The Horned Frogs are ranked number 6 by the pre-season Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coach’s Poll.  Oregon State will be considered a challenger for the Pac 10 Championship.  Their should be an electric atmosphere in Arlington on September 4th.

North Texas will kick off their season on the road against the always-dangerous Clemson Tigers (September 4th).  The Tigers always has exceptional talent, but will be starting over after the career of C. J. Spiller who had 3,547 yards rushing in four years for Clemson.  Could the Mean Green sneak in to Death Valley and pull off the upset?  Who will take the field at quarterback for Todd Dodge and UNT?  The Tigers have snagged a number 24 ranking in the pre-season AP poll.

SMU will start with a road game against Texas Tech and their new head coach Tommy Tuberville (September 5th).  Double T has a new meaning in Lubbock with Tuberville taking over for the departed Mike Leach.  Tech will enter the pre-season ranked 21st.  The quarterback battle is as big of a question in Lubbock as it is settled in Dallas.  Kyle Padron will start his second season as the top QB for June Jones and the Mustangs.  What kind of fireworks will these two teams shoot off  in the Lubbock sky?  Pony Up?  Guns Up?

In just a few short days, all three teams will begin Fall camp.  Of course, there is nothing Fall about the North Texas summers!  Could this be a magical year for DFW teams?  Can TCU return to a BCS bowl?  Can SMU upset Houston and go on to win the Conference USA Championship?  And, is this the breakthrough year for Todd Dodge in Denton?

Stay with Dfwfootball.net to find out!

TCU Horned Frogs

09/04/10
vs. Oregon State TV, Arlington, TX, 6:45 p.m. CT

09/11/10
vs. Tennessee Tech, Fort Worth, TX, 6:00 p.m. CT

09/18/10
vs. Baylor, Fort Worth, TX, 3:30 p.m. CT

09/24/10
at SMU, Dallas, TX, 7:00 p.m. CT

10/02/10
at Colorado State, Fort Collins, CO, 1:00 p.m. CT

10/09/10
vs. Wyoming, Fort Worth, TX, 2:30 p.m. CT

10/16/10
vs. BYU, Fort Worth, TX, 3:00 p.m. CT

10/23/10
vs. Air Force, Fort Worth, TX, 7:00 p.m. CT

10/30/10
at UNLV, Las Vegas, NV, 10:00 p.m. CT

11/06/10
at Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 2:30 p.m. CT

11/13/10
vs. San Diego State, Fort Worth, TX, 3:00 p.m. CT

11/27/10
at New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 3:00 p.m. CT

Dalton is on several watch lists including the Davey O'Brien

TCU, Fort Worth, TX–Seven TCU football players have received preseason All-America honors with six Horned Frogs appearing on watch lists for national awards.

Included below is an updated TCU preseason honor roll, as of July 16:

Gary Patterson, Head Coach

• Preseason Coach of the Year, Playboy

Marcus Cannon, OT

• Outland Trophy Watch List
• Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
• Preseason All-American, Playboy
• Preseason Second-Team All-American, Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports
• Preseason Third-Team All-American, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
• Preseason Honorable-Mention All-American, NationalChamps.net
• Best Offensive Lineman in Texas, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• Preseason First-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• All-Texas Team, Sporting News
• Ranked third among offensive tackles for the 2011 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
• Ranked fifth in the nation among offensive tackles, Lindy’s

Tank Carder, LB

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
• Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
• Preseason Third-Team All-American, Sporting News
• Preseason Fourth-Team All-American, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
• Best Linebacker in Texas, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• Preseason First-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• All-Texas Team, Sporting News
• Ranked 10th in the nation among inside linebackers, Lindy’s
• One of 12 “New stars you must know” in 2010, CollegeFootballNews.com

Andy Dalton, QB

• Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
• Johnny Unitas Award Watch List
• Preseason Honorable-Mention All-American, NationalChamps.net
• Ranked 12th in the nation among quarterbacks, Lindy’s
• One of 10 “Players who will take their game to the next level” in 2010, CollegeFootballNews.com

Wayne Daniels, DE

• Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
• Preseason Second-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• One of 10 “Fresh new faces” in 2010, CBSSports.com

Ross Evans, PK

• Preseason Honorable-Mention All-American, NationalChamps.net
• Preseason First-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• All-Texas Team, Sporting News

Cory Grant, DT

• All-Texas Team, Sporting News

Kelly Griffin, NT

• Preseason Second-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football

Tejay Johnson, S

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
• Lott Trophy Watch List
• Preseason Second-Team All-American, Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports
• Preseason Third-Team All-American, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
• Preseason Second-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• Ranked 10th in the nation among safeties, Lindy’s

Jeremy Kerley, PR

• Preseason First-Team All-American, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
• Preseason First-Team All-American, Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports
• Preseason First-Team All-American, NationalChamps.net
• Preseason Second-Team All-American, Sporting News
• Preseason Third-Team All-American, Athlon
• Preseason First-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• All-Texas Team, Sporting News

Jake Kirkpatrick, C

• Outland Trophy Watch List
• Rimington Trophy Watch List
• Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
• Preseason First-Team All-American, Sporting News
• Preseason First-Team All-American, Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports
• Preseason Second-Team All-American, NationalChamps.net
• Preseason First-Team All-Texas College, Dave Campbell’s 2010 Texas Football
• Ranked third in the nation among centers, Lindy’s

Jason Teague, CB

• Named an “Under-the-radar difference-maker to watch” in 2010, Rivals.com

TCU Offensive Backfield

• Ranked fifth in the nation, Lindy’s

The announcement was made at Clarke Elementary in Fort Worth, where four groups of 10-to-12 students have undertaken community projects.

The Clarke Elementary student involvement includes painting over gang graffiti prevalent in the neighborhood as well as a recycling program through which SLANT 45 donates the funds to SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a women and children’s shelter. Other projects involve a campus beautification program that features planting flowers and improving the overall appearance of their school, and an anti-gang campaign inviting police officers to campus to discuss gangs in the neighborhood.

“Gary and I are excited about the SLANT 45 program because it energizes the youth of our communities,” said Kelsey Patterson, wife of TCU football coach Gary Patterson and the Foundation’s secretary and treasurer.

“Through SLANT 45, Super Bowl XLV will leave behind a legacy, something positive in our communities. I think we’ll be seeing the effects of Super Bowl XLV for years to come.”

With TCU, the Gary Patterson Foundation also introduced an incentive program for students to participate in SLANT 45. Elementary­ aged students in the Fort Worth Independent School District and throughout Tarrant County can
submit their service-learning ideas into a competition for funding and awards.

Any team that registers for the program by July 2 will be entered for a chance to receive a private tour of the TCU campus, a meet and greet during practice and a Horned Frog football game-day experience.

More than 5,000 elementary school students in the North Texas region have signed up for SLANT 45. The goal is 20,000.

To learn more and register, visit www.slant45.org or call (469) 621-8989.

Ryan Christian eludes the tackle and scores

A four-year letterman for the Horned Frogs who also saw significant time at tailback, Christian totaled 74 career receptions for 750 yards (10.1 average) and three touchdowns. He added 777 career yards rushing on a 4.0 per carry mark with six scores.

Christian averaged 23.6 yards on 14 kickoff returns. He played in 47 career games with eight starts.

Christian was the 2009 recipient of TCU football’s Davey O’Brien Fightin’est Frog Award.

An Aledo, Texas, native, Christian recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with three catches for 106 yards in a 55-10 win at San Diego State. He also had his first career receiving scores with touchdown grabs of 44 and 29 yards. Christian came back the next week with a 16-yard scoring reception against Utah. It was part of a season-best five grabs for 48 yards
against the Utes.

As a junior, Christian tied a career-high with six catches for 53 yards in the Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State. He rushed for a career-best 82 yards on 19 carries while adding four receptions in a 31-14 win over Stanford.

Photo Credit: Dirk Hansen

(TCU Athletics, Fort Worth, TX)–TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes was a first-team selection. Jeremy Kerley was a second-team choice at punt returner, while center Jake Kirkpatrick, offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse and linebacker Daryl Washington were third-team picks.

Seven Horned Frogs have been named All-Americans this season. Quarterback Andy Dalton was cited by SI.com with cornerback Rafael Priest garnering honors from Sporting News.

Hughes is only the second two-time consensus All-American in TCU history (Darrell Lester, 1934-35). Hughes is the 2009 recipient of the Ted Hendricks Award and Lott Trophy. He has 15 tackles for loss, including 11 1/2 sacks, among a career-high 54 stops this season.

Kerley has returned two punts for touchdowns. He tops the Mountain West Conference in both punt return (14.3 yards) and kickoff return (26.9 yards) average. He’s one of only two players in the country (Javier Arenas,
Alabama) to rank in the top 20 nationally in both categories.

Kirkpatrick and Newhouse help anchor a TCU offensive line that paves the way for the Horned Frogs to rank in the top five nationally in scoring offense (40.7 points per game), total offense (469.1 yards per game) and rushing offense (256.5 yards per game). The Horned Frogs have set single-season school records for points scored (488) and total offense (5,629 yards).

Kirkpatrick was one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to
the nation’s top center.

Washington tops TCU with 99 tackles, the most stops by a Horned Frog since 2004 (Martin Patterson, 131). A senior from Irving, Texas, Washington was a Dick Butkus Award semifinalist. He has 7 1/2 tackles for loss and is tied for the TCU lead with three interceptions.

A signature play for Washington was catching Clemson’s C.J. Spiller from behind to make a touchdown-saving tackle in TCU’s 14-10 win in Death Valley.

TCU 41
UNLV 0
Recap

SMU  27
Tulsa 13
Recap

UNT 68
W KY 49
Recap

The Horned Frogs will open the 2009 football season playing at Virginia on ESPNU.  The game will be played on September 12 at 3:30 p.m. in Charlottesville at Scott Stadium.  The Cavaliers will come to Fort Worth in 2012.

New Frogs

Skye Dawson, a receiver from Dallas Christian was added to the Frogs’ 2009 incoming class.  Dawson helped lead the Chargers to the 2008 state title and a 14-0 record.  The 5-foot-10 and 175 pound receiver was also a track and field standout in high school.

The TCU Athletic Department also announced the addition of tailback Aundre Dean from Katy, TX.  If that city sounds familiar, that’s because Katy is the hometown of quarterback Andy Dalton.  Dean was a teamate of Dalton’s at Katy High and he is transferring to the Frogs from UCLA where he played as a true freshman.

Dean was injured last year limiting him to only six games.  Dean will have to sit out a year per the NCAA rules.  Dean was a Parade All-American and a top 10 running back according to Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN in high school.

Pre-Season Awards

Nick Sanders was named hardest hitter in the MWC by Sporting News

Several Frogs have already earned pre-season awards.  Leading the list of Frogs is defensive end Jerry Hughes.  Hughes has been named first-team all-american by Sporting News, Walter Camp and Athlon magazine.  Further, Hughes was ranked as the top NFL prospect from the Mountain West Conference by the Sporting News, and Matt Hayes from the Sporting News rated Hughes as nation’s 16th-best player.

Hughes also made the Sporting News and Athlon magazines’ pre-season All-Mountain West team.  And, as if that wasn’t enough, he was named the best Defensive Lineman by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine.  Fellow teammate Marshall Newhouse was named the best Offensive Lineman by Texas Football.

Newhouse and cornerbacks Rafael Priest and Nick Sanders picked up their share of honors as well.  All three were named to the All-Texas College first team by Texas Football.  The trio were also named to the pre-season All Mountain West Conference first-teams by the Sporting News and Athlon magazines.

Joining the three on the All-Texas first team were receiver Jimmy Young and placekicker Ross Evans.  Athlon named Newhouse, Priest, Sanders, Hughes and punter Anson Kelton to its All-MWC team.  Athlon’s second team All-MWC include offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, tailback Joseph Turner, punt returner Jeremy Kerley, Evans and Young.

It’s the second straight year the Horned Frogs have had a Top 10 Workout Warrior. Former Horned Frog linebacker and current Baltimore Raven Jason Phillips made the squad last season.

Cannon, a 6-foot-5, 350-pound junior, previously worked as a lifeguard and is skilled in several dives, including a double front flip, gainer, back
flip and one and a half.

Cannon was an honorable-mention All-Mountain West Conference selection last season and had a dominant performance in the Horned Frogs’ 17-16 Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State.

A native of Odessa, Texas, Cannon is also an all-conference selection in the shot put for the TCU track and field team. He earned runner-up honors at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Cannon won the shot put at the TCU Invitational before recording a season-best throw of 54 feet, 4 inches at the Texas Invitational.

Combined with six fall graduates, TCU had 18 players graduate in the 2008-09 academic year.

Becoming a TCU graduate on Saturday were safety Andy Burrell, safety Steven Coleman, placekicker Drew Combs, offensive guard Matty Lindner, offensive guard Giles Montgomery, nose tackle Cody Moore, offensive guard Preston Phillips, cornerback Rafael Priest, offensive tackle Heath Raetz, offensive tackle Nic Richmond, tailback Chris Smith and tailback Justin Watts.

Priest, Richmond and Smith will play their senior seasons this fall as
graduate students.

Priest, a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection, has started every game the last three campaigns. Richmond is a three-year letterman who has started 15 contests in his Horned Frog career. Also a three-year letterman, Smith has rushed for 131 yards at TCU.

The Horned Frogs’ December graduates were wide receiver Walter Bryant, wide receiver Kagen Elenburg, wide receiver Austin Galifaro, defensive end Matt Panfil, linebacker Jason Phillips and center Blake Schlueter.