MakingTheGrade
By Carlos Alvarado

Quarterback: A+
Is Brandon Hassell a backup quarterback? It didn’t look like it Saturday night. He looked like a top-rated quarterback, throwing for 375 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. He found multiple targets through the air and picked up crucial yards on the ground when scrambling. His decisions on the option allowed for some big runs.

Running Backs: A+
It was tough running up the middle, but the Frogs were able to get outside and pick up some big yards. Redshirt freshman Robert Merrill looked like Barry Sanders on many runs but his 52-yard run late in the game was probably the highlight of the year. Merrill finished with 204 yards on 22 carries. Sophomore Lonta Hobbs was just as stellar, getting big runs and tough yards all night. He added 102 yards on 22 carries. Senior Kenny Hayter distinguished himself with some gritty inside runs.

Wide Receiver: A+
The receivers converted big third-down plays and made many other big plays throughout the night. As predicted, freshman Cory Rodgers finally had his breakout game, with six catches for 171 yards and three total touchdowns. The entire group combined for five touchdowns. They were able to keep the safeties out of the running equation with their play, which allowed TCU to get some big runs to the outside. The entire receiving corps did a great job of blocking all night long. With each passing game, the receivers appear to be developing a better rapport with Hassell.

Offensive Line: B+
The pass protection was fine, giving Hassell plenty of time to find his receivers, but the middle of the line was no-man’s land for the TCU running backs. The offense found success attacking the perimeter and was able to gain a lot of yards on the outside because of some fine option play by Hassell. The Frogs finished the game with 407 yards on the ground. The numerous penalties were inexcusable, often putting the team in awkward situations.

Defensive Line: D
Contain. Contain. Contain. Defensive ends are taught from the first day that they put on pads to protect the outside at all costs. On the pass rush, the defensive tackles did not maintain their rush lanes, often being driven out of the way or into the ground. The Frogs’ front four stuffed the Houston running backs, but Houston’s freshman quarterback Kevin Kolb ran wild (144 yards) because of the d-line’s inability to keep him in the pocket. The line failed to get any pressure on its own and did not have a sack all night. The only saving grace was the line’s ability to stuff the Cougar running backs.

Linebackers: D
The linebackers did another good job stuffing the opponent’s running game, but, for some reason, they were not blitzing as much as usual. Junior Martin Patterson and senior Josh Goolsby missed too many tackles, including a missed tackle in the open field by Goolsby on Kolb’s 14-yard touchdown run. Against the Cougars, this group was not as aggressive as normal.

Secondary: D
The poor footing, lack of pass rush and broken containment led to a long night for the TCU secondary. TCU’s defense leaves the corners in one-on-one coverage, and when the quarterback has time to thread the needle, the coverage can be beat. For the second week in a row, the secondary gave up too many big plays, allowing Kolb to throw for 434 yards and four touchdowns on just 17 completions. There is little room for error in the TCU defense, and the Frogs made every possible error they could have made Saturday night.

Special Teams: B
Although Houston’s special teams unit outperformed the Frogs, senior Nick Browne was 2 of 3, but his last attempt sailed wide left, and it could have put the Frogs up for good. Cory Rodgers had two good kick returns to go along with his incredible offensive performance, and punter John Braziel had a brilliant punt inside the one-yard line that was incorrectly ruled a touchback. The only negative from the Frogs’ special teams unit was Rodgers’ first quarter fumbled punt.

Overall: B
What happened to the defense? The defense made several mistakes which led to big plays. It was the fundamentals that really hurt the Frogs defense. It was not able to contain Kolb and missed several tackles. UAB and Houston seemed to find weaknesses in the defense’s armor, but the Frogs now move to 8-0. Head coach Gary Patterson and the Frogs will take a win any way they can get it, even if it means the defense was embarrassed.