Frog Report Card

Passing Offense: D-
Senior Sean Stilley and redshirt freshman Tye Gunn combined for just 76 yards passing on 22 attempts. Both quarterbacks were constantly scrambling away from defenders and throwing off their back foot due to a makeshift offensive line. Senior LaTarence Dunbar also dropped two key passes to sustain drives. Senior wide receiver Adrian Madise was a lone bright spot, making five catches for 41 yards.

Rushing Offense: C-
Junior transfer Kenny Hayter ran 10 times for 46 yards on a tough North Texas defensive line. Only one of his rushes was for negative yardage. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder in the fourth quarter and the date of his return is unknown. Gunn showed terrific speed on the option. One carry was for 29 yards, TCU’s longest rush of the year.

Passing Defense: A-
Other than third-string quarterback Hiram Gonzalez’s late drive in the fourth quarter to make the score 16-10, TCU’s secondary played phenomenally. They held nimble redshirt freshman Andrew Smith to 10 of 30 passes for 120 yards. Senior safety Jared Smitherman racked up 11 tackles, including two for a loss of 14 yards. North Texas was two of 16 on third down conversions, in large part to the play by both the pass rush and the secondary.

Rushing Defense: A+
TCU’s defense destroyed the Mean Green rushing attack, holding them to a mere 34 yards on 33 carries. They held senior Kevin Galbreath, the Sun Belt Conference’s leading rusher, to just 2.1 yards a rush. North Texas’ longest run was for 11 yards. Senior linebacker LaMarcus McDonald again led all tacklers with 15 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Linemen Robert Pollard, John Turntine, Chad Pugh, and Brandon Johnson combined for six more tackles for a loss.

Special Teams: A
TCU’s coaching staff was content to play another field position battle. Junior kicker Nick Browne and senior punter Joey Biasatti were both vital in executing the ultra-conservative gameplan. Browne hit all three of his field goals. He is currently the NCAA leader in field goal accuracy, making all 10 of his field goal attempts. Four of Biasatti’s nine punts were inside UNT’s own 20-yard line. He averaged 43.9 yards per punt. TCU’s hands team recovered a critical onside kick with 49 seconds remaining in the game to preserve a 16-10 victory. Senior punt returner Terran Williams scampered for a 36-yard punt return to North Texas’ 11-yard line, setting up a Browne field goal to give TCU a two-possession lead.

— Jay Zuckerman