Reflections of last season
Hawaii reminiscent of last year’s Frogs
By Chad Carey
staff reporter
For the Horned Frog football team this week, its game against the winless Hawaii Warriors might remind them of themselves at this same point in the season a year ago.
Head coach Dennis Franchione said this year’s Hawaii squad does look strangely familiar.
“In some ways they are parallel to us from last year,” Franchione said. “In 1998 we had the biggest turnaround in college football, and in 1999 we started 1-3 and played a freshman quarterback. In 1999 (Hawaii) had the biggest turnaround in college football, and in 2000 they’re playing a freshman quarterback.”
The Warriors are trying to replace record-setting quarterback Dan Robinson and the bulk of their offensive line.
The Frogs’ defense, which is ranked second in the nation in total defense, had to prepare for Navy’s run-oriented option offense last week. This week they have the added challenge of preparing for Hawaii’s pass-oriented offense.
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David Dunai/CO-PHOTO EDITOR
Senior tailback LaDainian Tomlinson runs through a hole for another gain Sept. 16 against Northwestern. Tomlinson is second in the country, averaging 170 yards a game. |
“(We have veteran players) who should (easily) make that adjustment from Navy to Hawaii,” Franchione said.
In their last nine games, the Horned Frogs’ run defense has allowed only 461 yards rushing on 291 attempts, an average of 1.58 yards per attempt, and 51.2 yards per game.
But Patterson said he expects Chang to throw the ball and throw often. In last week’s game against Tulsa, Chang completed 31 of 48 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown.
Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson said extra defensive pressure wasn’t something he was planning just because the Frogs are facing freshman quarterback Timmy Chang.
“We don’t plan on doing anything too differently,” Patterson said. “(Chang) is an extremely talented quarterback. We just don’t want to allow him the big play.”
In two plus seasons under Franchione, the Frogs are 13-1 when rushing for more than 240 yards. The Frogs have rushed for more than 240 yards three times this season, with a season-high 387 yards coming in a 41-14 win over Northwestern.
Senior tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, who is currently the nation’s second-leading rusher with 170 yards per game, missed most of last year’s Hawaii game after spraining his ankle in the first quarter. Tomlinson has rushed for 680 yards and eight touchdowns on 119 attempts this season.
On several occasions, TCU’s opponents have stacked the line in an attempt to keep Tomlinson from gaining big yardage. Printers, who has a 12-2 record as a starter, has completed 33 of 44 passes for 493 yards and seven touchdowns in his last three games as the Frogs have played with a more balanced approach offensively.
No. 14 TCU (4-0, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference) is riding a nine-game winning streak, its longest in 62 years, and has won seven in a row at home. The Warriors (0-3, 0-2 WAC) come into the game struggling on both sides of the ball and looking for their first victory of the season.
The Frogs will play Hawaii at 11:05 a.m. Saturday at Amon Carter Stadium.
Chad Carey
chadcarey@mindspring.com
Men’s soccer team to take on Tulsa
Team looks forward to home game against long-time rival
By Kelly Morris
skiff staff
With last Sunday’s 2-1 overtime victory over then No. 25-ranked Bradley still fresh in their minds, assistant men’s soccer coach Blake Amos said the team is ready to prove this weekend that the win was no fluke.
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Hillary Morgan/SKIFF STAFF
Junior defender Davis Bland beats Centenary sophomore forward Nathan McAbee for possession in the Frogs’ 2-0 win Sept. 5. TCU plays at home today against Tulsa and Sunday against No. 11 Southwest Missouri State. |
“We proved on Sunday that we could compete with the top teams,” Amos said. “We are considered to be underdogs in every match, but it is a good place for us to be because no one expects us to do anything.
“We enjoy dropping teams out of the national rankings and proving to our doubters that we are a good team.”
The Frogs will play against Tulsa at 4 p.m. today and No. 11 Southwest Missouri State at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be played at home.
To have this weekend be a success, sophomore forward Cody Klipfel said the team is going to have to jump out early against Tulsa, a long-time rival.
“Tulsa hates us, and we hate them,” Klipfel said. “Right at kickoff, we are going to set the pace and let our momentum fly. Tulsa’s not afraid to break your bones, so we have to step it up and play a lot more physical.
“We know we definitely have the talent, so if we play well against Tulsa, we will be in the right frame of mind for Sunday’s match.”
Because the team doesn’t have true goal scorers, Amos said the team will have to rely on their strong defense to come out on top.
“Our defense is very organized, so we’re not going to give up many goals,” Amos said. “But because we don’t have true goal scorers, we have to keep our games close, play 90 minutes and make the most of our chances.
“While both games are equally significant, a victory against Tulsa
would really spring us into Sunday.”
TCU has an overall record of 5-4, 1-1 in conference play.
After just two games of play in the Missouri Valley Conference, Amos said the players have already had their eyes opened by the conference’s physical nature.
“I think the players were shocked after the first game of conference play because they saw how brutal it can be,” Amos said. “Because it is so physically exhausting, we are a little banged up, and our health is an issue right now.
“Even though we are only in this conference for a year, it is still a great learning experience because we might see these teams in a tournament setting later on.”
Klipfel is not letting the team’s recent bite of the injury bug worry him.
“Five starters were on the bench when we played Bradley,” Klipfel said. “Our new players have (come together) with the older players, and we are really working well together as a team.”
Kelly Morris
k.l.morris@student.tcu.edu