Tuesday, October 30, 2001

In control
Win would put Frogs in third-place tie
By Brandon Ortiz
Sports Editor

Tonight the TCU football team will see the first of murderers’ row.

file photo Junior free safety Kenneth Hilliard breaks up a pass against Hawaii Oct. 7, 2000. The Frogs play East Carolina 7 p.m. tonight at Amon Carter Stadium.

The Frogs (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) face East Carolina (4-3, 3-0) 7 p.m. tonight at Amon Carter Stadium to start the toughest stretch of the season. After playing second place East Carolina, the Frogs play fifth place UAB (4-4, 3-2), first place Louisville (7-1, 3-0) and sixth place Southern Miss (4-2, 2-2).

“This is what you want,” head coach Gary Patterson said. “You want to be able to play your best football at the end of the year. Obviously, you would have liked to have beaten them already, but we’re not the only ones in this situation.”

If the Frogs win tonight, they will have a 3-1 conference record and will be in third place behind Louisville and Cincinnati (4-3, 4-1). TCU will not get the chance to play the Bearcats, but by defeating East Carolina, the Frogs will have control of their destiny, junior quarterback Casey Printers said.

“That is the way we are looking at it,” Printers said. “We got to win. We got to protect our home field and we can be in the hunt for a championship.”

Sophomore starting tailback Corey Connally: “This is it. We need to take care of things. We need to win.

“We are not out of the race.”

The Frogs may have to start the first game of the stretch without Printers, whose right shoulder is still bothering him after he was driven into the turf Oct. 13 against Tulane. If Printers is not able to play, junior Sean Stilley will start for the second game in a row as quarterback.

“Sean Stilley will probably start,” Patterson said Sunday after practice. “We still don’t know but that is probably where we are at. We’ll have to play it by the ear.”

Stilley was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week last week after throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns against Army. Stilley ran for a touchdown and broke lose for a 47-yard run to help the Frogs rack up a season-high 485 yards total offense. Patterson said the Frogs are not afraid to start Stilley after his big game last week.

“I think (Printers) could play if he needs to,” Patterson said. “Sean has played well enough we feel like if we need to start the ball game off with him, we will. I have full confidence in him. If Casey has to come in, he will do a great job. If he starts the game, vice versa.”

Pirate linebacker Pernell Griffin could prove to be bothersome for either quarterback when they are running option. Griffin, the preseason choice for C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, already has 113 tackles to lead C-USA.

“I played against him two years ago (in the Mobile Alabama Bowl) and he was big nuisance, he ran all over the field,” Printers said. “I got a chance to meet him at the Conference USA meetings. He is a great guy, but he does have a mean streak.”

Defensively, the Frogs will have to slow down the offensive tandem of quarterback David Garrard (1384 passing yards, nine touchdowns) and fullback Leonard Henry (943 rushing yards, eight touchdowns). East Carolina leads C-USA in scoring offense (34.3 points a game) and is second in total offense (423.3 yards a game).

“We know that we will have to play better pass defense than we have all year to beat them and we will have to tackle,” Patterson said. “The key to the ball game is tackling, and not giving up the big play.”

Henry was seventh in the nation before Saturday’s football games, but senior linebacker Chad Bayer said the Frogs can not play Henry any differently.

“He’s a great back,” Bayer said. “You just have to treat him like other backs.

“They are a big play offense. We have to stop him along with the quarterback.”

Junior wide receiver Kevin Brown practiced some Saturday, but is questionable for tonight’s game. Brown has not played since Sept. 8 when he injured his right knee against Southern Methodist.

“He is trying to work through it, but I don’t know if he will play,” Patterson said Saturday.

Redshirt freshman receiver Reggie Harrell is likely out for the season with a knee injury that has bothered him since the off season, Patterson said Saturday.

“He is probably done for the rest of the year,” Patterson said. “It’s a hardship for him since he hasn’t even played a down, going into this point of the season, it seems he can’t get over it. I told him if this was the way the first year was going to be, it is good to get (the injuries) all out of the way early.

“For whatever reason, he just can’t seem to get over it.”

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