TCU football heads to West Point to face Army
10/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2006
ABOUT THE GAME
•Following a 16-day break, the longest gap between regular-season games for TCU since 1930, the Horned Frogs return to action for the first time since Oct. 5 when they travel to West Point, N.Y., to face Army. The only longer break between regular-season contests came 76 years ago when TCU had an 18-day layoff between an Oct. 25 date with Texas Tech and a Nov. 12 game with Abilene Christian.
•The Frogs enter the contest having played just twice (Sept. 28 vs. BYU; Oct. 5 at Utah) in the last 34 days.
•Army has played twice (Oct. 7 vs. VMI; Oct. 14 at Connecticut) since TCU was last on the gridiron in Salt Lake City.
•TCU will be playing on a Saturday for just the third time in the season's opening eight weeks. The Frogs began the year on a Sunday at Baylor and had a pair of open dates sandwiched around two Thursday games.
•The Black Knights represent TCU's final non-conference opponent of the 2006 campaign. The Frogs will then close the regular season with six straight Mountain West Conference games.
THE SERIES
•TCU and Army are meeting for the sixth consecutive season with the Frogs holding a 5-0 series lead. TCU won 38-17 last year in Fort Worth. The Frogs are 3-0 versus the Black Knights at home and 2-0 on the road.
•The first four games (2001-04) took place when both teams were members of Conference USA.
•In the Frogs' last visit to West Point (Oct. 2, 2004), TCU fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter before rallying for a 21-17 victory. At the time, it was the Frogs' largest come-from-behind win in Gary Patterson's tenure as head coach. It was surpassed last year by the 18-point comeback in a 51-50 overtime victory at BYU.
HONORARY BIG 12 MEMBERS
•In a stretch of just 15 games, dating back to the start of the 2005 season, TCU went 4-0 against the Big 12 while allowing just 11.0 points per game.
•Only four Big 12 teams (Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Colorado) won more games than TCU against Big 12 foes during that period.
•TCU opened and closed the 2005 campaign with victories over Big 12 squads, winning 17-10 at Oklahoma and 27-24 over Iowa State in the Houston Bowl.
•The Frogs defeated Baylor (17-7) and Texas Tech (12-3) in the season's opening three weeks, holding the Bears and Red Raiders to a combined one touchdown and 10 points.
WORTH NOTHING
•At 56-21 (.727), TCU has the 13th-best record in Division I-A since the start of the 2000 campaign.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOUGHER THAN THE BIG 12
•TCU is 2-0 versus the Big 12 this season and 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference.
FAMILIARITY WITH ARMY
•In addition to facing Army each of the last five seasons as TCU's head coach, Gary Patterson also saw the Black Knights in 1995 when he was Navy's secondary coach.
•Two Frog assistant coaches have also seen the Army-Navy rivalry, which Patterson calls the best in college football, up close.
•TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas was the Midshipmen's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1995-98, while Frog cornerbacks coach Charles McMillian was a defensive assistant/special teams coach at Navy from 1995-97 before returning as secondary coach in 2000.
ACTIVITY AND LAYOFFS
•TCU's 2006 regular-season schedule could be classified in three phases.
•Prior to facing Army, which begins a stretch of playing on seven consecutive Saturdays to close the regular season, the Frogs opened the 2006 campaign with three games in 14 days before playing just twice in 34 days.
•After facing Texas Tech on Sept. 16, the Frogs had an open date before back-to-back Thursday games versus BYU (Sept. 28) and Utah (Oct. 5). Following its date in Salt Lake City, TCU had another bye week before returning to action Saturday at Army.
•TCU had four straight Saturdays (Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14) without a game.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
•Chris Manfredini, PK - Lou Groza Award Star of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Texas Tech)
•Chris Manfredini, PK - Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Texas Tech)
•Marvin White, S - Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Texas Tech)
•Marcus Jackson, QB - Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3 vs. Baylor)
•Marvin White, S - Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3 vs. Baylor)
FROGS AS PROMINENT CANDIDATES FOR MAJOR AWARDS
•TCU has eight players and its head coach on a total of 11 different watch lists:
•Jeff Ballard, QB - Davey O¹Brien Award
•Tommy Blake, DE - Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award, Lombardi Trophy, Lott Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy
•Aaron Brown, TB - Doak Walker Award
•Chris Manfredini, PK - Lou Groza Award
•Robert Merrill, TB - Doak Walker Award
•Chase Ortiz, DE - Ted Hendricks Award, Lombardi Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy
•Jason Phillips, LB - Butkus Award
•Herb Taylor, OT - Lombardi Trophy, Outland Trophy
•TCU is one of nine teams to have three players on the Lombardi Award Watch List.
•Gary Patterson is one of just nine head coaches on the initial watch list for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
FROGS AS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
•Jeff Ballard, QB - Football Writers Association of America All-America checklist
•Tommy Blake, DE - Athlon, Street & Smith's, The Sporting News All-America checklist (No. 7 defensive end in the nation)
•Aaron Brown, TB - Football Writers Association of America All-America checklist
•Robert Merrill, TB - Football Writers Association of America All-America checklist
•Chase Ortiz, DE - Football Writers Association of America All-America checklist
•Jason Phillips, LB - The Sporting News All-America checklist (No. 13 inside linebacker in the nation)
•Herb Taylor, OT - Athlon, Street & Smith's, NationalChamps.net, Football Writers Association of America All-America checklist, The Sporting News All-America checklist (No. 10 offensive tackle in the nation)
•Marvin White, S - The Sporting News All-America checklist (No. 6 safety in the nation)
FROGS ON THE PRESEASON All-MWC TEAM
•TCU placed five players on the 2006 preseason All-Mountain West Conference Team: defensive end Tommy Blake, defensive end Chase Ortiz, linebacker Jason Phillips, offensive tackle Herb Taylor and safety Marvin White.
COMMON OPPONENT
•TCU and Army have had one common opponent this season - Baylor. Both the Frogs and Black Knights posted a victory in Waco. TCU won 17-7 in the Sept. 3 season opener, while Army took a 27-20 overtime decision on Sept. 23.
PLAYING THE SERVICE ACADEMIES
•TCU's Gary Patterson is 7-0 as a head coach against the service academies. Under Patterson, the Frogs are 5-0 versus Army and 1-0 against both Air Force and Navy.
A WELCOMED RETURN TO SATURDAY FOOTBALL
•Since the start of the 2005 season, in which a record of 14-3 has been sported, two of TCU's three losses have come on a Thursday.
•The Frogs are 12-1 on Saturdays over the last two years, 1-0 on Sundays and 1-2 on Thursdays.
BOUNCING BACK
•In the week after a regular-season loss, TCU has an 11-4 record under coach Gary Patterson.
•The Frogs have never lost three games in a row under Patterson.
•TCU hasn't dropped three straight contests since a four-game skid in the 1998 campaign.
ROAD WARRIORS
•TCU is 13-7 (.650) in road and neutral-site games since the start of the 2003 season, good for the ninth-best mark in Division I-A.
OPEN DATES
•Under coach Gary Patterson, the Frogs are 6-7 in games following an open date.
PATTERSON NEARS MILESTONES
•TCU's next victory will be the 47th for coach Gary Patterson, tying him with Francis Schmidt (1929-33) for third on the Frogs' career list. Dutch Meyer (109, 1934-52) and Abe Martin (74, 1953-66) rank first and second, respectively.
•Patterson is tied with F.A. Dry (1977-82) for fifth place on the Frogs' all-time chart for games coached (66). Saturday's Army contest will pull Patterson even with Pat Sullivan (1992-97) for fourth with 67. Jim Wacker is third with 100 (1983-91).
HE'S BACK
•Tailback Lonta Hobbs had 22 carries at Utah. It was just one shy of a combined total of 23 rushing attempts in his only three games over the past two seasons entering the Utah contest.
•Hobbs had 18 carries in two games last year before suffering a season-ending groin injury.
•Against BYU (Sept. 28), Hobbs saw his first action in more than a year with five rushing attempts for 21 yards.
•Hobbs' 1-yard scoring run at Utah was his 32nd career rushing touchdown, moving him into sole possession of second place on TCU's all-time list. It was also his first touchdown in more than two years, dating back to an Oct. 2, 2004 contest at Army.
•Hobbs carried the ball on TCU's first five plays from scrimmage against Utah. He also had three receptions for 36 yards.
STUFFING THE RUN
•Over its last eight games, dating back to the 2005 campaign, TCU's run defense is allowing just 51.5 yards per contest. Prior to Utah rushing for 131 yards, no opponent in that stretch had gained more than 72 yards on the ground against the Frogs.
•TCU tops the MWC and is fourth nationally in run defense (62.8 yards per game).
•In six seasons under coach Gary Patterson, TCU is 32-5 when holding the opponent under 100 yards rushing.
STINGY D
•The Frogs lead the MWC and are 20th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 14.8 points per game.
•In its 12-3 win, TCU became the first team since 2000 to hold Texas Tech without a touchdown. The Red Raiders were limited to 204 yards passing after entering the contest with a 396.5 per game mark.
DEFENDING THE PASS
•With an early-season schedule that featured pass-oriented teams in Baylor, UC Davis, Texas Tech and BYU, TCU has surrendered just six touchdown tosses this season.
•Redshirt freshman cornerback Rafael Priest's seven pass breakups top the MWC and are just one shy of TCU's 2005 team-leading total of eight shared by Quincy Butler, Drew Coleman and Jeremy Modkins.
OFF THE BENCH
•Although they have yet to make a start this season, linebacker Robert Henson and safety Brian Bonner have made major impacts.
•Henson is fourth on the Frogs with 25 tackles, including three for a loss. He has a forced fumble, pass breakup and quarterback hurry. Also a special teams standout, Henson had a key punt block in the 12-3 win over Texas Tech.
•Bonner, a former prep quarterback, is second on TCU with five tackles for a loss and two sacks. His 20 stops place sixth on the team. He also has a forced fumble and quarterback hurry.
THE RANKINGS
•TCU appeared in 15 consecutive top-25 polls by the Associated Press and USA Today before falling out after a Sept. 28 loss to BYU. •The Frogs received five votes this week in the Harris Interactive poll, utilized by the BCS.
•At No. 15 in the Sept. 17 and Sept. 24 USA Today coaches' poll, the Frogs had their highest September ranking since 1959.
•With a No. 21 appearance in the USA Today poll and a No. 22 spot in the Associated Press Top 25, TCU posted its highest preseason rankings since it was No. 20 by AP in 2000.
The BCS
•The Frogs were 14th in the final 2005 BCS standings. It was the 20th time TCU appeared in the BCS standings, the most of any school playing in a conference without an automatic BCS bid. Boise State is second at 13.
•Since Gary Patterson arrived at TCU as defensive coordinator in 1998, the Frogs are 12-6 against teams from leagues with automatic BCS bids.
•If this year's BCS rules were in effect last season, TCU would have been in a BCS bowl.
DRIVE CHART
•Eight of TCU's nine-longest scoring drives, all covering at least 67 yards, have resulted in touchdowns.
•Five of the Frogs' seven scoring drives that have gone at least 10 plays culminated in a touchdown.
STARTING LINEUP CONSISTENCY
•TCU featured the same 11 starters on defense for three consecutive games (UC Davis, Texas Tech, BYU). The streak ended when Steven Coleman replaced an injured David Roach at free safety against Utah, while Cody Moore received the nod over James Vess at defensive tackle.
•Offensively, the Frogs have started the same line and quarterback (Jeff Ballard) in each game. Quentily Harmon is the lone wide receiver to start all five contests. Aaron Brown had started the opening four games before an injury kept him out against Utah. Lonta Hobbs replaced Brown in the lineup against the Utes.
QUICK STARTS
•TCU has opened at 3-2 or better in all six of Gary Patterson's seasons as head coach. The Frogs are looking to go at least 4-2 for the fourth time in six years under Patterson.
BREAK TIME
•A long break between games is nothing new for TCU. Last year, the Frogs had 49 days off between their final regular-season game and the Houston Bowl.
SPEED
•In a 40-yard timing by National Football League scouts, the fastest Frogs are wide receiver Michael DePriest (4.33) and safety Marvin White (4.37).
HOW STRONG ARE THEY
•The following numbers come courtesy of TCU's strength and conditioning program:
•43 - Number of players who bench 350+ pounds
•16 - Number of players who bench 400+ pounds
•329 - Average team power clean in pounds
•48 - Number of players who squat 500+ pounds
•19 - Number of players who squat 600+ pounds
•523 - Average team squat in pounds
•Top Lifters:
•Bench Press - Jarrarcea Williams, NT (475 pounds)
•Squat - Cody Moore, DT (760 pounds)
•Power Clean - Cody Moore, DT (440 pounds)
THE TURNOVER STORY
•TCU is a plus-4 in turnover margin in its three wins and a minus-4 in the two losses.
•Since the start of the 2005 season, TCU is 14-3. In those three defeats, the Frogs have been at minus-2 or worse in turnover margin in each game.
•TCU has been in the negative column in just one other game over the last two seasons, a minus-1 in a 23-20 win at San Diego State (Oct. 29, 2005).
•Against BYU, the TCU defense failed to register a takeaway for the first time in 19 games, dating back to Oct. 30, 2004 at Cincinnati.
•The minus-2 differential versus the Cougars was the largest turnover deficit for TCU since a negative-3 in last year's game versus SMU (Sept. 10, 2005).
•The Frogs led the nation last season in turnover margin (+21), takeaways (40) and interceptions (26).
FINISHING STRONG
•In the second half of games this season, TCU has outscored the opposition by a 60-27 margin. That total includes a 34-10 differential in the third quarter.
•Dating back to last year, the Frogs have allowed just 48 fourth-quarter points in their last 17 games (2.8 per contest). During that same period, TCU has outscored its foes by a 223-113 margin in the second half.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
•Fifteen different Frogs have combined for TCU's 89 receptions this season.
•Quentily Harmon (24), Aaron Brown (14) and Donald Massey (10) are the lone Frogs in double figures.
•TCU wide receivers have accounted for 56 receptions with running backs catching 21 balls and tight ends 12.
•Eight players have scored touchdowns this season with Brown being the lone Frog to reach the end zone more than once.
THE-GO-TO-GUY
•Quentily Harmon tops TCU with 24 receptions, nearly equaling his total of 28 from last season.
•Harmon has at least three catches in each game this season. In four of the five contests, he has recorded five grabs.
•After setting a career-high in receiving yards (96) in the season-opening win at Baylor, Harmon tied a career-best with six receptions in the UC Davis game.
•Harmon was the top returning receiver this season after his 28 catches placed second on the team in 2005.
LOVING THE TIGHT END
•TCU tight ends have three touchdown catches among their 12 receptions on the season.
•Reaching the end zone have been Quinton Cunigan (Baylor), Shae Reagan (UC Davis) and Brent Hecht (BYU). Cunigan and Reagan scored on their first career receptions.
•Hecht tops the Frog tight ends with five grabs for 67 yards. Dating back to last season, he has at least one reception in 10 of the last 11 games.
•Reagan's 36-yard connection with Jeff Ballard at Utah represented the second-longest pass play of the season for the Frogs. Reagan had two catches for 48 yards against the Utes after entering the game with just one career reception.
•Chad Andrus is a graduate student this fall.
TCU FARES WELL IN GSR
•TCU ranked 20th in the 2006 NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) with a 78 percent score.
•The Frogs placed second in the Mountain West Conference, trailing just Air Force (93 percent).
•TCU was eighth out of 2005 bowl teams, placing behind Navy, Boston College, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Nebraska, Florida and Penn State.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORE
•Tailback Aaron Brown, the 2005 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, tops TCU in rushing (243 yards) and touchdowns (four) while placing second in receptions (14) and receiving yards (227).
•Brown's 14 receptions have already surpassed his total of 11 from last year and equaled the top mark by a Frog back in 2005 (14, Robert Merrill).
•Brown is second in the MWC in all-purpose yards per game (117.5) and in scoring by touchdowns (6.0 points each contest).
•A native of Katy, Texas, Brown is fourth in the MWC in rushing (60.8 yards per game) and 10th in receiving yards each contest (56.8).
THE CENTURY MARK
•Tailback Aaron Brown's 107 yards receiving at Baylor were the most by a Frog since Cory Rodgers totaled 128 yards on six catches in a 48-10 win at Air Force last season (Oct. 22).
•Brown became the first TCU running back to reach 100 yards receiving in a game since Andre Davis had four receptions for 109 yards in a 30-28 win at Tulane on Oct. 15, 1994.
SPLITTING THE UPRIGHTS
•Chris Manfredini is 7-of-8 on field goals this season and 20-of-21 in his two years at TCU (2005-06).
•When including a 10-of-11 mark for Cincinnati in 2003, he is 30-of-32 (93.8 percent) on field goals in his collegiate career.
•In the 12-3 win over Texas Tech, Manfredini accounted for all of TCU's scoring as he kicked a career-best four field goals. His performance earned him Lou Groza Award Star of the Week and Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
•Manfredini had a career-long 47-yard field goal versus UC Davis.
FINDING THE END ZONE
•Peter LoCoco, who doubles as TCU's long-range field goal kicker, has had touchbacks on 8-of-22 kickoffs (36.4 percent) this season.
•Against Texas Tech, LoCoco had two kickoffs go five yards deep in the end zone before being run out by the Red Raiders.
•LoCoco has had several other games this season in which his kickoffs were taken out of the end zone.
•Over the last nine games in 2005, LoCoco had touchbacks on 27-of-63 (42.9 percent) kickoffs.
THE TWO-FOOTED MONSTER
•Chris Manfredini and Peter LoCoco had 47 and 49-yard field goals, respectively, in the 46-13 win over UC Davis.
SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUT
•TCU leads the Mountain West Conference and is 16th nationally in kickoff return average (24.6). The Frogs are sixth in the MWC in punt returns (7.2 per attempt).
•Donald Massey is averaging 28.2 yards on eight kickoff returns, including a 69-yard effort at Baylor.
•Marcus Brock is third in the MWC and 41st in the country with an 8.1 punt return average.
GATOR BAIT
•TCU safety Marvin White, nicknamed Gator, has a team-best 42 tackles and has twice been named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
•White's average of 8.4 stops per game ranks fourth in the MWC. It's also well above last year's TCU top mark of 5.9 (Jason Phillips).
CONTROLLING THE CLOCK
•TCU is 3-0 when holding an edge in time of possession and 0-2 when the opponent has had the ball longer.
•TCU is averaging 30:26 on the season, placing it fifth in the MWC.
SCORING FIRST
•After scoring first in 10 of 12 contests last season, TCU has been first on the board once (Texas Tech) in five games this year.
•Since the start of the 2002 season, the Frogs have scored first in 69.8 percent (37-of-53) of their games.
•TCU had scored first in eight consecutive contests before Baylor snapped the streak with a 21-yard second quarter touchdown pass. The previous time a TCU opponent had scored first was BYU on Sept. 24, 2005.
QUICK SCORES
•TCU has scored in the first quarter in 11 of its last 14 games.
•TCU saw its streak of scoring in the first quarter snapped at nine contests at Baylor. The Frogs were held scoreless in the opening 15 minutes for the first time since Sept. 15, 2005 versus Utah.
CLOSE CALLS
•Dating back to the 2003 campaign, 18 of TCU's last 41 games have been decided by seven points or less. The Frogs are 15-3 in those contests, including 5-0 last year.
IN THE ZONE
•TCU ranks third in the Mountain West Conference in red-zone offense, scoring on 16-of-17 possessions (94.1 percent). The Frogs have 10 touchdowns and six field goals.
•Defensively, opponents have had just 12 red-zone visits against TCU for the lowest total in the MWC. The Frogs have allowed four touchdowns and six field goals. The opposition has scored on 10-of-12 possessions (83.3 percent) to rank TCU eighth in the league.
SCHEDULING QUIRKS
•Since the start of the 1996 season, the Frogs are 12-8 in non-Saturday, regular-season games. Under Patterson, TCU is 9-7 and has played on every day of the week.
•After facing Utah, TCU has now played 16 of its 61 regular-season contests (26.2 percent) under Patterson on non-Saturdays.
VERSATILE FROGS
•The TCU defensive line features five former high school running backs: Tommy Blake, Jerry Hughes, Cody Moore, Jared Retkofsky and Jarrarcea Williams.
FINDING THE SCOREBOARD
•At 169 games, TCU currently has the seventh-longest streak in the nation for not being shut out. The Frogs haven¹t been blanked since a 32-0 defeat at Texas on Nov. 16, 1991.
BONUS FOOTBALL
•TCU is 5-4 since the NCAA adopted overtime play in 1996.
WIN-LOSS UPDATES
•After just three winning seasons in 13 years (1985-97), TCU has won nearly 70 percent of its games (71-31, .696) since the start of the 1998 campaign when head coach Gary Patterson arrived on campus.
•TCU has an all-time record of 530-504-57 (.512) in its football history which began in 1896.
THE IRONMAN
•Offensive tackle Herb Taylor's 41 consecutive starts, representing every TCU game over the last four seasons, is tied for the fourth-longest current streak in Division I-A.
DEFENSIVE BATTLES
•TCU's 12-3 win over Texas Tech marked the first time the Frogs won when scoring 12 or fewer points since a 12-3 win over UT-Arlington in the 1974 season opener.
WHERE TO FIND THE ASSISTANTS
•Press Box: Mike Schultz (offensive coordinator/running backs), Dick Winder (quarterbacks), Tony Tademy (linebackers) and Chad Glasgow (safeties).
•Field: Dick Bumpas (defensive coordinator/defensive line), Charles McMillian (cornerbacks), Jarrett Anderson (wide receivers), Dan Sharp (tight ends/special teams) and Eddie Williamson (assistant head coach/offensive line).
AN EXPERIENCED STAFF
•TCU returned its entire coaching staff from the 2005 season.
•The Frogs are one of just four teams (N.C. State, Oklahoma, Temple) in Division I-A to have all 10 of their coaches play Division I football. Eight members of the TCU staff competed on the Division I-A level with two in I-AA.
PATTERSON MLESTONES
•Gary Patterson is the only head coach in TCU history with three 10-win seasons (2002, 2003 and 2005).
•With a .697 winning percentage (46-20), Patterson is 16th among active coaches in Division I-A. He has taken part in half of the eight 10-win campaigns in TCU's history. He was defensive coordinator during a 10-2 campaign in 2000.
•Prior to Patterson¹s arrival, the only 10-win seasons at TCU were recorded in the 1930s. Francis A. Schmidt led the Horned Frogs to 10-0-1 and 10-1-1 marks, respectively, in 1932 and 1933. Dutch Meyer then guided TCU to its national championship seasons in 1935 (12-1) and 1938 (11-0).
HERE TO STAY
•At a Nov. 22, 2005 news conference, TCU athletics director Danny Morrison announced that football coach Gary Patterson agreed to a contract extension through the 2012 season.
FROGS OR TADPOLES
•TCU has played four true freshmen this season: offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse, linebacker Daryl Washington and defensive ends Wayne Daniels and Jerry Hughes. Eleven redshirt freshmen have also seen action.
•The Frogs tied for fourth nationally last season in their number of freshmen (21) played. Sixteen were redshirt freshmen with five true freshmen.
MASSEY RAGAINS A YEAR
•TCU wide receiver Donald Massey has been granted a medical redshirt after playing in just two games as a true freshman in 2004. He is now a sophomore in eligibility.
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
•With standout tailbacks Aaron Brown, Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill all missing action this season, reserves Detrick James and Justin Watts have been major producers after entering the fall in the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, respectively, on the depth chart.
•James has recorded the three-highest rushing games of his career in the opening five contests. He¹s currently second on the team with 174 yards on a 4.5 per carry mark. He totaled 56 yards last season.
•Watts, who made his first collegiate start in the Texas Tech game, was the Frogs' second-leading rusher with a career-best 64 yards on seven attempts versus UC Davis. He tops TCU with a 9.1 per carry mark.
NEW FACES
•While preseason All-American and Lombardi and Outland Trophy candidate Herb Taylor has made 41 consecutive starts, representing every TCU game over the last four years, the other four starters (OG Maurice Bouldwin, OG Matty Lindner, C Blake Schlueter, OT Wade Sisk) on the Frog offensive line have made their first collegiate starts this season.
•When including wide receivers Ervin Dickerson and Donald Massey, TCU had six first-time starters on offense in the season opener at Baylor.
•Also against Baylor, the defense had three first-time starters (DT Cody Moore, CB Rafael Priest and CB Nick Sanders) while nose tackle Jarrarcea Williams made his first start since the final two games of the 2004 campaign.
PASSING TYE
•The 12-3 win over Texas Tech improved Jeff Ballard's record to 11-0 as TCU's starting quarterback. He surpassed Tye Gunn¹s previous school mark for most consecutive victories (10) to begin a career as a starting quarterback.
•Ballard's first start in that stretch, a 49-28 win over New Mexico last year, came after he replaced an injured Gunn. When Gunn was hurt the previous week at BYU, Ballard came off-the-bench and rallied the Frogs from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to a 51-50 overtime victory in Provo. It's the largest come-from-behind win in Gary Patterson¹s six seasons as TCU's head coach.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
•Included below is where Jeff Ballard ranks on TCU's all-time list for longest overall winning streak by a starting quarterback:
1. Davey O'Brien - 14
2. Sammy Baugh - 12
3. Jeff Ballard - 11
4. Tye Gunn - 10
5. Howard Grubbs - 9
AT HOME
•TCU had its seven-game home winning streak snapped against BYU. Its last previous loss came in the 2004 season finale to Tulane.
•Since the start of the 2000 season, TCU is 31-5 (.861) in Amon Carter Stadium. Included in that total are undefeated marks in four (2000, 2002, 2003, 2005) of those years which contributed to at least 10 wins in each season.
•Over the last four years, TCU¹s 17-4 (.810) mark ranks 15th in home winning percentage among Division I-A members.
•The BYU contest closed a stretch of three home games in 20 days for TCU. The Frogs now have just three home dates over the final 65 days of the regular season.
•The 12-3 win over Texas Tech saw TCU record its first sellout crowd since 1984, when the Frogs hosted Texas. The attendance of 45,647 against the Red Raiders represented the second-largest crowd in TCU history, surpassed only by the 47,280 for that 1984 contest against the Longhorns.
•TCU sold a record 13,962 football season tickets this season.
THE MISSING
•TCU opened 3-0 despite starting tailbacks and past 1,000-yard rushers Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill not playing due to injury.
•Sidelined for the season is offensive tackle Heath Raetz. Starting wide receiver Michael DePriest missed the opening two games due to injury before returning to action against Texas Tech.
•The Frogs rallied from a 7-0 halftime deficit at Baylor with starting quarterback Jeff Ballard sidelined.
HITTING HIS MARK
•After feeling woozy and playing just the first half in the season opener at Baylor, Jeff Ballard completed 18-of-23 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns against UC Davis to post the fourth-best single-game completion percentage (78.3) in TCU history. He also ran for a 10-yard score.
DEJA VU
•In relief roles, the numbers of Jeff Ballard in last year¹s 51-50 overtime win at BYU and Marcus Jackson in the second-half comeback at Baylor are very similar: •Ballard - 8-of-12 passing (75.0 percent), 150 yards, 2 TDs
•Jackson - 11-of-13 passing (84.6 percent), 148 yards, 2 TDs
•Jackson was two attempts shy (a minimum of 15 is required) of qualifying for the second-best single-game completion percentage in TCU history. The current mark is held by Max Knake who was 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) in a 27-25 win over Rice in 1994.
DYNAMIC DUO
•Safety Marvin White and linebacker Jason Phillips appeared on The Sporting News' preseason All-America checklist.
•In the opening two games, they both recorded double-figure tackle performances.
•White set a career-high with 14 tackles at Baylor, nearly three times the amount of the next-closest Frogs (three players had five stops). Against UC Davis, White posted his first interception of the season and fourth of his career.
•Phillips equaled a career-high with 10 tackles against UC Davis while recording his first career interception. It was also TCU¹s first pick by a linebacker in nearly two years (David Hawthorne vs. SMU, Sept. 11, 2004).
A SPECIAL BACKFIELD
•TCU's trio of Aaron Brown, Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill was ranked in the preseason by The Sporting News as the fourth-best backfield in the nation.
•Merrill (2,771 yards) and Hobbs (2,494) rank sixth and ninth, respectively, on TCU¹s career rushing list. Merrill needs just 13 yards to move past Basil Mitchell (2,783 yards, 1994-98) into fifth place.
•Merrill has led TCU in rushing each of the last three seasons.
•Brown, Hobbs and Merrill make the Frogs one of just 13 teams in Division I-A to have three players with 100-yard rushing games on their resume.
MERRILL AMONG THE BEST
•TCU tailback Robert Merrill entered the 2006 season ranking third among Division I-A's active career rushers:
1. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois - 3,236 yards
2. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma - 3,033 yards
3. Robert Merrill, TCU - 2,771 yards
THE CENTURY MARK
•Tailbacks Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill are tied for seventh in TCU history with 10 100-yard rushing games. They sit one behind 1955 Heisman Trophy runner-up Jim Swink who had 11 100-yard efforts.
•TCU is 8-2 when Merrill rushes for at least 100 yards and 7-3 when Hobbs reaches the milestone. The Frogs are 3-0 when Brown hits the century mark.
•Merrill and Hobbs have reached 100 yards in the same game on one occasion, a 62-55 win at Houston in 2003. Merrill ran for a career-high 204 yards on 22 carries, while Hobbs added 102 yards on 22 attempts.
A SPECIAL FROG
•Former TCU tailback and current National Football League star LaDainian Tomlinson was named to CBS SportsLine.com's All-Decade Team. He was joined in the All-Decade backfield by former USC standouts Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.
•The Web site wrote of Tomlinson, Before he started running wild with the San Diego Chargers, Tomlinson was an excellent college player at TCU.
•Tomlinson rushed for a combined 4,008 yards in his final two years of college, including 2,158 as a senior. He ran for an NCAA single-game record 406 yards versus UTEP in 1999 and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back in 2000. Tomlinson, who has earned his TCU degree, had his No. 5
