FOFC-BBCF: Texas Christian

[st.cronin]

We're joining the ever-growing list of dynasties devoted to the excellent multi-player college football league run by cartman. The league is currently winding down recruiting: Our class, a small one, is full. Here are our signers:

**** cb Donald Hughes (#34cb), The Veritas School, MS, 6'1", 156 Hughes has a chance to start as a true freshman, possibly at free safety.
*** cb Tim Watson (#57cb), Ferris High School, TX, 5'9" 180 Watson will probably redshirt this year, and may also end up moved to safety. One of the two cornerbacks will definitely end up at safety, its just a question of which one.
*** de Harvey McKinney (#50 de), Medina High School, X, 6'4", 259 May get moved to defensive tackle, as we're fairly settled at end, and really thin in the middle. Scheduled to redshirt this year.
*** ot Steven Flores (#55 ot), Ozona, TX, 6'6", 306 May get moved to guard or center, but definitely looks to be a contributor on the line down the road. Scheduled to redshirt this year.
*** k Jim Wyman (#23 k), Terrell High School, TX, 5'8", 207 Thomas Smith is the incumbent, and has missed only 1 extra point in two years. Wyman will redshirt this year.
*** wr Sylvester Bailey (#130 wr), Granbury, TX, 6'0", 186 Scheduled to redshirt this year. WR was, and remains, a need position.
** dt Thomas Reynolds (#70 dt), North High School, IA, 6'8", 248 Scheduled to redshirt this year. This may have been a reach, but we don't have any good defensive tackles on the roster, and maybe Reynolds will turn out ok.

[DeToxRox]

Attboy Cronin, good luck with the dynasty, look forward to our impending game.

[st.cronin]

For those who don't know, DeToxRox runs the Arizona squad. Last year we played them at home, and lost by an awful lot to not much. The rematch this year is at their place.

[Blade6119]

Nice class cronin, looking over your team you seem to have landed some nice depth for your upcoming run to the playoffs

[Groundhog]

I'm dreading TCU this coming season, but with the transfers they brought in, I'm dreading it even more the season after...

[waynegomez]

Looking forward to following this dynasty. Maybe TCU and the Pitt Panthers can meet on the field sometime down the road.

[st.cronin]

QB

Neil Griffin, Sr. 6'0", 186 One of several mobile qbs on the roster. Started one game last year, didn't play well, and got hurt. Would be a decent option in another system.

gp gs att cmp  %   yds y/att td int   rat
9  1   71 36  50.7 401 5.6  1   3  94.3

Logan Roberts, Sr. 6'5", 212 Walk-on. Hasn't played, probably won't.

Jerry Abbott, Jr. 6'2", 178 Spent two years at Texas before transferring to our program, sat out last year. Will get first crack at the starting job. Smart, disciplined, accurate passer.

James Olsen, Jr. 6'2", 191 Another mobile qb, saw some time last year and played very poorly. Not in the plans.

gp  gs att cmp  %   yds  y/att td int   rat
12 4   76  32   44  414  4.9   4  1  98.8

Tom Rodriguez, Jr. 6'1", 185 Walk-on, hasn't played, hopefully won't.

Jerry Rogers, So. 6'0", 201 Emerged as an effective starter last year. Will be the primary back-up, and first choice if something bad happens with Abbott. More effective running with the ball than throwing it.

gp  gs att cmp  %   yds  y/att td int   rat
7    6 119 59 49.6 982  8.3 10  4  139.9

Richard Jackson, Fr. 6'4", 195 Transfered from Oklahoma in the off-season, and will be ineligible this year.

Projected 2 deep:

Jerry Abbott, Jr.
Jerry Rogers, So.

Summary: Abbott is a very intriguing prospect, and with Jackson in the pipeline I feel good about this position for both the short and the long term.

[st.cronin]

RB

Mario Soto, Sr. 5'10" 192 Ran for over 800 yards as a backup last season, but faces some competition for the top job this year. He's the only halfback with any experience to speak of. Also one of the best pitchers in Reds history.

gp gs att    yds  ypg  ypc td
34 6 506 1768 52  3.49 9 

Billy Miller, So. 5'8", 183 Spent a year at Oklahoma before transferring, and was ineligible last year. Looks to be an explosive outside runner. Should get a lot of carries this year, and may emerge as the #1 back.

Timothy Hamilton, So. 5'9", 183 Hasn't hit the field yet, may get some action as a kick returner.

Kenneth Parker, So. 5'9", 197 Walk-on, won't play unless things go horribly wrong.

Barry Wells, So. 5'8", 182 Transferred this off-season from Ok. State, and is thus ineligible.

Projected 2 deep:

Mario Soto, Sr.
Billy Miller, So.

FB

Samuel Lewis, Sr. 6'2", 226 Has been the main guy at fullback for three years. He's a decent run blocker, but overall nothing special, and will be a back up in this, his last year.

gp gs att   yds  ypg  ypc  td rec yds  ypc td
25 22 33  79   3.2  2.47 0   4   95  11.9 2

William Harper, Sr. 5'10", 217 Walk-on, hasn't ever played.

Glen Landry, Jr. 6'2", 230 Very similar player to Lewis, will likely play out his career as a backup.

gp gs att   yds  ypg   ypc  td rec yds  ypc td
9   5   4    13   3.2  3.25  0   6   35   5.8   1

Frank Banks, Jr. 5'10", 226 Solid run blocker, and fast for a fullback. If he was a freshman I'd look at making him a tailback, and I may do so anyway. One of several options for the #2 spot.

gp gs att   yds  ypg   ypc  td rec yds ypc td
11 9  12   30   2.7   2.5   1   8   45   5.6 0

Frederick Lewis, So. 5'11", 222 Transfered from Missouri, and ready to hit the field this year. Looks to be a crushing run-blocker, and decent receiving option.

Projected 2 deep:

Frederick Lewis, So.
Samuel Lewis, Sr.

Summary: I don't have a lot of tolerance for injuries at the HB position, and there's not a lot of star power at either spot. Wells appears to be a good one, but he's ineligible this year.

[st.cronin]

WR

Derrick Sparks, Sr. 6'2", 181 May get used in kick/punt return situations. Character guy.

gp gs rec yds  ypg  ypc  td
15 5  43 531 35.4 12.3  0

Jim Odonnell, Sr. 6'3", 210 Good athlete, never had the hands to be a great receiver. Too late now to move him.

gp gs rec yds ypg ypc td
29 7 135 1124 38.8 14.4 8

Michael Lowe, Sr. 5'10", 200 Played just ok starting as a junior, looks to be a 3rd receiver for now.

gp gs rec yds ypg ypc td
12 12 42 623  51.9 14.8  3

Mark Williams, Jr. 5'11, 172 Good work ethic, very athletic. Didn't play any better than Lowe last year, but appears to have more upside, so will get more of an opportunity.

gp gs rec  yds   ypg   ypc  td
12 12 44 605  50.4  13.8 6

Armand Simpson, So 6'4", 168 Another refugee from the Big XII, Simpson should shine on kickoffs, and will likely be the first option for Abbott as well.

gp gs rec  yds   ypg  ypc  td
11 0  18  173  15.7  9.6  3

John Gray, So 6'1", 202 Walk on. Strictly a tackling dummy.

Sylvester Bailey, Fr. 6'0", 186 Something of a project. He's got good jets, and some potential. Will redshirt.

4 deep:

Armand Simpson, So.
Mark Williams, Jr.
Michael Lowe, Sr.
Jim Odonnell, Sr.

Summary: I'm pretty thin at this position, although the guys I like are underclassmen.

[st.cronin]

TE

Rex Lowery, Sr. 6'3", 241 Strictly a backup. Decent blocker, doesn't offer much in the receiving game.

gp gs rec  yds   ypg   ypc  td
5   4   7   111  22.2 15.9  0

Brandon Hart, Sr. 6'5", 246 Fairly versatile guy, and strong, with good size.

gp gs rec yds ypg  ypc td
14 4   9   71  5.1  9.1  0

Stanley Smith, Jr. 6'1", 223 Transfer from Ok State. Fast for a tight end, should be a big part of the offense this year.

Jeffery Taylor, Jr. 6'5", 233 Started last year, may actually redshirt this year, as part of a long range plan. That would give him a clean shot at a job his senior year.

gp gs rec  yds   ypg  ypc  td
17 17 12 193  11.4 16.1 1

Projected 2 deep:

Stanley Smith, Jr.
Brandon Hart, Sr.

Summary: Lack of underclassmen at this position concerns me. I may have a defensive player I can move over to solve that.

[st.cronin]

OT

Marshall Bond, Sr. 6'0", 296 3 year starter. Strong as an ox.

Sean Wallace, Sr. 6'5", 286 Walk on.

Steven Cruz, Jr. 6'8", 300 Started 11 games in 2007, backed up the line last year.

Jerry Stevens, So. 6'7", 293 As a true freshman, started all 12 games last year. Has a tough, mean personality.

Roland Green, So. 6'5", 274 Walk on.

David Lozano, So. 6'1", 275 Walk on.

Scott Flores, Fr. 6'6", 306 True freshman, will likely redshirt, but he's already pretty good. Could move to the interior line, depending on our needs down the road.

LT 2 deep:
Marshall Bond, Sr.
Steven Cruz, Jr.

RT 2 deep:
Jerry Stevens, So.
Steven Cruz, Jr.

Summary: Stevens needs to improve, but I feel good about our tackle situation.

[st.cronin]

OG

Miguel Baker, Sr. 6'0", 297 Has started most of the last three years. Strong, athletic, good.

Clifford Moore, Sr. 6'8", 317 Has started most of the last three years. Strong, athletic, good. Also ginormous.

Thomas Rodriguez, So. 6'0", 274 Walk on.

Frank Walker, So. 6'1", 311 Transfered from Texas Tech, ineligible this year. Big, strong, and tough.

Michael Allen, Fr. 6'4", 291 Redshirted last year, looks to be a decent prospect.

Chris Conner, Fr. 6'3", 283 Walk on.

Projected 2 deep:

LG
Miguel Baker, Sr.
Michael Allen, Fr.

RG
Clifford Moore, Sr.
Michael Allen, Fr.

Summary: It doesn't get any better than this: An experienced set of guards for this year, and a plan in place for next year.

[st.cronin]

C

Robert Whitley, Sr. 6'0", 289 Meh.

Allen Hopkins, Sr. 6'2", 275 Meh.

Lance Lewis, Jr. 6'5", 287 A masher in the middle - started all twelve games last year, and nobody's taking his job anytime soon.


2 deep:

Lance Lewis, Jr.
Steven Cruz, Jr.

Summary: The two seniors are just using up scholarship space. OT Flores may end up here down the road, or else I need to bring in somebody else to man the middle.

[st.cronin]

DE

Brian Kelley, Sr. 6'3", 255 Strictly a backup.

David Jones, Jr. 6'5", 261 Appears to have some potential, but only got 3 sacks last year as a starter. Needs to improve, and fast.

Donald Cruz, So. 6'8", 294 Spent a year ineligible after transferring in from Iowa. I thought about moving him to DT last year, but didn't. Should hold down one side nicely in a 3-4 defense.

Harvey McKinney, Fr. 6'4", 259 Solid prospect, but pretty raw.

Paul Griffith, Fr. 6'0", 250 Walk on.

Projected 2 deep:

LE
Donald Cruz, So.
Brian Kelley, Sr.

RE

David Jones, Jr.
Brian Kelley, Sr.

Summary: I'm thinner than I'd like to be for the moment, but the starters seem solid enough.

[st.cronin]

DT:

Ray Hester, Jr. 6'6", 271 Simply not good enough.

Michael Goldstein, Jr. 6'3", 262 Moved from DE prior to last season. Needs to add about 20 pounds, and may never be as good as I'd like him to be.

Danny Mills, So. 6'6", 265 Walk on.

Larry Wang, So. 6'7", 258 Walk on.

Frederick Cox, Fr. 6'6", 259 Redshirted last year. Looks like a wasted scholly at this point.

Thomas Reynolds, Fr. 6'8", 248 Will likely be moved to DE, where his size and skills seem better suited.


Projected 2 deep:

Michael Goldstein, Jr.
Ray Hester, Sr.

Summary: We'll be running a 3-4, but even so I'm pretty desperate here. This will be my #1 recruiting priority next year.

[st.cronin]

ILB

Richard Fountain, Sr. 5'9", 234 Strictly a backup skill set.

David Wood, Jr. 5'11", 227 Has started 24 consecutive games. Solid in all areas.

Bobby Collins, Jr. 6'2", 232 Very nice pass rush moves, and a solid tackler.

Joseph Smith, Fr. 6'2", 232 Aggresive and athletic. I'm looking at possibly moving him to tight end.

Michael Nolan, Fr. 6'2", 225 Transfered in from Texas. Ridiculous amount of talent.

OLB

William Forrest, Sr. 6'0", 225 Strictly a backup.

James Vasquez, Jr. 6'1", 237 Has some potential, and will get a chance this year.

Kenneth Karr, Jr. 6'1", 253 Made 87 tackles last year. Should again be our best linebacker.

Richard Peck, So. 6'0", 223 Transfered in from Nebraska. Has some potential, but he's still pretty unpolished.

Projected starting 4:

Kenneth Karr, Jr.
David Wood, Jr.
Bobby Collins, Jr.
James Vasquez, Jr.

Backups:

William Forrest, Sr.
Richard Fountain, Sr.

Summary: Linebacker is the clear strength of my team. I'm really looking forward to Nolan's eligibility.

[st.cronin]

CB

Robert Holland, Sr. 5'8", 171 Looks to be an above average corner. Had a 3 interception game last year.

Allan Hutchins, Jr. 5'9", 181 Will possibly play in nickle-dime situations. Good tackler, decent athlete.

Raymundo Scott, Jr. 6'2", 171 Very good athlete, football skills are a little lacking.

Michael Clark, So. 6'1", 171 Hard worker, bright guy, could eventually earn a starting job.

David Poe, Fr. 5'9", 180 Should eventually be a good all around cornerback and return man.

Donald Hughes, 6'1", 156 Was recruited to play free safety, but I think he'll stick at corner. Needs to put on weight, obviously. Scheduled to redshirt.

Timothy Watson, 5'9", 180 Incredible jets. Will redshirt, needs to improve his football skills.

Projected depth chart:

Robert Holland, Sr.
Raymundo Scott, Jr.
Daniel Poe, Fr.
Allan Hutchins, Jr.

Summary: Solid depth at this position. I say you can never have too many DBs, so I'll keep recruiting this position hard.

[st.cronin]

Safety

Robert Wetzel, Sr. 6'2", 196 Not good enough.

Floyd Bright, Fr. 6'2", 193 Committed at the very end of the recruiting process, taking a scholly I didn't even know I had available. Will redshirt, could be a decent player down the road.

Adam Esquivel, Sr. 6'2", 193 Solid tackler. Will probably be the strong safety.

Christopher Schneider, Jr. 6'0", 166 Listed as a SS, will play FS this year. Solid athlete.

Alonzo Flood, So. 5'11", 180 Transfered from Texas AM. He'll likely take over at free safety next year, after sitting this year out.

James Walker, So. 5'11", 186 Walk on.

Leroy Pauley, Fr. 6'0", 169 Walk on.

Projected 2 deep:

FS
Christopher Schneider, Jr.
Robert Wetzel, Sr.

SS
Adam Esquivel, Sr.
Robert Wetzel, Sr.

Summary: I have no major concerns here.

[st.cronin]

Projected starting lineups:

qb Jerry Abbott, Jr.
rb Mario Soto, Sr.
fb Frederick Lewis, So.
wr Armand Simpson, So.
wr Mark Williams, Jr.
te Stanley Smith, Jr.
ot Marshall Bond, Sr.
og Miguel Baker, Sr.
oc Lance Lewis, Jr.
og Clifford Moore, Sr.
ot Jerry Stevens, So.

de Donald Cruz, So.
dt Michael Goldstein, Jr.
de David Jones, Jr,
olb Kenneth Karr, Jr.
ilb David Wood, Jr.
ilb Bobby Collins, Jr.
olb James Vasquez, Jr.
cb Robert Holland, Sr.
cb Raymundo Scott, Jr.
ss Adam Esquivel, Sr.
fs Christopher Schneider, Jr.

[DeToxRox]

What week do you wanna come to Zona? 1 is all I have booked.

[st.cronin]

Week 3?

[st.cronin]

Schedule:

1
2 @Arizona
3 Oklahoma
4
5 @Colorado State
6 @UNLV
7 Army
8 Air Force
9 New Mexico
10 @Wyoming
11 Brigham Young
12 @San Diego State
13 Utah
14
15 @Southern Methodist

[st.cronin]

Post Training Camp Team Preview
Texas Christian took a small step forward in 2008 under new coach Sean Treacy, going 7-5 overall (5-3 in the Mountain West), but getting shut out of the postseason, despite a decent strength of schedule, and victories over all 3 Mountain West bowl teams. The fan base is cautiously optimistic for 2009, hoping to finish in the top 3 in conference.

Quarterback
QB was an unsettled position for the Horned Frogs last year. Jerry Rogers did the best work, but was unable to complete even 50% of his passes, and his future may be at wide receiver or defensive back. Jerry Abbott, who sat out last season after transferring from Austin, had an impressive spring, and is the clear #1 going into the season. He'll be pushed a year from now by Richard Jackson, a similar (and similarly talented) quarterback who came over from Oklahoma.

Grade: B

Running Back
The most effective part of TCU's offense in 2008 came from the backfield. The top returning rusher is senior Mario Soto. He'll likely split carries with sophomore Billy Miller. Sophomore Frederick Lewis will make his debut as the fullback; he looked very, very good in camp.

Grade: B+

Receivers
Sophomore Armand Simpson and junior Mark Williams emerged as the clear top two receivers in the spring. There's not much depth behind them, although one of the option qbs now buried on the depth chart may end up taking snaps at this position. Tight end will be manned by junior Stanley Smith, a solid blocker and skilled receiver, should be one of Abbott's favorite teammates.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line
Senior (and four year starter at tackle) Marshall Bond leads an experienced unit; all five starters from a year ago are still on the roster. He's matched with sophomore Jerry Stevens, still a bit of a work in progress. The interior line is led by senior Clifford Moore, 320 pounds of mean, and junior Lance Lewis, both returning starters. The biggest surprise of camp was redshirt freshman Michael Allen taking the job from Miguel Baker.

Grade: C+

Defensive Line
Still very much a work in progress, as the previous regime didn't do a good job bringing in talent for this unit; for that matter, Treacy hasn't done much better. The one known at this point is that Donald Cruz will be somewhere on the line. He's big, strong, and fast.

Grade: D

Linebacker
The linebackers were the strength of the defense a season ago, and that figures to continue to be the case. Junior Kenneth Karr started all 12 games in 2008, and piled up 87 tackles and 5 sacks. Juniors Bobby Collins, James Vasquez and David Wood round out the group. The school has high hopes for Michael Nolan, who transferred from Texas in the off season. Some observers think that he'll be the best defensive player in the conference when he becomes eligible.

Grade: A

Secondary
Another experienced unit, with three returning starters: Seniors Adam Esquivel and Robert Holland, and junior Raymundo Scott. Chris Schneider will take over at free safety.

Grade: B-

Special Teams
Junior Thomas Smith will be the kicker, and sophomore Henry Simmons the punter. Both players are considered among the best at their position in the conference. Armand Simpson and David Poe are scheduled to return kicks and punts.

Grade: A+

[st.cronin]

Week 2, @ Arizona (-17)

Our opening game of the year! Arizona whipped us pretty good in our home stadium last year, so that line may not be as crazy as it looks. They're very much an up-n-coming team in the Pac 10, and better than us in almost every way.

First half: Our defense plays well, giving up just one big play and no touchdowns and forcing Arizona to punt frequently. Armand Simpson, punt and kick returner, does a nice job giving us good field position on almost every drive, but QB Abbott struggles, except for one drive which ends and our running game goes nowhere. Arizona halfback William Davis goes out with a thumb injury. Halftime sees us leading 10-6.

2nd half: Arizona puts together a ground-pounding drive in the 3rd quarter, taking a 13-10 lead. Late in the 3rd Quarter, Armand Simpson returns a punt 35 yards to the Arizona 14, leading to a game tying field goal. Arizona QB Chavez comes up huge on the next drive, though:

Arizona ball, Q3, 3-21-ARZ9 (01:37) 13-13
Offense: Medium Pass, Set: Double TE, Play: DTE-FL-rollout-str
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 3-4, Play: 34-pass-Man-B7
QB J. Chavez completes a 26 yard streak to WR G. Thompson (ILB D. Wood). OT L. Applegate
earned a pancake on the play.

Arizona ball, Q3, 1-10-ARZ35 (01:09) 13-13
Offense: Medium Pass, Set: Double TE, Play: DTE-TE-posts
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 3-4, Play: 34-pass-MZ
QB J. Chavez completes a 24 yard hook to WR G. Thompson (CB A. Hutchins, ILB D. Wood).

Arizona ball, Q3, 1-10-TCU41 (00:42) 13-13
Offense: Outside Run, Set: I Form Big, Play: IB-HB-toss-LE
Defense: Stop Run, Set: Nickel, Play: Nickel-pass-MZ-B6
RB H. Love runs left end for 0 yards (SS C. Schneider).

Arizona ball, Q3, 2-10-TCU41 (00:14) 13-13
Offense: Inside Run, Set: I Form, Play: I-HB-power-RT
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: Dime, Play: Dime-pass-Man
RB H. Love runs right guard for 10 yards (OLB K. Karr). DE D. Jones missed a tackle.

Arizona ball, Q4, 1-10-TCU31 (15:00) 13-13
Offense: Outside Run, Set: I Form Big, Play: IB-RB-power-RE
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: Nickel, Play: Nickel-MZ-B5,8
RB A. Ford runs right tackle for 5 yards (CB A. Hutchins, SS C. Schneider).

Unnecessary Roughness against OT Paul Sims on Arizona. The Penalty is for 15 yards.
The Defense will accept the penalty. It is now Second and 20 at the Texas Christian 41.

Arizona ball, Q4, 2-20-TCU41 (14:46) 13-13
Offense: Medium Pass, Set: I Form, Play: I-FL-post-TE-out
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: Nickel, Play: Nickel-pass-DZ
QB J. Chavez completes a 29 yard post to WR G. Thompson (CB R. Holland). ILB B. Collins allowed
the big play.

Arizona ball, Q4, 1-10-TCU12 (14:22) 13-13
Offense: Short Pass, Set: I Form, Play: I-SE-curls
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: Dime, Play: Dime-pass-Man-B5-L
QB J. Chavez completes a 12 yard hook to WR S. Campbell ****Touchdown!***** OG M. Hill earned
a pancake on the play. CB A. Hutchins missed a tackle.


They go ahead 20-13. We take the ball inside the Arizona 20 on the next drive, and kick a field goal to make it 20-16 with over 10 minutes to play. Although our defense tightens up, our offense never again crosses mid field.

Final Score: Arizona (1-1) 20, TCU (0-1) 16

Box score is here: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game726.htm

The game was awful close. I like our return yard advantage: 259-44. I don't like that they outrushed us 186-73.

Up next is a home game against Oklahoma, defending national champions.

[DeToxRox]

Close game, your team is definetly solid. Our coverage is not very good, that'll change. A shame RB Davis went down for me, he was pounding it. I think you are the team to beat in the Mountain West if you can fix your rush D.

[st.cronin]

Week 3
#2Oklahoma (1-0) @ Texas Christian (0-1) (+12)

For our home opener, we have scheduled the defending National Champion Oklahoma Sooners. Last year we played in Norman, and got crushed. Although we played well last week, I'm mainly hoping not to get embarrassed today.

Our new QB, Jerry Abbott, has a mild concussion, and is benched as a precaution. Jerry Rogers takes over (you may recall he had a solid year last year as a freshman). We also have 3 defensive starters benched for academic problems: DT Donald Cruz, ILB David Wood, and CB Raymundo Scott. All 3 are impact players, so that's a pretty big problem.

First quarter: All Oklahoma. They take the opening kickoff and march down the field in short order, going up 7-0. We respond with a 3 and out. The punt pins Oklahoma back at their 48, and they march down to our 11, where they fail on 3rd and 7. The Sooners go for the kill shot, and run a fake, which fails!

Rogers finds a man open deep, and we find ourselves at the 40 of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, his next pass is picked off, and Oklahoma completes a big pass of their own - and they're back knocking at the door, on our 21. They take it down to the 14, and this time they do settle for the field goal, and we are down 10-0.

Our next drive, Rogers looks deep again, and finds Armand Simpson for a 47 yard gain, taking us again to the Oklahoma 40. A couple of running plays later, and we line up for a 49 yard field goal, which is good, cutting the lead to 10-3. We're getting absolutely abused in almost every way, but we're only down a touchdown.

2nd Quarter:

Oklahoma starts at their 20, and a few plays later they're in TCU territory again, at our 46. Our defense, which after the opening drive has settled into a bend-but-don't-routine, stiffens up at this point, and forces the punt, which puts us at our 3. Rogers has had some success with the deep pass, and on 2nd and 8 he finds Mark Williams on a 29 yard hook. Mario Soto then scoots for 11 yards, taking us to our 47. Rogers drops back and throws deep - again completing a long pass, this one to Mike Lowe for 44 yards! Two plays later, he finds TE Stanley Smith in the end zone for a touchdown! The extra point ties the game 10-10.

The two teams trade 3-n-outs, and Oklahoma is then forced to punt again. Taking over at our 8 yard line with 3:06 in the half, Miller rips off a 21 yard run, and Rogers hits Odonnell for a 30 yard pass. With 35 seconds in the half, Thomas Smith booms a 31 yard field goal, giving us the first lead of the game, 13-10.

3rd Quarter:

TCU gets the ball first, and the battle of the punters begins: Each squad gets a single first down in the first 10 minutes of the half. The home crowd gets a little crazier each time the Sooners fail to convert a 3rd down. Believe it or not, its TCU that gets the offense going first, with this beautiful sequence:

Oklahoma ball, Q3, 4-7-OU37 (05:05) 10-13
Chris Brandt Punts 40 yards to the Texas Christian 23 yard line, where it goes out of bounds.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-10-TCU23 (04:49) 13-10
Offense: Short Pass, Set: I Form, Play: I-SE-curls
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 4-3, Play: 43-pass-TMan
False Start against OT Marshall Bond on Texas Christian. The Penalty is for 5 yards.
The Defense will accept the penalty. It is now First and 15 at the Texas Christian 18.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-15-TCU18 (04:49) 13-10
Offense: Outside Run, Set: I Form, Play: I-WR-endaround-RE
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: Nickel, Play: Nickel-pass-Man-B10
WR M. Williams runs right end for 2 yards (ILB R. Mitchell).

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 2-13-TCU20 (04:18) 13-10
Offense: Short Pass, Set: Weak, Play: WK-SE-slant-FL-in
Defense: Normal, Set: 4-3, Play: 43-norm-MZ-B5,6
QB J. Rogers completes a 18 yard screen to WR A. Simpson (FS A. Griffin). CB G. Brown missed
a tackle.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-10-TCU38 (03:55) 13-10
Offense: Inside Run, Set: Weak, Play: WK-HB-straight-RG
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 4-3, Play: 43-pass-DZ
RB B. Miller runs right guard for 10 yards (SS E. Simmons). OG M. Baker had a key block on
the run.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-10-TCU48 (03:27) 13-10
Offense: Short Pass, Set: Weak, Play: WK-HB-flat-SE-post
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 4-3, Play: 43-pass-SZ-B11
QB J. Rogers throws an incomplete pass to RB B. Miller. J. Rogers made a bad pass.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 2-10-TCU48 (03:10) 13-10
Offense: Long Pass, Set: Pro Set, Play: PS-RB-cross-FB-str
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 4-3, Play: 43-pass-ZoneBlitz
QB J. Rogers completes a 51 yard streak to FB F. Lewis (OOB). OG M. Allen earned a pancake
on the play. ILB H. Johnston allowed the big play.

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-1-OU1 (03:00) 13-10
Offense: Short Pass, Set: SingleBack, Play: SB-SE-slant-WR3-in
Defense: Stop Run, Set: Goal Line, Play: GL-run-SZ
QB N. Griffin completes a 1 yard dump off to FB F. Lewis ****Touchdown!*****

Texas Christian ball, Q3, 1-0-OU0 (02:47) 19-10
Thomas Smith converts the PAT.

We are up 20-10! Oklahoma gets a single first down on their next drive, and the final play of the 3rd quarter is OU punting, down 10!

4th Quarter:

The crowd going wild, Jerry Rogers leads the team down to the Oklahoma 20. Another touchdown wouldn't quite end the game, but it would sure make it tough for the Sooners. But, what's this, the pass is picked off in the end zone! Rogers 2nd int on the day. Nervous making time.

Oklahoma ball, Q4, 1-10-OU20 (13:21) 10-20
Offense: Medium Pass, Set: Shotgun, Play: SG-FL-curls
Defense: Normal, Set: 3-4, Play: 34-norm-SZ
QB J. Osborne completes a 42 yard streak to TE M. Carroll (ILB B. Collins). OG C. Brady earned
a pancake on the play. FS R. Wetzel allowed the big play.

gulp - but then:

Oklahoma ball, Q4, 3-7-TCU35 (12:08) 10-20
Offense: Medium Pass, Set: Quads, Play: Q-SE-playact-corner
Defense: Stop Pass, Set: 3-4, Play: 34-pass-DZ
J. Osborne has his 9 yard pass intercepted by R. Wetzel at the TCU 26. He returns it 4 yards
to the Texas Christian 30.

We put together a short drive, and punt the ball to OU's 13. They're able to pick up just a single 1st down, and are forced to punt from their own 31 down 10, with 6:17 left. They need to force a 3 and out, and they do, aided by a big 14 yard sack by LB Salazar. Our defense, which after a shaky start has been stout, buoyed by the boisterous home crowd, forces THEM to punt again, this time with 3:48 left, down 10! Our ground game is able to wind the clock down, and this game is over! We get the upset! TCU 20, Oklahoma 10

[Blade6119]

Congrats cronin, MAJOR victory!

[st.cronin]

True story: I opened the file, went to my team's info page, saw my won-loss record was 1-1, and thought I must have unzipped a very old file.

And then I realized I had won, and I lit a cigar.

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

...And then I realized I had won, and I lit a cigar.

Denny Crain!!!!!

[SnDvls]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Close game, your team is definetly solid. Our coverage is not very good, that'll change. A shame RB Davis went down for me, he was pounding it. I think you are the team to beat in the Mountain West if you can fix your rush D.

looks like something got fixed..congrats on the win.

[st.cronin]

Here's the box score:

http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game719.htm

Some notes:

- Rogers was tremendous all game with the deep ball, 15-31 for 331 yards.
- Miller is now the #1 running back, as two games in a row he's been head and shoulders above Soto.
- SS Esquivel, QB Rogers, and ILB Collins get game balls.
- Sooner QB Jeff Osborne completed only 8 passes. Their running game was effective, but they had no play on 3rd and long that actually worked.
- Next week we're off, then we have a road game at Colorado State.

[Groundhog]

Congrats TCU, big upset!

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Congrats TCU, big upset!

Thanks! Really a HUGE win for the program.

I had set 7 wins as my goal this year, but now I'm thinking 8 or even 9 is reasonable.

[st.cronin]

Week 5
Texas Christian (1-1) @ Colorado State (1-2) (E)

We begin conference play with a tough game at CSU. Abbott is still concussed, and listed as questionable, but Rogers was effective against Oklahoma, so Rogers starts at QB. Unfortunately, Rogers plays poorly: 13-31 (albeit 260 yards) and 1 pick. He also doesn't do much on the ground, supposedly his strength: 6 carries for only 1 yard. The biggest surprise, though, is that our pass defense lays a big ole egg, allowing CSU QB Anthony White to go 15-28 for 272 yards.

Still, this is a game we could have won: Our average play netted 5.4 yards, CSU netted 4.2. We sacked their qb 7 times, and allowed none, intercepted him twice while only throwing one ourselves. Somehow, though, it all added up to our first loss.

Final Score: Colorado State 23, Texas Christian 15

Box score is here: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game445.htm

Up next: @ UNLV

[st.cronin]

Week 6
Texas Christian(1-2) @ UNLV (0-4)(+4)

This is an important game for us: Starting out 0-2 in conference would be a disaster. Abbott is recovered from his concussion, so he starts at QB. RB Billy Miller is sidelined with a minor injury.

UNLV plays a vertical passing offense, so I tone down my blitzing, and come up with a scheme that hopefully means everyone is covered.

Abbott plays well enough, completing 17 of 27 passes for 195 yards. The real offensive hero, though, is senior running back Mario Soto, who gains 121 yards on 23 carries, including 2 touchdowns. Overall our running game works very well; backup Tim Hamilton rips off a 36 yard TD run in the first quarter, and totals 79 yards on just 9 carries. Defensively we do just enough to win, limiting the Rebels to 3.4 ypc.

Final Score: Texas Christian 27, UNLV 17

Box score is here: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game449.htm

Game balls go to RB Mario Soto, QB Jerry Abbott, OLB Kenneth Karr (7 tackles, 3 assists).

Up next: Non-conference home game with Army.

[st.cronin]

Conference standings so far:

Rank	Team		W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	Streak	Home	Road	Media	Coach
1	Brigham Young	3-0	102	39	5-1	173	80	W5	3-0	2-1	0-0	0-0
2	Air Force	2-1	51	41	3-3	138	97	L-1	2-2	1-1	0-1	0-0
3	Texas Christian	1-1	42	40	2-2	78	70	W1	1-0	1-2	1-0	1-0
4	Colorado State	1-1	47	46	2-2	108	102	W1	1-1	1-1	0-1	0-1
5	New Mexico	1-1	26	53	2-2	61	80	L-1	2-1	0-1	0-0	0-0
6	Utah		1-1	38	37	3-2	138	114	W2	3-1	0-1	1-0	1-0
7	Wyoming		1-1	34	47	2-2	81	83	W1	0-1	2-1	0-0	0-0
8	San Diego State	1-2	69	70	1-5	115	180	L-2	0-2	1-3	0-2	0-2
9	UNLV		0-3	38	74	0-4	52	130	L-4	0-2	0-2	0-1	0-1

We have BYU at home later in the season, that's shaping up as the biggest game of the year for us.

[st.cronin]

Week 7
Army (2-3) @ Texas Christian (2-2) (-11)

This is the first of three straight weeks of home games. We are clear cut favorites, but I'm not so sure: Army is a tough team to get a handle on. The teams they've lost to (OK State, NC State, Notre Dame) are all very good teams.

Our pass defense, which has been shaky since the Oklahoma game, turns into a sieve in the first half, and we face halftime down 20-7. Jerry Abbott goes down with an injury, and in the second half we turn to James Olsen and Neil Griffin (Rogers was hurt last week, so he's out). Our two subs combine to complete 11 of 12 passes for 191 yards and 3 picks, and the second half is all Horned Frogs.

Final Score: Texas Christian 34, Army 23

Box Score: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game659.htm

Game balls go to SS Adam Esquivel (6 tackles, 3 assists, 1 pick), OG Clifford Moore (2 pancake blocks), and backup QB James Olsen (8 of 9 for 175 yards and 2 tds).

Starting QB Jerry Abbott will be back next week, but hasn't exactly secured the job: He's completed 57.8% of his passes, which is good, but his td-int ratio is 1-4, which is bad.

Up next: Home game with Air Force.

[st.cronin]

Conference standings so far:

Rank	Team		W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	Streak	Home	Road	Media	Coach
1	Brigham Young	3-0	102	39	5-1	173	80	W5	3-0	2-1	0-0	0-0
2	Air Force	2-1	51	41	4-3	171	125	W1	3-2	1-1	0-1	0-0
3	New Mexico	2-1	43	62	3-2	78	89	W1	2-1	1-1	0-0	0-0
4	Utah		2-1	76	47	4-2	176	124	W3	3-1	1-1	1-0	1-0
5	Wyoming		2-1	51	54	3-2	98	90	W2	1-1	2-1	0-0	0-0
6	Texas Christian	1-1	42	40	3-2	112	93	W2	2-0	1-2	1-0	1-0
7	Colorado State	1-2	57	84	2-3	118	140	L-1	1-2	1-1	0-1	0-1
8	San Diego State	1-3	78	87	1-6	124	197	L-3	0-3	1-3	0-2	0-2
9	UNLV		0-4	45	91	0-5	59	147	L-5	0-2	0-3	0-1	0-1

The next two weeks we have Air Force and New Mexico, both at home.

[st.cronin]

Week 8
Air Force (4-3) @ Texas Christian (3-2)

Air Force has been an enigmatic team so far, being up and down quite a bit from week to week. We're favored by five.

Abbott goes down with a knee injury in the first quarter after completing just one pass in four attempts. Rogers comes on, and our offense pretty much comes to a screeching halt. Despite cheating against the run, Air Force becomes the first team to really take advantage of our poor defensive line, rolling up 152 yards rushing.

Final Score: Air Force 20, Texas Christian 12

Box Score: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game456.htm

Not sure where to go from here. My top two quarterbacks have both pretty much failed to impress me, other than Rogers one game against Oklahoma. The bright spot is maybe overlooked RB Timothy Hamilton, who is averaging 4.07 ypc on the year. An expanded role might be in order for him.

We're now at the halfway point, and I'll have mid-season report cards in a day or so.

[st.cronin]

Conference standings:

Rank	Team		W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	Streak	Home	Road	Media	Coach
1	Wyoming		3-1	76	78	4-2	123	114	W3	2-1	2-1	0-0	0-1
2	Utah		3-1	123	88	5-2	223	165	W4	4-1	1-1	1-0	1-0
3	Air Force	3-1	71	53	5-3	191	137	W2	3-2	2-1	0-1	0-1
4	Brigham Young	3-1	143	86	5-2	214	127	L-1	3-0	2-2	0-0	0-0
5	New Mexico	2-1	43	62	3-2	78	89	W1	2-1	1-1	0-0	0-0
6	Texas Christian	1-2	54	60	3-3	124	113	L-1	2-1	1-2	1-0	1-0
7	San Diego State	1-3	78	87	1-6	124	197	L-3	0-3	1-3	0-2	0-2
8	Colorado State	1-3	81	109	2-4	142	165	L-2	1-2	1-2	0-1	0-1
9	UNLV		0-4	45	91	0-5	59	147	L-5	0-2	0-3	0-0	0-0

A conference title is probably out of the question at this point. Best case scenario is probably 7-5 and a bowl berth. 6-6 is more likely.

[st.cronin]

Mid-Season Report Card


Passing

name		g	att	cmp	cmp%	yds	yds/att	td	int	lg	sack	rating
Neil Griffin	4	6	6	100.0	38	6.3	2	0	17	0	263.2
James Olsen	4	13	11	84.6	186	14.3	2	0	57	1	256.6
Jerry Rogers	3	97	43	44.3	799	8.2	2	5	60	5	110.0
Jerry Abbott	4	87	49	56.3	579	6.7	1	4	47	7	106.8

My worst fears about both Abbott and Rogers have been realized - they've been erratic and uninspiring. Olsen played very well against Army, but was awful when given a chance a year ago. He may get a second look at some point. Grade: C-

Rushing

name		g	rush	yds	ypg	ypc	td	lg
Mario Soto	6	111	335	55.8	3.02	3	40
Tim Hamilton	4	42	171	42.8	4.07	1	36
Billy Miller	3	30	157	52.3	5.23	0	21
Frederick Lewis	6	16	43	7.2	2.69	0	13
Neil Griffin	4	2	32	8.0	16.00	0	21
Mark Williams	6	5	18	3.0	3.60	0	9
James Olsen	4	1	5	1.2	5.00	0	5
Armand Simpson	6	1	5	0.8	5.00	0	5
Jerry Rogers	3	9	1	0.3	0.11	0	1
Jerry Abbott	4	2	0	0.00	0.00	0	0

Miller has been hurt with a wrist injury, but showed great promise at the beginning of the year. Soto, who has gotten the bulk of the work, has been occasionally effective. Grade: C+

Receiving

name		g	att	rec	yds	ypg	ypc	yac	td	lg
Mark Williams	6	61	33	473	78.8	14.3	166	3	46
Armand Simpson	6	45	25	379	63.2	15.2	85	0	60
Michael Lowe	6	28	15	327	54.5	21.8	46	1	57
Frederick Lewis	6	20	7	109	18.2	15.6	86	1	51
Mario Soto	6	20	13	89	14.8	6.8	59	0	15
Stanley Smith	6	16	9	88	14.7	9.8	22	1	19
Billy Miller	3	3	1	59	19.7	59.0	54	0	59
Jim Odonnell	4	4	2	51	12.8	25.5	3	0	47
Tim Hamilton	4	5	4	27	6.8	6.8	20	1	9
Derrick Sparks	1	1	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0

The wideouts have played quite well. Stanley Smith and the running backs haven't been quite as involved in the passing game as I'd hoped for, but overall I have no complaints here. Grade: A

Blocking

name		g	rb	pnk	sa	hold	false	missbl
Miguel Baker	4	2	3	2	0	0	4
Micheal Allen	6 (6)	2	2	2	0	0	3
Stanley Smith	6	2	1	1	0	1	2
Clifford Moore	6 (6)	2	6	0	0	0	0
Jerry Stevens	6 (6)	1	2	0	1	2	3
Frederick Lewis	6	1	0	0	0	0	0
Lance Lewis	6 (6)	1	2	2	1	0	8
Marshall Bond	6 (6)	1	4	3	0	1	6
Robert Whitley	2	0	0	1	0	0	2
Rex Lowery	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Samuel Lewis	2	0	0	0	0	1	1
Steven Cruz	6	0	3	2	1	3	6

Clifford Moore, LG, has been awesome. The rest of the line has just been ok. Overall, I'm pleased with the way these guys have played. Grade: B+

Kicking

Name		xp	fg 1-29	30-39	40-49	50+	fg%	long	points
Thomas Smith	10-10	2-2	5-6	7-10	1-2	75.0	50	55

Name		punts	avg	net	tb	in20	long
Henry Simmons	38	41.5	34.3	2	2	64

The kickers have done very well. Grade: A

[st.cronin]

Defense

pos	name		g	tack	solo	ast	sack	stf	hur	dp	pd	int	def td	misstak	oop	bpa
olb	Kenneth Karr	6 (6)	54	36	18	5	3	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	2
ss	Adam Esquivel	6 (6)	40	28	12	0	5	0	0	2	2	0	1	2	0
ss/fs	Chris Schneider	6 (2)	34	30	4	0	7	0	0	3	3	0	2	3	1
ilb	Bobby Collins	4 (3)	29	22	7	1	6	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
cb	Robert Holland	6 (6)	22	16	6	0	0	0	0	9	3	0	0	0	0
ilb	Joseph Smith	6 (5)	22	16	6	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2
ilb	Rich Fountain	5 (3)	21	16	5	0	5	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
olb	James Vasquez	6 (6)	16	11	5	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
fs	Robert Wetzel	5 (4)	13	7	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	5	7
cb	Raymundo Scott	4 (4)	9	8	1	0	1	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	0
cb	Allan Hutchins	3 (2)	6	2	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	2	0	0
olb	William Forrest	5 	5	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
de	Mike Goldstein	3	5	5	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
cb	David Poe	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	2
dt	Donald Cruz	4 (4)	3	3	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
de	Harvey McKinney	6 (6)	3	3	0	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
de	David Jones	6 (6)	3	3	0	2	0	7	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
ilb	David Wood	1 (1)	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
dt 	Frederick Cox	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
dt	Thomas Reynolds	4	1	1	0	0	0	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
de	Brian Kelley	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

The defensive line has been every bit the liability we feared: Those guys have made almost no impact whatsoever. Wetzel spent a few games at free safety, and was a disaster. The linebackers have been quite good, particularly Karr, and SS Esquivel has been fantastic.

Grades:
Defensive Line: D
Linebackers: A
Secondary: B+

[st.cronin]

Overall Picture so Far

Pre-season, I would've hoped to be 4-2 at the midpoint, but thought 3-3 was a possibility. After the strong showing in Arizona, and the big win against the Sooners, though, I bumped up my expectations a bit. We're off to a disastrous start in conference play, my quarterback position is unsettled, and just in general I'm a bit rattled by my team's play lately. A bowl bid is still a possibility, and that's the goal we need to stay focused on.

Overall grade: C-

[st.cronin]

Week 9
New Mexico (3-2) @ Texas Christian (3-3) (-11)

We're 11 point favorites, which is crazy.

Turnovers dictated much of the game flow this week. Thomas Smith boomed a long field goal on our first drive, and UNM fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which we converted to another field goal - so we jump out to a 6 point lead. On our next drive, Olsen throws an interception. On the next play, UNM tosses a deep ball that results in a TD. Our offense basically does nothing at all the rest of the half, and we find ourselves down 13-9, looking at 16-9, when backup RB Ken Parker blocks a short field goal try - and then Allan Hutchins, dimeback, picks up the loose ball and runs 77 yards for a touchdown! We go into the half up 16-13.

In the third quarter, we get two more field goals to go up 22-13. Our defense mostly plays quite well, until we give up another big TD pass with 37 seconds left in the quarter, cutting our lead to 22-19 (blocked extra point). In the fourth quarter, we ice the game with another unconventional touchdown, an interception return by CB David Poe.

I went with a platoon system at QB, splitting the snaps between Abbott and Olsen. Neither one impresses - Abbott completes 8 of 18 with a pick, and Olsen completes 7 of 11 with another interception, plus a mind-boggling 5 sacks. We got a bit lucky in this game - UNM's average play was 6.7 yards (!), and ours was only 4.1.

Final Score: Texas Christian 32, New Mexico 19

http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game460.htm

Game balls go to kicker Thomas Smith (6 for 6 on fgs, including a 51 yarder), cornerback David Poe (int return for a td), and wide receiver Mark Williams (6 catches for 100 yards).

Up next: must-win road game against Wyoming

[st.cronin]

Conference standings:

Rank		Team	W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	Streak	Home	Road	Media	Coach
1	Air Force	4-1	90	69	6-3	210	153	W3	4-2	2-1	0-1	0-1
2	Wyoming		3-1	76	78	4-2	123	114	W3	2-1	2-1	0-0	0-0
3	Brigham Young	3-2	159	105	5-3	230	146	L-2	3-0	2-3	0-0	0-0
4	Utah		3-2	132	98	5-3	232	175	L-1	4-1	1-2	1-0	1-0
5	New Mexico	2-2	62	94	3-3	97	121	L-1	2-1	1-2	0-0	0-0
6	Texas Christian	2-2	86	79	4-3	156	132	W1	3-1	1-2	1-0	1-0
7	San Diego State	2-3	95	97	2-6	141	207	W1	1-3	1-3	0-2	0-2
8	Colorado State	1-4	91	126	2-5	152	182	L-3	1-2	1-3	0-1	0-1
9	UNLV		1-4	55	100	1-5	69	156	W1	1-2	0-3	0-0	0-0

Wyoming beat Air Force, so the Cowboys "control their own destiny."

Media Poll:

Rank	Team	Conf	Record	Points	Top 25	SOS	Last	Next	Prev
1.	Missouri	B12	8-0 (5-0)	1606	1-0	47	W, 31-24 at Kansas	#22 Colorado	1
2.	Texas		B12	8-0 (5-0)	1555	2-0	72	W, 27-22 at Texas Tech	OPEN	2
3.	Clemson		ACC	6-1 (4-1)	1500	1-0	45	W, 26-20 at #10 Boston College	at #4 Florida State	12
4.	Florida State	ACC	7-1 (5-1)	1428	2-1	65	W, 34-16 Maryland	#3 Clemson	4
5.	LSU		SEC	7-1 (5-1)	1358	1-0	69	W, 34-10 at Miss State	#15 Auburn	8
6.	Purdue		B10	8-1 (4-1)	1294	1-0	61	W, 19-16 at Illinois	at #7 Wisconsin	5
7.	Wisconsin	B10	7-1 (4-1)	1207	2-0	96	W, 17-12 at Michigan State	#6 Purdue	6
8.	Oklahoma	B12	5-2 (3-1)	1146	0-1	25	W, 45-10 Baylor	#19 Texas A&M	7
9.	Notre Dame	Indep	7-1 (3-0)	1061	1-1	19	W, 20-13 at Navy	Arizona	10
10.	Boston College	ACC	6-2 (4-2)	982	1-2	21	L, 20-26 #3 Clemson	Wake Forest	3
11.	Virginia Tech	ACC	8-1 (5-1)	910	0-1	94	W, 37-17 Miami	at Duke	14
12.	Georgia		SEC	7-0 (5-0)	852	2-0	93	W, 31-24 at #16 Florida	South Carolina	9
13.	Washington	Pac10	7-1 (4-1)	785	1-1	67	W, 24-23 Arizona	at #14 Oregon State	13
14.	Oregon State	Pac10	5-2 (3-1)	741	1-1	38	W, 31-17 Stanford	#13 Washington	11
15.	Auburn		SEC	6-2 (5-0)	686	2-2	23	W, 28-10 Arkansas	at #5 LSU	21
16.	Florida		SEC	3-4 (1-4)	616	1-4	14	L, 24-31 #12 Georgia	at Kentucky	15
17.	UCLA		Pac10	5-4 (2-3)	551	3-2	35	W, 30-23 #23 Arizona State	at Wash State	16
18.	Ole Miss	SEC	7-2 (3-2)	474	1-2	40	W, 43-16 at Alabama	OPEN	18
19.	Texas A&M	B12	4-3 (2-2)	408	0-1	11	W, 27-17 Oklahoma State	at #8 Oklahoma	22
20.	Michigan	B10	4-3 (2-2)	327	0-2	46	OPEN	Northwestern	23
21.	Virginia	ACC	5-3 (2-3)	286	1-1	27	L, 19-36 Duke	North Carolina	20
22.	Colorado	B12	5-2 (3-2)	221	0-0	51	L, 10-33 at Kansas State	at #1 Missouri	19
23.	Arizona State	Pac10	5-3 (2-3)	150	2-1	71	L, 23-30 at #17 UCLA	OPEN	17
24.	Bowling Green	MAC	7-1 (5-1)	98	0-0	70	W, 21-16 Buffalo	Miami (OH)	28
25.	California	Pac10	4-4 (2-3)	67	0-3	9	L, 6-37 Wash State	at Oregon	24
Others receiving votes
USC 39, Oregon 34, Boise State 32, Georgia Tech 29, Northern Illinois 26, Louisville 26, Miss State 26, Arizona 21, Miami 20, Ohio State 15, West Virginia 10, NC State 5, Nebraska 3
Dropped out of the Top 25
Miami (25)

Coaches Poll:

Rank	Team	Conf	Record	Points	Top 25	SOS	Last	Next	Prev
1.	Missouri	B12	8-0 (5-0)	1496	1-0	47	W, 31-24 at Kansas	#23 Colorado	1
2.	Texas		B12	8-0 (5-0)	1438	2-0	72	W, 27-22 at Texas Tech	OPEN	2
3.	Clemson		ACC	6-1 (4-1)	1392	1-0	45	W, 26-20 at #8 Boston College	at #7 Florida State	10
4.	Purdue		B10	8-1 (4-1)	1334	1-0	61	W, 19-16 at Illinois	at #10 Wisconsin	4
5.	LSU		SEC	7-1 (5-1)	1272	2-0	69	W, 34-10 at #21 Miss State	#13 Auburn	6
6.	Georgia		SEC	7-0 (5-0)	1191	2-0	93	W, 31-24 at #20 Florida	South Carolina	5
7.	Florida State	ACC	7-1 (5-1)	1127	2-1	65	W, 34-16 Maryland	#3 Clemson	7
8.	Boston College	ACC	6-2 (4-2)	1045	1-2	21	L, 20-26 #3 Clemson	Wake Forest	3
9.	Notre Dame	Indep	7-1 (3-0)	964	1-1	19	W, 20-13 at Navy	Arizona	9
10.	Wisconsin	B10	7-1 (4-1)	909	2-0	96	W, 17-12 at Michigan State	#4 Purdue	8
11.	Oklahoma	B12	5-2 (3-1)	854	0-1	25	W, 45-10 Baylor	#19 Texas A&M	11
12.	Virginia Tech	ACC	8-1 (5-1)	791	0-1	94	W, 37-17 Miami	at Duke	18
13.	Auburn		SEC	6-2 (5-0)	734	2-2	23	W, 28-10 Arkansas	at #5 LSU	14
14.	Washington	Pac10	7-1 (4-1)	685	0-1	67	W, 24-23 Arizona	at #15 Oregon State	17
15.	Oregon State	Pac10	5-2 (3-1)	645	1-1	38	W, 31-17 Stanford	#14 Washington	15
16.	Ole Miss	SEC	7-2 (3-2)	607	1-2	40	W, 43-16 at Alabama	OPEN	20
17.	Michigan	B10	4-3 (2-2)	558	0-2	46	OPEN	Northwestern	16
18.	Arizona State	Pac10	5-3 (2-3)	488	2-1	71	L, 23-30 at #22 UCLA	OPEN	12
19.	Texas A&M	B12	4-3 (2-2)	450	0-1	11	W, 27-17 Oklahoma State	at #11 Oklahoma	21
20.	Florida		SEC	3-4 (1-4)	396	0-4	14	L, 24-31 #6 Georgia	at Kentucky	13
21.	Miss State	SEC	4-3 (2-2)	334	0-2	16	L, 10-34 #5 LSU	Alabama	23
22.	UCLA		Pac10	5-4 (2-3)	294	2-2	35	W, 30-23 #18 Arizona State	at Wash State	24
23.	Colorado	B12	5-2 (3-2)	244	0-0	51	L, 10-33 at Kansas State	at #1 Missouri	22
24.	Bowling Green	MAC	7-1 (5-1)	194	0-0	70	W, 21-16 Buffalo	Miami (OH)	29
25.	Virginia	ACC	5-3 (2-3)	154	2-1	27	L, 19-36 Duke	North Carolina	19
Others receiving votes
Arizona 107, Georgia Tech 84, Ohio State 58, Oregon 58, Louisville 55, Boise State 50, Oklahoma State 47, USC 47, Northern Illinois 47, NC State 44, West Virginia 41, Nebraska 40, California 37, Army 34, Arkansas 32, Texas Christian 32, South Carolina 29, Texas Tech 29, Kansas State 29, Wash State 27, Air Force 24, Navy 23, Tennessee 20, Maryland 17, Kent State 14, Miami 12, North Carolina 12, Wake Forest 8, Kansas 6, Kentucky 2
Dropped out of the Top 25
Oregon (25)

[st.cronin]

Texas Christian (4-3) @ Wyoming (4-2)

We are favored by 5 against the surprising Cowboys, but for some reason I'm quite confident going into this game.

Wyoming's first drive is an impressive one, but ends in a missed field goal. After trading punts, we put together a good drive, and end up in field goal position - going for the win on the road, the fake is called, and it works, as holder Tom Rodriquez pulls out for a big 14 yard run. Next play, Billy Miller walks it in for a 7-0 lead. The first half settles into a defensive slugfest, but we get 10 quick points at the end on a field goal, and then a fumble recovery run back for a td with a minute left. Our defense gives up a quick td drive to make the halftime score 17-7.

In the second half, we come out and grind out a nice td drive behind the running of Soto, Miller, and Lewis, and go up 24-7.

A number of big plays by RB Ed Hall and QB Robert Spruill gets Wyoming back in the game, though, and with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter we're tied at 24. We have a couple of chances to pull back ahead, but both Abbott and Olsen throw red zone interceptions. The game goes to overtime, our first OT of the year.

Wyoming has the ball first, and on 3rd and 1, Spruill throws incomplete. 4th and 1, they go for it - and Ken Karr makes the stop! Two plays later, Abbott completes a short pass to Mike Lowe, who scoots down the sideline for the winning touchdown.

Final Score: Texas Christian 30, Wyoming 24
Box Score: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game462.htm

Our defensive line was totally pwned in this game, but the linebackers and dbs mostly played well. Our offense was inconsistent. Game balls go to CB Robert Holland (2 picks), OLB Ken Karr (9 tackles, including the big stuff in ot), and RB Billy Miller (2 tds).

Up next: Biggest game of the year, at home against the heretics of Brigham Young, defending conference champions.

Conference standings:

TEAM		W-L	CONF W-LPF	PA
Air Force	7-3	5-1	247	162
Brigham Young	6-3	4-2	252	165
Utah		6-3	4-2	267	203
Texas Christian	5-3	3-2	186	156
Wyoming		4-3	3-2	147	144
New Mexico	3-4	2-3	125	156
San Diego State	2-6	2-3	141	207
Colorado State	2-6	1-5	161	219
UNLV		1-6	1-5	88	178

[st.cronin]

Despite some inconsistent play, we've won 4 of our last 5, and are in decent shape to get a bowl bid. Air Force won at Colorado State, so unless they fall apart they've got the conference locked up.

Top 25, media poll:

Rank	Team		Conf	Record		Points	Top 25	SOS	Last			Next		Prev
1.	Missouri	B12	9-0 (6-0)	1597	1-0	51	W, 40-29 #23 Colorado	#7 Oklahoma	1
2.	Texas		B12	8-0 (5-0)	1544	2-0	74	OPEN			Oklahoma State	2
3.	Purdue		B10	9-1 (5-1)	1479	3-0	47	W, 45-35 at #10 Wisconsin	OPEN	6
4.	Florida State	ACC	8-1 (6-1)	1428	3-0	68	W, 30-19 #9 Clemson	OPEN	4
5.	LSU		SEC	8-1 (6-1)	1367	2-0	72	W, 45-19 #16 Auburn	Navy	5
6.	Georgia		SEC	8-0 (6-0)	1310	2-0	102	W, 37-23 South Carolina	Miss State	12
7.	Oklahoma	B12	6-2 (4-1)	1248	0-1	19	W, 49-10 Texas A&M	at #1 Missouri	8
8.	Notre Dame	Indep	8-1 (3-0)	1165	2-1	12	W, 41-19 Arizona	OPEN	9
9.	Clemson		ACC	6-2 (4-2)	1107	1-1	41	L, 19-30 at #4 Florida State	North Carolina	3
10.	Wisconsin	B10	7-2 (4-2)	1038	2-1	77	L, 35-45 #3 Purdue	at Northwestern	7
11.	Virginia Tech	ACC	9-1 (6-1)	972	0-1	97	W, 46-0 at Duke	OPEN	11
12.	Boston College	ACC	7-2 (5-2)	900	0-2	26	W, 33-10 Wake Forest	OPEN	10
13.	Oregon State	Pac10	6-2 (4-1)	837	3-1	38	W, 45-27 #14 Washington	at California	14
14.	Washington	Pac10	7-2 (4-2)	767	1-2	66	L, 27-45 at #13 Oregon State	at #25 USC	13
15.	UCLA		Pac10	6-4 (3-3)	697	2-3	40	W, 22-21 at Wash State	at Arizona	17
16.	Auburn		SEC	6-3 (5-1)	650	2-3	22	L, 19-45 at #5 LSU	OPEN	15
17.	Ole Miss	SEC	7-2 (3-2)	578	1-2	35	OPEN			at Arkansas	18
18.	Florida		SEC	4-4 (2-4)	538	0-4	16	W, 19-16 at Kentucky	at South Carolina	16
19.	Michigan	B10	5-3 (3-2)	461	0-2	46	W, 38-7 Northwestern	Indiana	20
20.	Bowling Green	MAC	8-1 (6-1)	401	1-0	73	W, 20-17 Miami (OH)	at Army	24
21.	Arizona State	Pac10	5-3 (2-3)	346	2-2	70	OPEN			at Stanford	23
22.	Boise State	WAC	8-1 (6-0)	286	0-1	81	W, 38-10 New Mexico St	at Louisiana Tech	28
23.	Colorado	B12	5-3 (3-3)	214	0-1	45	L, 29-40 at #1 Missouri	Kansas	22
24.	Oregon		Pac10	5-3 (2-3)	148	1-2	50	W, 14-12 California	at Wash State	27
25.	USC		Pac10	5-4 (4-2)	94	2-3	10	W, 24-22 Stanford	#14 Washington	26
Others receiving votes
Texas A&M 65, Miss State 37, Virginia 36, Georgia Tech 36, Northern Illinois 34, Ohio State 29, Louisville 28, Oklahoma State 23, Nebraska 18, West Virginia 16, Army 15, Texas Tech 11, California 11, Arkansas 8, Navy 5, Maryland 2
Dropped out of the Top 25
Texas A&M (19), Virginia (21), California (25)

Coaches top 25:

Rank	Team	Conf	Record	Points	Top 25	SOS	Last	Next	Prev
1.	Missouri	B12	9-0 (6-0)	1510	2-0	51	W, 40-29 #24 Colorado	#8 Oklahoma	1
2.	Texas		B12	8-0 (5-0)	1446	2-0	74	OPEN			Oklahoma State	2
3.	Purdue		B10	9-1 (5-1)	1391	2-0	47	W, 45-35 at #14 Wisconsin	OPEN	4
4.	Notre Dame	Indep	8-1 (3-0)	1324	1-1	12	W, 41-19 Arizona	OPEN	9
5.	LSU		SEC	8-1 (6-1)	1266	3-0	72	W, 45-19 #18 Auburn	Navy	5
6.	Georgia		SEC	8-0 (6-0)	1194	2-0	102	W, 37-23 South Carolina	#21 Miss State	6
7.	Florida State	ACC	8-1 (6-1)	1133	3-0	68	W, 30-19 #9 Clemson	OPEN	7
8.	Oklahoma	B12	6-2 (4-1)	1069	0-1	19	W, 49-10 Texas A&M	at #1 Missouri	11
9.	Clemson		ACC	6-2 (4-2)	993	1-2	41	L, 19-30 at #7 Florida State	North Carolina	3
10.	Boston College	ACC	7-2 (5-2)	933	0-2	26	W, 33-10 Wake Forest	OPEN	8
11.	Virginia Tech	ACC	9-1 (6-1)	854	1-1	97	W, 46-0 at Duke		OPEN	12
12.	Oregon State	Pac10	6-2 (4-1)	813	2-1	38	W, 45-27 #15 Washington	at California	15
13.	Ole Miss	SEC	7-2 (3-2)	761	1-2	35	OPEN			at Arkansas	16
14.	Wisconsin	B10	7-2 (4-2)	721	2-1	77	L, 35-45 #3 Purdue	at Northwestern	10
15.	Washington	Pac10	7-2 (4-2)	653	0-2	66	L, 27-45 at #12 Oregon State	at USC	14
16.	Michigan	B10	5-3 (3-2)	598	0-2	46	W, 38-7 Northwestern	Indiana	17
17.	Arizona State	Pac10	5-3 (2-3)	538	2-1	70	OPEN			at Stanford	18
18.	Auburn		SEC	6-3 (5-1)	479	2-3	22	L, 19-45 at #5 LSU	OPEN	13
19.	Florida		SEC	4-4 (2-4)	396	0-4	16	W, 19-16 at Kentucky	at South Carolina	20
20.	Bowling Green	MAC	8-1 (6-1)	314	0-0	73	W, 20-17 Miami (OH)	at Army	24
21.	Miss State	SEC	5-3 (3-2)	273	0-1	18	W, 49-7 Alabama		at #6 Georgia	21
22.	Louisville	BigE	7-1 (4-1)	221	0-0	106	OPEN			South Florida	30
23.	UCLA		Pac10	6-4 (3-3)	169	2-2	40	W, 22-21 at Wash State	at Arizona	22
24.	Colorado	B12	5-3 (3-3)	131	0-1	45	L, 29-40 at #1 Missouri	Kansas	23
25.	Georgia Tech	ACC	5-3 (4-2)	107	1-2	8	OPEN			at Miami	27
Others receiving votes
Texas A&M 81, Arizona 56, Ohio State 53, Boise State 50, Oregon 49, Nebraska 49, USC 46, Oklahoma State 44, Virginia 44, Arkansas 44, Army 43, West Virginia 41, Texas Christian 40, Texas Tech 37, California 37, Navy 34, Northern Illinois 30, Maryland 29, North Carolina 27, Tennessee 24, NC State 20, Kansas State 18, Kent State 

[st.cronin]

Brigham Young (6-3) @ Texas Christian (5-3)

The line is even. Last year, we upset the Cougars in their park, so they'll be itching for some revenge. They're a tough looking team - they've got a freshman QB, Peter White, who's completed almost 60% of his passes, and has a 12-4 td-int ratio. He's probably the best qb in the conference.

A sloppy first half (two fumbles lost) sees us go in at the break down 21-3. Our offense never does get going, as we continue alternating Olsen and Abbott. Olsen is like a statue back there - he gets sacked 4 times. Defensively we play fairly solidly, but this week the big plays go against us.

Final score: Brigham Young 24, Texas Christian 13
Box score: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game467.htm

Conference standings:

TEAM		W-L	CONF  	PF	PA
Air Force	7-3	5-1	247	162
Brigham Young	7-3	5-2	276	178
Utah		7-3	5-2	287	213
San Diego State	3-6	3-3	162	225
New Mexico	4-4	3-3	149	162
Texas Christian	5-4	3-3	199	180
Wyoming		4-4	3-3	157	164
UNLV		1-7	1-6	106	199
Colorado State	2-7	1-6	167	243

Air Force, BYU, and Utah are bowl eligible. We got screwed out of a bowl bid last year, getting shut out with a 7-5 record, so I'm hoping for a little karma. Next week: @ San Diego State. We're favored by 4. SD State's been an underachieving team all year, but this is definitely a dangerous game for us.

[st.cronin]

Texas Christian (5-4) @ San Diego State (3-6)

San Diego State's record is a bit deceptive, they're a quality team that's played a tough schedule. We're favored by 4.

A fumble recovery and a big run by Soto get us a first quarter field goal. After a 3 and out, Armand Simpson returns a punt for a touchdown, putting us up 10-0. Later in the quarter, a poor punt gives the Aztecs good field position, and freshman qb Fred Almeida takes advantage, completing a td pass. We come right back, driving down the field and scoring on a 35 yard run by Billy Miller, and go in at halftime up 17-7. Our defense continues to play very well at the beginning of the second half, and we get two more touchdowns, one a short run by Soto, and another a short pass from Olsen, to make our lead 31-7 early in the 4th quarter. At this point, we go into primarily a prevent type defense, and sure enough the game almost gets away. SD State scores three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In the last few minutes, we're finally able to get a first down on the ground, and the Aztecs run out of time in their comeback.

Final score: Texas Christian 31, San Diego State 28
Box score: http://www.fofc-bbcf.com/league/boxscores/game470.htm

Game balls go to WR Armand Simpson, LB Ken Karr, and CB Raymundo Scott.

We are now officially bowl eligible, but probably need to win both our remaining games to see the post-season.

Up next: Our final home game of the season, the red hot Utah Utes. We are favored by 5.

Conference standings:

TEAM		W-L	CON W-L	PF	PA
Air Force	8-3	6-1	268	162
Brigham Young	8-3	6-2	302	200
Utah		7-3	5-2	287	213
Texas Christian	6-4	4-3	230	208
San Diego State	3-7	3-4	190	256
New Mexico	4-5	3-4	149	183
Wyoming		4-5	3-4	179	190
Colorado State	2-7	1-6	167	243
UNLV		1-8	1-6	128	228

[st.cronin]

Let's take this opportunity to say goodbye to our departing seniors:

QB Neil Griffin (1 gs, 0 this season)
QB Logan Roberts (0 gs, walk on)
RB Mario Soto (11 gs, 5 this season)
FB Samuel Lewis (22 gs, 0 this season; 2008 All Mountain West 2nd Team)
FB William Harper (0 gs, walk on)
WR Jim O'Donnell (7 gs, 0 this season)
WR Michael Lowe (12 gs, 0 this season)
WR Derrick Sparks (5 gs, 0 this season)
TE Rex Lowery (4 gs, 0 this season)
TE Brandon Hart (8 gs, 4 this season)
OT Marshall Bond (46 gs, 10 this season; 2006, 07, and 08 All Mountain West 2nd Team)
OT Sean Wallace (0 gs, walk on)
OG Miguel Baker (28 gs, 1 this season)
OG Clifford Moore (39 gs, 10 this season; 2007 All Mountain West 3rd Team, 2008 All Mountain West 2nd Team)
C Robert Whitley (6 gs, 0 this season)
C Allen Hopkins (2 gs, 0 this season)
DE Brian Kelley (0 gs)
ILB Richard Fountain (17 gs, 3 this season)
ILB William Forrest (3 gs, 0 this season)
CB Robert Holland (20 gs, 10 this season, 2008 All Mountain West 1st team)
FS Robert Wetzel (4 gs, 4 this season)
SS Adam Esquivel (36 gs, 10 this season)
P Robert Jenkins (4 gs, 0 this season)

Also: Sophomore Armand Simpson is a finalist for the Mosi Tatupo award, which goes to the top kick returner in college.