Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Defense holds Mustangs back, scores two touchdowns
By Brandon Ortiz
Sports Editor

It was a sentiment echoed by coaches and players before the start of the season.

The young and inexperienced TCU football team wanted to be at the top of its game before playing Houston in its Conference USA opener Sept. 29.

The Horned Frogs came a step closer to the top in its domination over Southern Methodist Saturday.

En route to a 38-10 victory, the Frogs’ offense made strides toward catching up with the defense, running for a season-high 171 yards. The Frogs had 290 yards offense and three touchdowns, both season highs.

David Dunai/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Redshirt freshman Marvin Godbolt sacks Mustang quarterback Kelan Luker Saturday. Godbolt had nine tackles and two sacks in the game.

“We played a little better,” said junior quarterback Casey Printers, who completed nine of 16 passes for 74 yards and one interception. “We still haven’t reached our full potential, yet. We still have a long ways to go.”

But the story of the game — and possibly the season — was the defense. The Horned Frog defense continued its usual stinginess toward opposing offenses, holding the Mustangs to 39 yards rushing, scoring two touchdowns and forcing five sacks, four fumbles and three turnovers.

For the season, opposing offenses are averaging just 12 points and 195.7 total yards a game.

The Frogs’ defense has already done something last year’s No. 1 ranked unit could not — score a touchdown. The Frogs scored two, and came close to scoring a third when senior weak safety Charlie Owens ran an interception back to the 1-yard line.

The Frogs’ defense was more of a scoring threat than the Mustangs’ offense was. Junior LaMarcus McDonald said it took the wind out of their sails.

“I believe it takes a lot out of another team when the defense scores on an offensive mistake,” McDonald said. “If the defense scores, it makes it easier on our offense.”

The Frogs’ defense dominated from start to finish, although it wasn’t apparent on the scoreboard in the first quarter.

TCU led in every statistical category the first quarter except the score. The Frogs had 75 yards total offense to the Mustangs 27 yards, five first downs to two, and won the time of possession battle, 10:18 to 4:42. TCU’s run defense held SMU to 7 yards rushing, but the score was knotted at 3-3.

But the Frogs were building momentum, head coach Gary Patterson said.

“Even though we only scored three points early in the ball game, it put a toll on them,” Patterson said. “We were able to get into two tight ends and one back (formations) and run the football and it really gave us some confidence.”

The momentum eventually led to touchdowns as things started to pick up in the second quarter.

The Frogs put together one of its best scoring drives of the season to score its first touchdown of the game on a six play, 65-yard drive in the first quarter highlighted by a senior Andrew Hayes-Stoker’s run of 26 yards. Four plays later, sophomore tailback Ricky Madison bounced to the outside to score a 7-yard touchdown.

The offensive line opened holes for Madison, who ran for 65 yards on 16 carries in his best game of the season.

“I think Ricky has been running like that ever since the start,” Patterson said. “He has been running hard and I think he got more help tonight. It was only one guy tackling him instead of three.”

On the next drive, Owens ran back a fumble by Mustang tight end John Hampton for a 36-yard touchdown to extend the Frogs lead to 17-3.

TCU continued its defensive dominance into the third quarter. On the Mustangs’ first drive of the second half, McDonald fell on a fumble by Mustang quarterback Kelan Luker for a touchdown. The Frogs increased its their lead to 24-3.

“The run wasn’t that far,” McDonald said. “We saw the ball hit the ground, me and Joe Hill. Basically we were racing for the ball. I was like, ‘Joe Hill if you can’t pick it up push it forward a little bit and I’ll fall on it.’ He just happened to push it.

“I picked it up and fell on it and everybody else fell on me and we all scored a touchdown.”

The Frogs scored again in the third quarter on a nine play, 53-yard drive. Junior receiver LaTarence Dunbar, who was held to one reception for 7 yards against North Texas, had a run of 18 yards to get the Frogs to the 3-yard line. Dunbar, lined up in the backfield, rushed to the outside to score a 3-yard touchdown.

Hayes-Stoker added another touchdown later in the third quarter to put the game further out of reach, 38-3.

On the Mustangs’ next drive, Owens came close to scoring again, intercepting a pass and returning it all the way to the 1-yard line.

“I was in,” Owens said. “Bad call.”

Bad call or not, it was another big play in the Frogs’ most complete game of the season. The defense continued its hot streak and the offense finally moved the ball.

“When you have a younger football team, you can’t want too much from them at one time, because they can’t give it to you,” Patterson said. “This weekend we worked on that and creating a sense of urgency on both sides of the ball and I think we accomplished that goal.”

Brandon Ortiz
b.p.ortiz@student.tcu.edu