Editor’s Note: The TCU preview is written by Stephen Francis, the TCU Examiner at Examiner.com.
Stephen grew up cheering for the Horned Frogs at an early age: from the Southwest Conference and TCU’s short-lived trip into the WAC, to their domination of Conference USA and then the trip into the Mountain West. He’s a sportscaster and writer, having covered TCU Athletics on Examiner since the start of the 2009 season. Thanks to his experience in radio, he knows a thing or two about communicating and voicing his opinion and he has fun doing it. Stephen graduated from American Broadcasting School and lives in Southlake with his wife and their four -year-old daughter.
The Defense
The TCU defense will have their hands a little more full in 2010 with the loss of four starters from last year. As is the tradition though with Patterson defenses, they will adapt quickly and contend for the lead for fewest yards allowed once again. The two biggest losses come from the TCU secondary due to the graduation of cornerbacks Rafael Priest and Nick Sanders. Fortunately though, junior Greg McCoy saw significant playing time in the nickel and dime packages last year and will transition nicely into the starting role. It doesn’t hurt, either that McCoy has been named “the fastest Horned Frog” by the players and coaches. Senior Jason Teauge will likely fill the other corner position to provide solid speed and pass-breaking ability for the corners. Seniors Alex Ibiloye and Tejay Johnson will return as the safeties and will patrol the receiving lanes with authority. They fit the TCU defense perfectly and serve as great lines of last defense with their ability to lay the wood to anyone daring to cross into their territory.
Junior Tank Carder heads a group of stout linebackers that looks to fill the void left by the graduation of now-Arizona Cardinal Daryl Washington. Carder is the perfect man for the job and will take the reigns as the defensive captain and leader. Carder’s breakout season in 2009 proved he’s capable of taking control of a game defensively with play-stopping instincts and a nose for the football. Sophomore Tanner Brock will come off the bench to join the starting lineup and should make an immediate impact. In the 13 games he played last season without starting, Brock totaled 32 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Despite not starting, he earned second team All-Freshman Mountain West honors. He’s speedy-quick and contributed mainly on special teams in 2009 but the word on the street is that Brock’s added some poundage to his frame and will become a force to be reckoned with in 2010.
The biggest loss from last season for the TCU defense came with the graduation and first round drafting of defensive end Jerry Hughes. Coach Patterson’s defense will look to replace the fire, tenacity and overall quarterback hunting ability that he leaves a need for. Senior Wayne Daniels might be the first ingredient for that recipe. He totaled nine tackles for a loss and five and a half quarterback sacks in 2009 and could easily improve on those numbers this year as he now becomes the main TCU threat on the pass rush. He’s quick, has good moves and gets into the backfield in a hurry, which could lead to key mistakes by opposing offenses. Senior tackle Cory Grant will shore up the inside of the defensive line and with his size and overall “beastly-ness” he’ll have no problem doing so. From the defensive tackle position he reached opposing quarterbacks for two and a half sacks and five and a half tackles for a loss. Senior Kelly Griffin lines up at the other tackle position and will easily hold his own against opposing running attacks. That will be his primary job in 2010 and just watch: When a Horned Frog opponent runs the ball, Griffin will be right in the middle of it all.
Final analysis
This could be the marquee year for TCU Horned Frogs football. They’ve set the table for themselves to make another run at a BCS appearance. In fact, if some chips fall right they could even find themselves with an outside shot at the BCS National Championship. With 14 weeks of college football yet to be played and an endless myriad of possibilities, the sky could be the limit for TCU.
They face a tough opponent in a ridiculously-hyped atmosphere with Oregon State at Cowboy Stadium on September 4. They’ll immediately be challenged and will then play SMU three weeks later. Something says though, that this team will not allow that game to “surprise” them again. At the mid point of the season, the Frogs will face Wyoming, BYU and Air Force in back-to-back-to-back weeks. All three of those games take place at Amon G. Carter Stadium, but all three have mild upset potential. Then, two weeks after the Air Force game, the Frogs will travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah.
Despite what ESPN pundits and polls will say, that looks like a moderately formidable gauntlet for the Horned Frogs on paper. Having said that, this team should go 10-2 at worst and 12-0 at best in the regular season. Expectations are high around Fort Worth and this team is fueled by a hunger they were unable to quench last season. Not even with a hand full of Tostitos. Perhaps a second helping would do the trick this time around.
Stephen Francis
Special contributor to dfwfootball.net and TCU Horned Frogs Examiner on examiner.com
