No. 4 TCU heads to Laramie to tangle with Wyoming
Laramie, WY (Sports Network) - Having now cleared the most serious hurdles standing between themselves and a shot at a BCS bowl, the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs now turn their attention to the rest of their Mountain West Conference schedule, and in particular, the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie this weekend.
TCU, which is one of six teams still undefeated in the FBS and ranked fourth in the current BCS standings, has already taken care of the tougher opponents in the league with a 38-7 romp over BYU and last week's 55-28 thumping of Utah at home. The Frogs are a perfect 6-0 in conference obviously, and have run their overall win streak to 12 straight games dating back to last season.
Next week, TCU will close out the regular season with a home date against a New Mexico that up until the start of this week had yet to win a single game this season.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are also playing for high stakes because after 10 games they are an even 5-5 and need to win one more game at the very least just to be considered for postseason action. Two victories, with one of those coming against the Horned Frogs, would all but assure the team of bonus play.
Last weekend, the Pokes managed to fight their way back into the win column by putting up 24 points in the final quarter versus San Diego State, kicking the winning field goal in the final minutes to secure the hard-fought 30-27 victory.
Last year TCU whipped up on the Cowboys in a 54-7 final, advancing TCU to a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.
"In the past, I haven't played very well against Utah," TCU quarterback Andy Dalton said following the game last weekend. "For me, this was a great win and a great win for this team. It really speaks wonders for this program. Anytime we lose, I am probably one of my harshest critics." Dalton allowed the running game to do most of the damage against the Utes, generating 342 yards and five touchdowns on 51 attempts, but that doesn't mean the signal-caller didn't play a significant role in the lopsided decision. Dalton finished the contest 17-of-29 for 207 yards and a touchdown and one interception. Ed Wesley posted a game-high 137 yards and a score on 12 carries and Matthew Tucker took a pair of his eight attempts into the end zone for the Frogs as well.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes was clearly pumped up for the nationally-televised event as he posted eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the triumph.
"It is just a great win for our program," noted Hughes. "We had the largest crowd out there in TCU history, so we just tried to focus and bring home a win and that?s exactly what we did. Now we are just looking forward to playing Wyoming." Hughes, who was recently named one of 15 players in the running for the Walter Camp 2009 Player of the Year award, now has 10.5 sacks and 13.0 TFLs over 10 games this season, placing first in the MWC and seventh in the nation with an average of just over one sack per game.
While Hughes is handling the defensive aspect of the game for head coach Gary Patterson, Dalton has been orchestrating the offense with his 17 passing scores and just four interceptions. But more than just a passer, Dalton is also fourth on the team in rushing with his 389 yards as well.
"We started making plays," Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen described his team's comeback win. "It wasn't like (the Aztecs) were shutting us down all game, but we had some opportunities where we didn't get 6's a couple of times and we had a fumble. When it came time for the fourth quarter, we played extremely well." Playing well in the fourth quarter is perhaps an understatement as the Cowboys put up 24 unanswered points in the period and Ian Watts knocked through the game-winning field goal with just 23 seconds remaining. Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels managed to turn 16 completions into 246 yards and a touchdown, adding another score on the ground for the visitors.
Perhaps just as important as getting the offense into gear in the second half was how the Cowboys handled the Aztecs and quarterback David Lindley on the other side of the ball. Lindley had been one of the hottest QBs in the league and had at least one touchdown pass in every game this season, but the Pokes changed all that and ended up limiting the home team to a total of just 357 yards altogether.
For the most part, the defense hasn't been all that bad for the Cowboys this season, allowing 26.6 ppg, especially when you consider that opponents such as BYU and Texas outscored Wyoming by a combined 93-10 in two games.
Where this group needs to be giving more attention and expending more energy is on the offense since it currently rates eighth in the conference and 103rd in the country with 317.3 ypg over the course of 10 games. Too many times the offense has failed to show up at the stadium this season, leading to three shutouts and two other games in which the Pokes came up with only 10 points. Needless to say, generating only 17.6 ppg is not just a problem for Carta- Samuels but everyone on that side of the ball.
11/18 11:09:59 ET
