#4 TCU heads up to Laramie to take on the Cowboys
by The Road on Nov 17, 2009 1:01 AM PST
in Football
12 comments
The Horned Frog express rolls into Laramie, WY on Saturday looking for their 11th win this season. TCU (10-0) will put their perfect record on the line as they face a young and dangerous Wyoming Cowboys (5-5) team. Currently #4 in the BCS the Horned Frogs will need another quality win plus a loss or two by one of the teams ranked ahead of them if they hope to have a shot at playing the National title game.
Coming off a stellar 55-28 victory over Utah last week the Horned Frogs are operating on all cylinders. Boasting one of the top defenses in the nation and led by DE Jerry Hughes the Horned Frogs wreak havoc on opposing teams QB's. Andy Dalton leads an offense that has been getting better and better each week. Their balanced attack put up 549 yards on a Utah defense that had been fairly stingy in the previous weeks.
"I have been a head coach for five years, and that is the best team I’ve faced."—Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, after his team’s loss to TCU.
The Wyoming Cowboys are coming off their most impressive victory of the season last week. Down 27-6 after three quarters the Cowboys put 24 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win 30-27 and keep their bowl chances alive. Jekyll and Hyde is a great way to describe the Cowboys offense this year. After scoring at least 30 points in three consecutive victories earlier in the season the Pokes then managed only 10 total points in three consecutive losses.
In their five victories this season the Cowboys have averaged 31.2 points.
In their five losses this season the Cowboys have averaged 4 points.
Freshman QB Austyn Carta-Samuels has earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this year. The Cowboys have switched to a spread offense this year after bringing in new Coach Dave Christensen. WR David Leonard has stepped up as big time possession receiver this year and has 63 catches for 533 yards.
TCU has scored in 213 cosecutive games - longest in the nation.
Wyoming has been shutout three times this year.
The Horned Frogs can really do it all: Offense, Defense and Special teams.
Andy Dalton has passed for over 2,000 yards this season with 17 TD's and only 4 interceptions. He also averages nearly 40 yards rushing a game.
TCU has four players with over 380 yards rushing this season. Joseph Turner gets the most carries: 120 for 622 yards and nine touchdowns. Freshman Edward Wesley has 598 yards and put up 120 against the Utes. Matthew Tucker adds 471 yards and six touchdowns to the mix.
Dalton loves to the spread the ball around and three receivers have 25 or more catches this year: Jimmy Young (25 for 405), Jeremy Kerley (33 for 370) and Bart Johnson (25 for 343). Kerley is a speedster and one of the most dangerous returnmen in the NCAA. He averages nearly 15 yards per punt return and has taken two back for scores.
Everything points towards an easy TCU victory but a couple factors could make this game closer then expected: elevation and weather.
The last time the Horned Frogs played in Laramie two years ago they lost 21-24. Coming from Fort Worth to 7220 feet can be a big shock to the system.
In the TCU's closest victory they beat Air Force 20-17 in Colorado Springs. That weekend a huge snowstorm hit the front range and game time temperatures were in the teens. TCU had a hard time scoring on a stout Air Force defense and the weather conditions certainly didn't help.
There is snow in the forecast for this weekend in Laramie but tempratures should be in the mid 30's so things won't be as cold as the Air Force game.
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TCU needs to get a score early in this game before they start getting winded from the altitude. Fortunately, since the TCU offense is built around the run first, the fact that they rotate a number of effective running backs in should help keep the game short and each of their legs as fresh as possible. On Defense it will be a matter of shutting down the run first and foremost, and getting off the field as soon as possible, either from stifling the pass with pressure from the front 4 or occasionally giving up a big play.
TCU needs to get up early and not allow Wyoming to feel like it has a shot to come back, or this game could be close, which is not only bad for TCU’s slim National Championship hopes, but is also dangerous for the business of getting out of Laramie with a win.
For the record:
That Whittigham quote includes the 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
the game starts at 11:00 am they are favored by 31 points
if i see snow on the field and it’s snowing on gameday i will take the cowboys to cover but there is no way tcu losses this game. worst case scenario 10 point win. wyoming is 5-5 so considering florida plays fiu, bama plays powerhouse chattanooga and texas plays kansas 6-4 the top four will win and the percentages will probably be exactly the same. i think the sagarin ratings are best indication where we are. 1. bama 2. florida 3. tcu 4. texas. next week will be more interesting with bama and auburn playing and florida and fsu playing.
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 17, 2009 7:01 AM PST up reply actions
New Mexico is going to bite TCU's computer ranking.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
okay here is somewhat of a confusing bit about this.
utah crushed new mexico and fell in bcs poll. byu squeeked by n.m and actually went up in bsc poll. i hope new mexico beats colorado state this weekend for their 1st win. if cincy losses to pitt and texas loses to nebraska in big 12 cg i still say tcu has a shot. maybe i’m dreaming. i love two of florida opponents this year college of charleston and florida international. bama had north texas and chatanooga. the sec is not as good as last year. i saw many flaws in gator game vs s.c. s.c actually pushed the pile back on tebow at least three times. tcu defense is better than south carolina’s. still if tcu dos not play in ncg they will crush whoever they put vs them in bcs bowl. then the mwc should get the aq bcs conference status with boise state included. did you know that boise only has four seniors on entire team. they are loaded as are the utah utes next year. another possible two undefeated seasons for both of them
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 17, 2009 8:15 AM PST up reply actions
BYU moved up
because people around them lost. A New Mexico win over CSU would, in the end, be a near wash for TCU. A staggered conference result is better for the conference becasue it allows gaps to be reasonable. If New Mexico beats CSU the bottom of hte MWC and New Mexico would all have to be adjusted closer together.
I think the tide is turning and if Texas and Cincinnati lose TCU is in. I don’t think its a dream. A Cincinnati loss would also help TCU in the computers on par with what New Mexico will cost them relative to Texas.
Too many qualifiers. TCU will crush whoever they put vs. them in a bowl. Unless they put them in the Super Bowl or the Pro Bowl.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
i'm glad byu moved up b/c when we beat them we will rise higher
i see byu’s program going downward. the points spread is 10 and 1/2 vs air force. i already have af. i think they can beat them. next year i honestly think byu finishes fourth and bronco will be fired. byu will also embarrass mwc in bowl game b/c we know when they don’t reach their goals they have no heart. send in the tin can from the wizard of ozz to provo. no heart. peace.
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 17, 2009 10:06 AM PST up reply actions
It will be interesting to see if the loser of that game can maintian a top 25 spot.
If Utah bearts BYU in a close one it could happen.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
reall?
You are way off, BYU might take a step back but bronco will not be fired.
by Jeremy Mauss on Nov 17, 2009 12:38 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
when bosie state is added to the mwc. i see byu as perinnial 4th or 5th place
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 17, 2009 7:44 PM PST up reply actions
I would think you'd prefer to see Colorado State win over New Mexico.
Since they’re both in-conference and both on TCU’s schedule (hey, that’s not a given for all conferences), it’s mostly a wash in terms of TCU’s SOS. But CSU has only played one Big 12 team and Texas opponent (Colorado) while New Mexico has played two (Texas A&M and Texas Tech), so a loss there is twice as detrimental for Texas.
Now granted, that’s a second order effect and isn’t worth much, but if you’re counting pennies, that’s probably the best hope available.
your right. i did not think of it that way. good work. csu beat colorado too
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 17, 2009 7:38 PM PST up reply actions
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