By Todd J. Shriber staff reporter Something has to give in Jonesboro, Ark. Saturday. The winless TCU Horned Frogs travel north to take on the winless Arkansas State University Indians in their final tune-up before Western Athletic Conference play begins next week. The Horned Frogs are 0-2, while the Indians are 0-3. ASU has lost its three games by a combined total of 67 points. TCU lost tough contests to Arizona and Northwestern by a total of 18 points. That danger comes in the form of another good wide receiver. The weak TCU secondary was torched by Arizona receiver Dennis Northcutt in the season opener for 257 yards. This week's receiving threat is ASU junior Robert Kilow. Kilow averaged almost 23 yards per catch in 1998 before breaking his collarbone. TCU enters the game ranked 114th in Division I in pass efficiency defense. That's 114th out of 114 teams. Two weeks ago against Mississippi he turned in a Northcutt-like performance by grabbing 11 passes for 254 yards. On the year, Kilow has 25 receptions in three games at 15 yards a catch. TCU junior cornerback Kendrick Patterson will be the man trying to stop Kilow. "We play against good receivers every week, so this week will be no different," Patterson said. "We just have to go out and execute what we did in practice to be successful." Patterson said he and his secondary mates look forward to playing against good receivers. "It's what we live for," he said. "It can give you great publicity and boost your self-esteem if you play well against a good receiver." Although the TCU secondary has been disappointing so far this year, Patterson said this could be the game that breaks them out of their slump. "I think this will be the game we turn things around," he said. "We need to play well this week to get some confidence heading into the conference play." Offensively, the Frogs sputtered against Northwestern. They scored on their first drive of the game, but put no more points on the board for the final three quarters. Junior running back LaDainian Tomlinson said the key to TCU's offensive success is giving a team effort. "We need to go 11-for-11, everyone needs to get their job done on offense," Tomlinson said. There is a bit more emphasis on this game than normal because the Frogs are in a predicament they didn't expect to be in at this juncture - winless.
Todd Shriber EDGE BOX
The big question going into this weekend's game against Arkansas State is who will start as quarterback for the Frogs. Starter Patrick Batteaux partially tore a ligament in his left hand two weeks ago against Northwestern, leaving him to practice with a hard cast on his hand for most of the week. Batteaux took the cast off Wednesday, but the status of starting quarterback is still up in the air. Here's a rundown of the candidates for tomorrow's starting job and possible contributors: · Patrick Batteaux Despite practicing with a cast on his hand and only taking snaps from the shotgun, coach Dennis Franchione said there's still a chance Batteaux could start. The advantage is that he knows how to run the option and run it well. But his passing game leaves little to be desired.
Matt Welnack is a junior news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio. He can be reached at (mgwelnack@delta.is.tcu.edu).
By Todd J. Shriber staff reporter Life as a walk-on could be a lonely existence for any college football player. Walk-ons sweat through the summer heat during two-a-day work outs, go to practice after a full day of class, eat with the team and go to games all in the hopes of earning playing time and a scholarship. In most cases, walk-ons are able to earn the respect of their coaches and teammates, but the playing time and scholarship don't always come. Although the perceptions of walk-ons may be that they serve as nothing more than tackling dummies for their team's starters, the landscape of college football has changed with only 85 scholarships available for each Division I team. The primary role of walk-ons is to serve as an imitation of the upcoming opponent's offense and defense. However, TCU's Chad Bayer and Cody Slinkard occupy a role most walk-ons only dream of - that of major contributors to their team.
Bayer has met the unenviable task of replacing last year's leading tackler Joe Phipps head on this year. Heading into Saturday's game at Arkansas State, Bayer is tied for second on the team in tackles with defensive end Aaron Schobel at 15. Bayer also has one sack and four tackles for loses. Bayer is modest about his accomplishments as a walk-on though. "I felt coming into the season that I'd have some role I just didn't know how big," he said. "I could be selling myself short, but I think I'm just an average player." Even though Bayer and Slinkard are contributors on the field for TCU, they said life isn't always a walk in the park for them as walk-ons. "You've got to earn your respect a little more than a scholarship player," Slinkard said. "You've got to come with the attitude that you're not on scholarship, and you can't take a play off during practice. You've got to get the coaches' attention." Bayer and Slinkard do share some common bonds. Both hail from small towns in Texas. Bayer is from Smithville, and Slinkard is from Grandview. Both stand 5-foot-11. But the most interesting bond they share may be one initiated by Bayer. Bayer said he credits Slinkard with being his inspiration as a walk-on. "When I first came to TCU and saw Cody playing a lot, l knew it was possible for me too," he said. Bayer and Slinkard seem to have acquired a degree of modesty that only a walk-on can come to understand. They both said they just want to help TCU win games and that "earning a scholarship would be nice," but it's not their primary focus. "It's not my main goal (earning a scholarship)," Slinkard said. "Regardless of having a scholarship, I'll find a way to stay in school and play football. I just didn't want my senior year of high school to be the last football I played."
Todd Shriber
By Matt Stiver staff reporter Freshman Debbie Bell has to learn how to play tennis at the collegiate level. But before she does that, she must learn how to live in a different country. "There are a lot of differences (between the United States and England)," Bell said. "Everyone's a lot more friendly here. People say 'Hi' to you on the street and they don't do that in England. The guys are much more polite here. They hold doors for you, and they open the car door for you. "Sports are a lot different in England. There's no American football, very little basketball and no ice hockey really. You don't have collegiate sports in England." Bell is one of three true freshmen who will join five returning upperclassmen on the TCU women's tennis team when fall play starts this weekend with the TCU Women's Tennis Invitational tournament. Freshmen Dorrit Huppes of the Netherlands and Brenna Shackleford of Houston will join Bell in taking their first collegiate action this weekend. Head coach Roland Ingram said the team overcame challenges last fall when Dee Dee Herring transferred to Southern Methodist in the middle of the semester. "The team had the option of either folding or sucking it up," Ingram said. "We filled the spot (and sucked it up). We beat New Mexico, which was a good win, and we came close to beating Fresno State (in the Western Athletic Conference Championship semi-finals). We did all this after that happened." This year, instead of filling a spot because of a transfer, Ingram must replace seniors Natalie Balafoutis and Rachel Niwa with true freshmen. "Our biggest challenge will be acclimating our freshmen to the way we play tennis here at TCU," Ingram said. "They think they know what it's like, but they don't' really. There is a lot of psychological things (in college tennis). There are a lot of school rivalries and individuals that play and act differently." Bell said the freshmen are up to the challenge. "I don't know anything about the girls who left last year, but I've been told that the freshmen coming in are better," Bell said. Ingram said the time has come for his freshmen to begin their college careers. "You've got to go into the deep end of the pool sooner or later," Ingram said. "You can learn to swim in the shallow end where you know your feet can touch the bottom, but we're in the deep end now. I think they're ready. They've practiced hard. "The freshmen have looked good. Now we need to see them play in action, and we'll find out this weekend." Helping the freshmen transition will be returning upperclassmen: senior all-WAC performer Lucie Dvorakova, senior Daria Zoldakova, senior Stacey Sabala, junior Jessika Kjellgren and sophomore Leoni Weirich. Kjellgren compiled a 22-9 record last year, while Dvorakova went 20-13. Ingram said the leadership provided by the upperclassmen will be important. "They lead by how hard they play during practice, how hard they play during matches and through all the advice they can give the freshmen," Ingram said. "They've been where the freshmen are, and they can tell them that what they are going through is normal." Bell said the upperclassmen have filled the leadership role. "They always answer questions," Bell said. "That's the most important thing." Ingram said he thinks the WAC is still a strong conference. "Brigham Young and San Diego State always had real strong teams," Ingram said. "But the team that won the WAC last year (Fresno State) is still in it. "I think there are four teams that are legitimate contenders: SMU, Rice, Fresno State and (TCU)."
Matt Stiver
By James Zwilling Skiff staff The TCU men's soccer team pushed its second consecutive game down to the wire Wednesday, remaining scoreless against the Midwestern State University Indians until junior forward Brad Johnson scored in the 87th minute. The team evened its season record to 3-3-1 Wednesday at Wichita Falls, in the 1-0 victory over the Indians. Johnson's goal was his second of the season while junior goal keeper Ian Keate earned his second shutout of the season. Johnson, along with sophomore midfielder Josh Rife, who also has two goals, lead the team in scoring.
The Horned Frogs and Indians traded 13 shots on goal each, with a seven-save effort by Keate. He has recorded 30 saves in his first seven games. Rubinson said the coaches were not sure how the team would perform in Wednesday's game following last weekend's #Nike/Snicker SoccerFest IV. "The one thing we had to do was learn from our mistakes," Rubinson said. "We knew we were facing a good team that we've always had a good rivalry with." TCU fell to St. Mary's earlier in the season immediately following the University of Wisconsin Rocky Rococo Classic and did not want to make the same mistake twice. But coaches believe the team has developed since the St. Mary's game. "[The team] is playing with more heart, pride and desire than ever before," Rubinson said. "I've said from the beginning of the season that the coaches believe this will be the best team we have had if we can help develop its character. "Even is not good enough for this team," Rubinson said. "The next two games are really important. We can't go out there believing what we read, that we've arrived, because every game has a tough team." The Horned Frogs travel to Shreveport, La., to play Centenary University at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will return to the TCU Soccer Complex to host Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. Oct. 5.
James Zwilling
By Victor Drabicky staff reporter When comparing the TCU and Texas Tech women's soccer teams, the numbers just don't add up. Horned Frogs: 16 goals in seven games. Red Raiders: four goals in eight games. Horned Frogs: leading points scorer Allison Calleri has 11 points on four goals and three assists. Red Raiders: leading points scorer has four points on two goals and zero assists. So what makes today's matchup so important for TCU? TCU will be playing without Calleri, who will be sitting on the bench due to a red card she received with only three minutes left in TCU's game against Oklahoma last week. Head coach David Rubinson said Calleri simply made a poor choice. "It was a simple mistake by a senior player," said Rubinson. "Now we will have to deal with it." Sherry Dick, a freshman midfielder and second in scoring for TCU, was highly recruited by Texas Tech. Rubinson said that because Dick was so highly recruited, Texas Tech will more than likely put a lot of pressure on Dick. "Sherry has the ability to overcome the pressure," said Rubinson. "If she can, then she will be able to create some good opportunities for us and possibly relieve our defense of some pressure." TCU's defense has been the backbone of the team this season recording four shutouts so far. The team's defense will face a Texas Tech offense that has managed only eight goals on 123 shots, a .065 scoring percentage, so far this season. Rubinson said the defense has to be careful to keep their composure in a game like this one. "We need to limit our mistakes," said Rubinson. "All the goals that have been scored against us are due to our inexperience." However, if TCU's offense cannot be as productive as they were earlier in the season, including a 7-0 blowout of LSU, Rubinson believes that the team's backbone may be broken. "In the past few games, our defense has been good," said Rubinson. "However, as a team we did, in a sense, bend but not break." Despite the loss of Calleri, TCU will regain sophomore forward Crystal Pratz who has been out with a sore lower back since the season opener versus the University of Houston. Rubinson said he would like to see the midfield get more involved with scoring and the offense in general. "I think our offense needs to begin to hit on all cylinders," said Rubinson. "I'd like to see Nicole Carmen and Crystal Pratz play a big part in this game. Of course, I'd like to see Sherry Dick score too." The women's soccer team, which was ranked No. 9 in the central region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, plays Texas Tech at 4 p.m. today at the TCU Soccer Complex.
Victor Drabicky
By Paul Freelend Skiff staff Offense dominates the headlines in most volleyball matches, but in TCU's Wednesday night match against the Sam Houston State Bearkats, it was the defensive effort that took center stage. The Volley Frogs controlled the net play statistically but the Bearkats proved to be the better unit, racking up 94 defensive digs and eight total team blocks en route to a 15-10, 15-9, 6-15, 15-12 win at the Rickel Building. "Sam Houston played incredible defense against us," assistant coach Ap Clarke said. "Ninety-four digs is just unheard of. They were all over the place. Their net players played well and they set up their block very well." In the first game, Sam Houston State's attackers proved to be the more accurate on the court, outhitting the Volley Frogs .316 to .098 behind five kills from freshman outside hitter Kelly Smally. The Bearkats opened the game with an 8-2 run before TCU could mount a comeback. The second game of the match bore a striking resemblance to the first with Sam Houston running out to an 8-0 lead before the Volley Frogs took nine out of the next 10 points to even the tally at 9-9. The Bearkats took the next six points, though, to claim the game and take a 2-0 lead in games into the halftime break. In the fourth game, it was the Volley Frogs who leapt out to an early lead, forging out to an 8-3 edge before Sam Houston clawed back to reclaim the lead at 9-8. The two sides exchanged rallies until the score reached 12-12, when the Bearkats took the next three points on service aces and kills to seal the match. Clarke chalked the Volley Frogs' lack of performance to general exhaustion. "The kids came in tired Tuesday and they played like they practiced. Sam Houston was coming in off of a five-set match against UT-Arlington the night before," Clarke said. "They won the first two games but they lost the last three. If anyone would have been tired, it should have been Sam Houston. "Our play was very sloppy and our passing broke down. When we can't pass, we can't run our offense and we can't get sets to the middle. It wasn't that we weren't hitting the ball hard but the balls just weren't going down for us."
TCU was led by sophomore outside hitter Marci King's 16 kills while senior outside hitter Jill Pape and sophomore outside hitter Allison Lynch each put down nine kills. Sophomore setter Lindsay Hayes led the Volley Frogs with 41 set assists while freshman Katie Kieffer led the blockers with two solo blocks and three assisted blocks. Despite the disappointing outcome, the Volley Frogs were still able to show flashes of brilliance. "Crissy Grimm played really well for us in the back row," Clarke said. "We decided to give her a chance, and she came through for us. In fact, she was probably the best defensive passer we had." The Volley Frogs' next match will pit them against the defending Western Athletic Conference champion, NCAA Tournament semifinalist and third-ranked Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine. The match is slated for midnight Oct. 2.
Paul Freelend
By Steven Baker staff reporter Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari announced Wednesday night the appointment of Rhonda Hatcher, associate professor of mathematics, as the new Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA. "I am very pleased to have been asked to serve as TCU's Faculty Athletic Representative," Hatcher said. "I believe it is important for the faculty to play a significant role in assuring that the athletics program fits well into our academic mission and that our student-athletes have a positive educational experience." Hatcher was one of three scholars to receive a 1998 Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award from the 1998 Mathematical Association of America. Already, she has begun meeting with officials in TCU admissions and registrar offices. Ferrari said Hatcher will report to him on matters like student-athlete academic welfare, eligibility and admissions. Hatcher represents high academic values and has gained respect from her undergraduate and graduate students, he said. "When I received nominations and suggestions, Hatcher was on the top of everyone's list," he said. "I just couldn't be more delighted. I am very pleased that she has agreed to take on this important work." |
Slinkard is a major contributor on special teams for the
Frogs, having made 38 tackles in his three years at TCU, including three
more stops this year.
Johnson's goal came on the final shot of the game off an
assist from junior forward Aaron Grieshaber.
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