Dawson Has a Nose for the Football
9/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
TCU Athletics Media Relations
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU linebacker Paul Dawson doesn't complicate his job: see the ball, get the ball.
According to the 6-foot-2, 230-pound defender, it's fairly simple: "I just react with instinct and run to the ball. If the ball comes my way I make the play."
In 2013, the senior from Dallas Skyline HS led the Frogs with 91 tackles in 12 games (seven starts), and ranked eighth in the Big 12 Conference with 7.6 stops per game.
Against Kansas, Dawson recorded 17 tackles -- the third-most tackles during TCU head coach Gary Patterson's tenure with the Frogs.
"Coach P, the scheme that he has, he is always going to put us in a great position to make plays," Dawson said. "All you have to do is put me in a great position and I'm going to make a play. It's as simple at that."
In addition to his 17 stops against the Jayhawks, Dawson tallied double-digit tackles against Baylor (15); Iowa State (14); West Virginia (13); and Texas (12).
He also was second on the team with tackles for loss (10), while posting four pass deflections, three pass break-ups, a quarterback hurry, an interception and a half sack.
"Coach P always says tackle the ankles, attack the legs and they are going to go down," Dawson said. "If you try to tackle someone high they are going to push you off, but if you tackle the legs they are going straight down."
In Saturday's 30-7 victory over Minnesota at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Dawson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 tackles (four tackles for loss); a forced fumble; a fumble recovery; a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry.
The Frogs (2-0) held Minnesota's David Cobb, who rushed for a career-high 220 yards on 29 carries in a win over Middle Tennessee last week, to just 41 yards on 15 carries.
"This game for the linebackers was run-heavy and they really didn't need us in the pass game since they are not a passing team, so we were all (running) down hill making tackles," Dawson said.
In the Frogs' 48-14 season-opening win over Samford, the TCU defense held the Bulldogs to just 148 yards total offense (87 rushing). In the win, Dawson recorded nine stops (second behind Marcus Mallet); a fumble recovery; an interception; and a pass break-up.
With a team-leading 24 tackles (four for loss), three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, two pass break-ups, an interception and a fumble recovery, Dawson is well on his way to accomplishing his goal of recording more tackles than he did in 2013.
"I try to come out with the same mindset to run to the ball and make plays," Dawson said. "This season I started with the first game and hopefully I have way more tackles than I ended up with last year."
