Running game lifts Frogs against Army
Facing less than perfect weather and a fired up Black Knight football team, the Frogs battled to a 46-27 win at Army.
By Danny Gillham
Sports Editor

The opportunity was there for an upset.

TCU headed into Michie Stadium facing the task of beating an 0-5 Army team desperate for a win. It was the Black Knight’s Homecoming and 200th anniversary, with a raucous crowd of over 32,000 supporters. To top that off, the game temperature was 55 degrees with rain, not exactly your typical Texas forecast.

The Black Knights did their best to make the upset a reality, keeping the score as close as five points in the fourth quarter. However the Frogs never trailed in the contest, and scored two late touchdowns to propel themselves to a 46-27 victory on the wet turf at West Point.

Head coach Gary Patterson said the team prevailed despite not having the right mindset heading into the game.
“I think physically we were ready to play that game,” Patterson said. “I don’t think mentally (we were ready), in any aspect.” The team fumbled the ball seven times, but only lost two of them to Army. Senior punter Joey Biasatti also mishandled a snap on special teams on the Frogs’ two yard-line, eventually resulting in a Black Knight touchdown.

One thing the coaches could not complain too much about was their running game.

The duo of junior Ricky Madison and true freshman Lonta Hobbs exceeded their tandem performance from the Houston game. Madison ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, marking the first time a Frog back has ran for 100 yards in game since November 2001. Hobbs followed up his collegiate debut with 84 yards on 10 carries, including his first two college touchdowns.

Patterson said the competition has been great for the two backs.

“I think one of the things that helped Ricky is that he’s a guy, because of size, isn’t going to be a 50-play guy,” Patterson said. “It’s helped that he’s been able to this, and Lonta comes in and has been able to do some things.”

To help for their upcoming matchup with Louisville, Patterson gave the team Sunday off to go along with their normal Monday break before resuming practice today.