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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

College Football Preview: No. 15 TCU

Joey Kaufman |
July 11, 2011 | 8:58 a.m. PDT

Contributing Writer

(Neon Tommy will be previewing the 2011 College Football Season throughout the summer. You can find links to each of our Top 25 previews here. Today, we preview the team ranked 15th, the TCU Horned Frogs.)

TCU faces an uphill battle when it comes to replacing last year's stellar offensive line. (Karen Blaha via Creative Commons)
TCU faces an uphill battle when it comes to replacing last year's stellar offensive line. (Karen Blaha via Creative Commons)
Head Coach: Gary Patterson (98-28 in 11 years at TCU)

TCU's 2010 Season: 13-0, 8-0 in the Mountain West Conference 

Offensive analysis: 

--Three returning starters

--Impact players: RB Ed Wesley, WR Josh Boyce, LG Kyle Dooley

--41.6 points per game (4th in the nation) 

For an offense that was among the best nationally a season ago, 2011 should prove to be quite an adjustment period for the Horned Frogs. Gone are quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw for 27 touchdowns and ran for six scores in 2010, leading wideout Jeremy Kerley, and four of the team’s five starters on the offensive line including All-Americans Marcus Cannon (right guard) and Jake Kirkpatrick (center)--an offensive line, no less, that allowed just nine sacks and paved the way for tailback Ed Wesley to amass over 1,000 yards on the ground. Things could be shaky as a result. In turn, TCU coach Gary Patterson is expecting sophomore signal caller Casey Pachall, who arrived in Fort Worth as a coveted four-star recruit in 2009, to take over and lead a talented but inexperienced offense. Pachall, despite appearing in eight games last season, threw just nine passes – for six completions including a touchdown, with no interceptions. The 6-foot-4 quarterback has the talent to take over under center, but things could become challenging with left guard Kyle Dooley returning as the team’s lone full-time starter from last season. But if Pachall can settle into a rhythm, he has plenty of options around him to help him adjust including Ed Wesley, as well as sophomore wide receiver Josh Boyce, who caught 34 passes for 646 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Defensive analysis:

--Four returning starters 

--Impact players: DE Stansly Maponga, MLB Tank Carder, OLB Tanner Brock 

--12.0 points allowed per game (1st in the nation) 

There might not have been a better defense in the country than TCU last season. The Horned Frogs were fifth nationally in rushing yards allowed per game. First nationally in passing yards allowed per game. And first nationally in total yards allowed per game. But as with the offense, the D undergoes heavy losses, as it loses eight starters from last year's undefeated season. Still, though, because of Patterson’s success on the recruiting trail, there is enough talent left over, as TCU returns its entire linebacker corps of the 4-2-5 defensive scheme in outside linebacker Tanner Brock and middle linebacker Tank Carder. Brock led the team in tackles a season ago with 106 and should be an All-American candidate. But while the defensive line should be up to par as well, the biggest remaining concern is the team’s secondary, as TCU returns just one full-time starter from last season in senior cornerback Greg McCoy. As a result, four new starters will be broken in as cornerback and safety, including a freshman and a sophomore. The talent is there, but inexperience could be a factor. 

Strengths:

Coaching. While Patterson has been in Fort Worth for over a decade, his pedigree has become even more impressive in recent years, as the Horned Frogs went 13-0 in 2010, 12-1 in 2009 and 11-2 in 2008, including BCS bowl appearances in the Fiesta and Rose Bowls. Patterson, as a result, has become one of the biggest names in coaching circles and recent performances seem to validate such high marks. In spite of the high roster turnover, many anticipate TCU to lose no more than one or two games. Continuity should keep them in the conversation for a BCS bowl this season. 

Andy Dalton. (SD Dirk via Creative Commons)
Andy Dalton. (SD Dirk via Creative Commons)
Area of Concern:

Heavy losses. It’s not much of a secret. TCU is breaking in a new quarterback and four new starters on the offensive line. While most expect the defense to post similar numbers to last season, it’s the offense that could become the Achilles’ heel, particularly if Pachall struggles. Dalton was the focal point of the team’s offense and it remains to be seen how well they can adjust in his absence. 

Final Thoughts:

This is the final year for the Frogs in the Mountain West Conference before jumping to the Big East in 2012, and the schedule makers didn’t exactly reward them for “loyalty” by forcing TCU to travel to Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 12 for a showdown against Boise State. Facing the Broncos on the smurf turf unquestionably remains the team’s biggest obstacle in an otherwise manageable schedule. The talent is there and should enable TCU to finish the year with double-digit win totals and a top 25 appearance, but a trip to a third consecutive BCS bowl game or even an undefeated season might be too much to ask.

___________________________

Joey is the Sports Editor for the Daily Trojan. Reach him by email or follow him on Twitter.



 

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