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Defense
compiles eight sacks, limits offense Freshman punter John Braziel spent more time with his right shoe off Saturday than he expected going into the Frogs’ third intrasquad scrimmage of the spring. Braziel, who removes his right shoe and sock before he punts, had to kick five times Saturday as the defense compiled eight sacks and limited the offense to three touchdowns in front of more than 300 fans at Amon Carter Stadium. Despite the defense’s apparent dominance, head coach Gary Patterson said the defense, which he led to the nation’s No. 1 ranking last season, still has a lot of work to do.
The defense returns five starters from a year ago, including three players in the defensive backfield. Surprisingly, the veteran defensive backs were the targets for most of TCU’s offensive success in the scrimmage. Sophomore quarterback Casey Printers completed 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Terran Williams and two scoring strikes to sophomore wide receiver LaTarence Dunbar. After the second-team defense recovered a fumble inside the 10-yard line, Printers threw touchdown passes on back-to-back plays. He found sophomore tailback Ricky Madison on a screen pass for a five-yard touchdown, which was nullified by a holding penalty. Then Printers connected with Dunbar on a 15-yard scoring pass. Printers and Dunbar are quickly becoming the fan favorites on the TCU squad. The crowd was at its loudest when Dunbar introduced his touchdown celebration dance following a 40-yard pass from Printers. The play drew an excessive celebration penalty, but the crowd appeared to think it was worth it. The crowd also raved when Dunbar dove in an unsuccessful effort to keep a punt out of the end zone and when Printers tried to motivate the offense to score. After a moment of solitude on the sidelines, Printers erupted, yelling “Let’s go. We haven’t scored in a while.” The offense responded with a touchdown, allowing Braziel to keep his shoe on until the end of the scrimmage. Replacing a legend Junior tailback Andrew Hayes-Stoker, who is listed as TCU’s projected starting tailback, was injured March 31, but the new players vying for the starting tailback position aren’t trying to replace Hayes-Stoker. They are stuck with the label of replacing Heisman Trophy finalist LaDainian Tomlinson. Still, four runners have taken the lofty assignment in stride as they tallied a combined 126 rushing yards on 31 carries Saturday.
Madison led the quartet, recording 66 yards on 12 attempts. Sophomore Corey Connally ran five times for 44 yards, freshman Kenny Boyd used 11 carries to gain 20 yards and junior Frank Montgomery registered minus four yards on three attempts. Roberts back in full regalia Junior tight end B.J. Roberts, who has been a starter for two seasons, was back in full pads Saturday. He has been unable to take part in contact drills this spring while battling a back injury. Powell injures foot Sophomore center Jamal Powell, who is listed as the Frogs’ starting center on the depth chart, hurt his right foot Saturday. Late in the scrimmage, Powell felt a twinge in his foot. The sideline prognosis was consistent with further tests — the injury was minor. Awards given for last season’s effort Following Saturday’s scrimmage, TCU hosted its annual football awards banquet at the Roundup Inn. Four players who are still on the Frogs’ roster garnered awards. Sophomore defensive back Robert Dominguez was named the Y.Q. McCammon Outstanding Squadman and was one of three players named as defensive scout team most valuable player. Sophomore linebacker Devon Davis and junior defensive tackle Richard Evans were also named defensive scout team most valuable players, and freshman wide receiver Anthony Gilliam was named as the offensive scout team most valuable player. C-USA foes preparing for new challenge Five of the TCU’s new Conference USA opponents also conducted intrasquad scrimmages this weekend.
Rusty Simmons |
