end Cody McCarty and a 42-yard pass from Hassell to Bruce Galbert.
Gunn, the sophomore quarterback returning from a major knee injury last fall, was 7-for-17 for 98 yards, while Hassell completed 8-of-19 passes for 90 yards. Redshirt freshman Robert Merrill was the game's leading rusher with 10 carries for 47 yards. Ricky Madison added four carries for 29 yards, while sophomore Lonta Hobbs rushed five times for 17 yards.
"I thought Tye (Gunn) was a little rusty, but he had a little more patience today," said Patterson. "I was excited about how (true freshman) James Battle looked with the threes when he stepped out on the field.
"We have a lot of work to do to be the team that people think we're going to be," continued the third year head coach. "We have to keep improving. As far as I'm concerned, we only have about five guys that have starting spots sewn up. Everything else is still up for grabs."
The Frogs will be on the field twice on Saturday, including a kicking scrimmage during the morning session. "It's not a very long practice, but it's one of the most explosive practices we have," said Patterson of the kicking scrimmage. "As a coach, you know you have to do it, but you just kind of close your eyes and hope no one gets hurt."
RUSHING (Att.-Yds.):
Merrill 10-47; Madison 4-29; Hobbs 5-17; Ballard 1-6; Overshown 4-5; Battle 1-1; Stoglin 11-0; Kummer 2-0; LaMothe 1-(-1); Huffman 2-(-2); Hassell 3-(-14); Gunn 6-(-17). TEAM: 50-71.
PASSING (Att-Comp.-Int.-Yds.):
Gunn 17-7-0-98; Hassell 19-8-0-90; Kummer 3-1-0-7; Battle 2-2-0-7; Ballard 2-1-0-2; Huffman 1-0-1-0. TEAM: 44-19-1-204.
RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.):
Harrell 3-19; McCarty 2-71; Pearson 2-17; DePriest 2-14; Rodgers 2-7; Merrill 2-(-1); Galbert 1-42; Harmon 1-14; Dickerson 1-11; Madison 1-7; Cunigan 1-7; Overshown 1-(-4). TEAM: 19-204.
