TCU's senior nose tackle Kelly Griffin was chop-blocked in the first quarter against Air Force this Saturday and had to be helped off the field with a broken ankle. Griffin is likely out for the remainder of the regular season but there is an outside chance that he could return in time for a bowl game. Griffin was a mainstay on the defensive line and was the first player to start as a freshman in the Gary Patterson era at TCU, earning freshman all-american honors. At 6-1, 310 pounds Griffin was a force to be reckoned in the inside running game eating up alot of space and typically requiring multiple blockers.
In his place 6-2, 290 pound sophomore Jeremy Coleman looks to step in and fill the void at nose tackle and while he is not as big as Griffin he is definitely faster which will add a new dimension to the defense. If you are looking for a silver lining to this story Coleman will now have plenty of experience going into the 2011 season when he was expected to begin starting.