TCU Spring Football Preview
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 2, 2004
The TCU Horned Frogs head into their spring practice poised to pick up where they left off a season ago, when the posted 11 victories, climbed as high as number six in the BCS poll and finished the season ranked among the nation's top 25 for the second straight season and for the third time in the last four years.
The strength of this year's squad, according to fourth year head coach Gary Patterson, is on the offensive side of the ball. The Frogs return all starters except at fullback, one receiver and one offensive lineman. The Frogs appear to be loaded at the skill positions, returning their top two quarterbacks (Brandon Hassell and Tye Gunn), top two tailbacks (Robert Merrill and Lonta Hobbs) and top two wide outs (Reggie Harrell and Cory Rodgers). The offensive line and the tight end positions should also be areas of strength with four of five starting o-linemen and two of the top three tight ends returning. The defense, traditionally a strong suit under Patterson, has several holes to fill with the loss of six starters, including three on the defensive line, but few opponents will feel sorry for the TCU coach.
The strength on defense, according to Patterson, looks to be in the secondary. The Frogs return starters Mark Walker and Jeremy Modkins to the defensive backfield and will welcome the return of All-America candidate Marvin Godbolt, following a season-ending knee injury. A pair of junior college cornerbacks add to the strength in the secondary. The Frogs return their leading tackler in linebacker Martin Patterson, while the infusion of a pair of junior college defensive linemen will help in the growing up process along the front.
The Frogs have a couple of new coaches joining the staff this season, both of whom are reuniting with Patterson. Veteran coach Dick Bumpus takes over as the defensive coordinator and d-line coach, while Charles McMillian will handle the cornerbacks. Both have previous experience with the 4-2-5 system, so Patterson expects an easy transition for both the coaches and players.
Patterson treats spring practice as simply an extension of the fall practice time - the first 15 of 44 practices prior to the season opener against Northwestern. The goal going into the spring is to begin to find out who are top 44 and then who the top 65 players are. It needs to be a physical spring, according to Patterson, but in the same right, he understands the need to keep people healthy.
A trio of key players will not be available for spring ball. Patterson does not expect safety Marvin Godbolt, defensive tackle Brandon Johnson or wide receiver Reggie Harrell to participate in spring drills. All are senior starters who are all-star candidates.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the Horned Frogs entering the 2004 spring session:
QUARTERBACK: On paper, the Frogs have probably as strong of quarterback tandem as anyone in the country entering the 2004 campaign. Senior Brandon Hassell goes into the spring as the number one signal-caller, according to Patterson, because that's the way the season ended a year ago. Hassell, playing for the first time in his career in 2003, surpassed everyone's expectations except possibly his own, as he threw for over 2,000 yards while completing 56.7 percent of his passes. He also showed the ability to carry the ball, rushing for over 100 yards in the bowl game against Boise State. Hassell was 7-2 as a starter and the Frogs averaged 31.7 points per game when he was under center. Junior Tye Gunn is 8-0 in his career as a starter, but that career has been hampered by injury. He was the starter entering last fall and looks to regain that position this spring in what should be a very interesting battle on the field. Speaking of battles, James Battle is a highly-touted redshirt freshman who worked with the scout team a year ago, but would like to make it a three-way contest at quarterback this spring. Walk-on Kyle Kummer stepped up when called on in the bowl game against Boise State, leading the Frogs to a touchdown in his only series. Sophomore Jeff Ballard and redshirt freshman Chad Huffman are the other scholarship quarterbacks in camp.
TAILBACK: As is the case at quarterback, the Frogs have as strong of one-two punch at tailback as just about anyone in the country. Sophomore Robert Merrill came on strong last season as a redshirt freshman to rush for a freshman school record 1,107 yards while earning freshmen All-America and all-conference accolades. Junior Lonta Hobbs battled injuries for much of the 2003 season but showed his enormous talents while rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a true freshman in 2002. Depth at the position could be an issue. Senior Kenny Boyd returns to the offensive side of the ball after spending a year in the defensive secondary. Redshirt freshman Freddie Stoglin looks to regain his health after an injury-plagued 2003 campaign.
FULLBACK: The Frogs will go into the spring in search of a fullback who can give them a solid performance. The Frogs were thin in that area a year ago, as Kenny Hayter took nearly all the snaps when TCU was in a two-back set. Hayter has graduated, leaving the position wide open. Redshirt freshman Marcus Draper showed signs of handling those duties last fall before succumbing to injuries, and is expected to get the first opportunity to nail down the position. Junior walk-on Tanner Davidson, is a bit undersized, but is a smart player and plays with a lot of heart.
TIGHT END: Another position in which the Frogs should be very strong this season is at tight end. Senior starter Cody McCarty returns and expects to have a big year after averaging nearly 16 yards in his 16 receptions a year ago. Chad Andrus, a true junior, continues to improve and should see even more action this season. He caught five passes last year and also was used regularly on special teams. The Frogs lose contributor Stanley Moss to graduation, but have replaced him with junior college All-American Brent Hecht. All three upperclassmen will battle for playing time. Redshirt freshman Trey Englert adds depth.
OFFENSIVE LINE: This could be the best offensive line at TCU since the 2000 season when the "Big Uglies" helped LaDainian Tomlinson rush for more than 2,000 yards. Four of the five starters return, including first team all-league selection in left tackle Anthony Alabi and second team all-conference pick in center Chase Johnson. Both are post-season honors candidates again this year. Right tackle Herbert Taylor was an honorable mention freshman All-American, according to collegefootballnews.com and was a Conference USA all-freshman performer. Senior Zach Bray returns as the starter at right guard, while juniors Stephen Culp and Shane Sims will battle for the starting left guard slot. Two-year letterman Michael Toudouze, senior Stephen Simmons, junior Ben Angeley and redshirt freshmen Will Oliver, Matty Lindner and Wade Sisk add depth.
WIDE RECEIVER: The Frogs have plenty of experience and depth returning at the wide receiver position, led by second-team all-conference pick Reggie Harrell. Harrell, a senior, became the first player in TCU history to log over 1,000 receiving yards, when he went for 1,012 in 2003. Harrell, who also competes on the track in the high hurdles, is a legitimate threat from anywhere on the field, as he showed with a 98-yard touchdown pass reception at Arizona last fall. Cory Rodgers, Quintily Harmon and Michael DePriest are a trio of sophomore who made their presence felt as redshirt freshmen in 2003. Rodgers was a first team Freshman All-America, according to collegefootballnews.com, after finishing fourth in the league in all-purpose yardage, averaging 114.6 yards per game. He also scored eight touchdowns - five receiving and three rushing. Three of Harmon's 11 receptions went for touchdowns. DePriest, the fastest of the three, caught eight passes last season. Juniors Matthew Grimmett and Ryan Pearson and sophomore Marcus Brock add experience, while redshirt freshman Ervin Dickerson adds depth.
DEFENSIVE LINE: The defensive line is the area most hard hit by graduation loss. The Frogs will look to replace all-conference performers in defensive ends Bo Schobel and Robert Pollard and defensive tackle Chad Pugh. That trio combined for 83 starts over the past three seasons. Tackle Brandon Johnson is the lone returning starter to the unit, but missed the final games of the 2003 season with a knee injury and is expected to miss spring ball as he continues to rehabilitate the knee. Ranorris Ray and former walk-on Andrew Calovich are the only other upper classmen who have seen significant playing time. Knowing that the d-line would be very athletic, but also very young, Patterson and his staff brought in a pair of junior college players who are expected to make an immediate contribution. Defensive tackle Zarnell Fitch, who was on the Tennessee campus last year, and defensive end Chris Hayes, should help shore up any apparent weaknesses along the front. Junior Jeremy Breedlove and sophomores Jamison Newby, Jared Retkofsky, Terence James and Maurice Bouldwin gained some much-needed playing experience a year ago. Sophomore tackle Jarrarcea Williams, redshirt freshmen defensive ends Chase Ortiz and Tommy Blake and transfer Jared Kesler will look to make a push for playing time in the spring. Quinton Cunigan is a swing guy who could figure in at either the linebacker or defensive end position after working at tight end last fall as a true freshman.
LINEBACKER: "Mike" linebacker Martin Patterson, the squad's top tackler a year ago with 103 stops, is back for his senior season. He is a two-year starter and will be counted on to provide leadership in that role. Logo Tevaseu is slated as the starter at the "Sam" position, but will be pushed by Andrew Ward, who sat out last season after transferring from the University of Colorado. The rest of the linebacking corps is young and untested. Junior Shawn Brooks has seen action primarily on special teams. A pair of redshirt freshmen in William Jackson and David Hawthorne will get a look this spring.
CORNERBACK: The cornerback position will be an interesting one to watch this spring. Senior Mark Walker, who was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award last season, returns as the starter on one side of the field. Walker led the team with five interceptions a year ago. Chris Peoples moves from weak safety to a corner and goes into the spring as the starter opposite Walker. Senior Jerome Braziel played extensively last season and will make a push for even more playing time in his final year. All three of those players will be pushed by a pair of junior college players in Quincy Butler and Drew Coleman. Butler was a junior college All-American last fall at Tyler Junior College, while Coleman earned the same accolades in 2002 at Trinity Valley Community College.
SAFETY: If healthy, the safety position should prove to be a strength again this season. The Frogs, who employ three safeties in the starting lineup, are led by senior All-America candidate Marvin Godbolt. Godbolt earned third team all-conference honors a year ago despite playing in just four games. He intercepted four passes from his weak safety position in that limited time before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Junior Jeremy Modkins is a returning starter at the free safety slot. He was second on the team in tackles a year ago with 99 and picked off a pair of passes, including one in overtime at Arizona to help the Frogs defeat the Wildcats. Modkins will be pushed by sophomore Elvis Gallegos, who came on strong as the 2003 season progressed. Redshirt freshman Brian Bonner impressed the coaching staff enough last fall to enter the spring as the probable starter at strong safety, replacing Brandon Williams, the lone safety lost to graduation. The safety position will also be bolstered by the return of Ken Lewis and David Roach, both of whom could have made a contribution a year ago, but suffered knee injuries during the fall two-a-days. Sophomore Eric Buchanan moves from his cornerback slot to the weak safety position this spring, while junior Flander Malone, who shined on special teams, will compete for playing time as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Frogs will have a huge hole to fill with the graduation of All-America placekicker Nick Browne. Browne left Fort Worth holding nearly every TCU record for placekicking and was the 2003 Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year. Junior Mike Wynn is the heir apparent to take over the placekicking chores. Wynn has been handling the kickoff duties for the past two seasons, but has had just one field goal opportunity in his career. Walk-on Peter LoCoco heads a list of candidates who could push Wynn for that key position. The other two components of the placekicking combo return in short snapper Clif Alexander and holder Reeves Dalton. Alexander is expected to take on the deep snapping duties as well, replacing three-year starter Andy Boerckel. John Braziel is the incumbent at punter. Braziel improved his placement on punts inside the 20 as the 2003 season progressed, but needs to become more consistent overall. The TCU return teams should be solid again this season. Cory Rodgers, who earned recognition for his return work a year ago, heads the list of candidates for that duty. Mark Walker is a sure-handed punt returner. Michael DePriest has track-like speed for the kickoff return duties. Drew Coleman comes from the junior college ranks with a reputation of making something happen when the ball is in his hands.
