TCU and Utah square off in crucial Mountain West clash
Sports Network | November 05, 2008
Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Mountain West Conference supremacy is on the line Thursday night, as the 10th-ranked Utah Utes entertain the 11th- ranked TCU Horned Frogs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Heading into the week the Horned Frogs, who are also 12th in the BCS standings, are already 6-0 against the rest of the MWC and have just a single loss during 2008, a 35-10 setback to Oklahoma which at one point this season was the top-ranked program in the nation. Last weekend, TCU surrendered 14 points to UNLV in Las Vegas, matching the most points given up by the Frogs this year, but it made little difference as the visitors blew apart the Rebels in a 30-point decision. The win was the fifth in a row for a TCU squad which has held seven of 10 opponents to a touchdown or less. "We are excited about being 9-1 right now," noted TCU head coach Gary Patterson after the UNLV win. "You know it's hard to get to nine or 10 ball games. One of our team goals this year was to try and get to the point where our seniors could get to 40 wins."
As for the Utes, the eighth-seeded team in the BCS this week, they've managed to run the table thus far, winning by less than a touchdown only three times (Michigan, Oregon State and Wyoming). The team's most challenging outing since slipping past the Beavers back in the first week of October, Utah managed to hold on versus New Mexico in Albuquerque last Saturday in a 13-10 final. Should the Utes get the better of TCU this week, the squad will have just one more real hurdle in front of them as they close out the regular season versus BYU at home on November 22nd. The Utes, who have a date with San Diego State still on the schedule, are tied for the second-longest win streak in the nation at 10 games with Alabama and Penn State which are currently ranked first and third, respectively, in the most recent AP Poll.
Last season, TCU bowed in a 27-20 final to Utah, which means the Frogs have now lost four of their five bouts against the Utes.
"For us we just wanted to come in and win by one point," said coach Patterson of his team's effort versus UNLV. "Its hard to go on the road and win," yet the team made it look relatively easy versus the Rebels as quarterback Andy Dalton converted 16-of-29 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton also ran the ball nine times for 52 yards as the Horned Frogs came away with 259 yards and another three touchdowns on the ground as well.
Dalton is the one that makes this offense run so smoothly, converting better than 59 percent of his pass attempts for nine touchdowns and just two interceptions on 208 opportunities. Although he missed two games, Dalton is also fourth on the squad with his 308 rushing yards and is second with six TDs, trailing only Joseph Turner who has cranked out 10 rushing scores while averaging a mere 44.4 ypg. Despite not having a single outstanding runner and opting to hand the ball to multiple backs, the Horned Frogs are second in the MWC and 12th in the nation this week in rushing with an average of 224 ypg.
The TCU defense was all over the field at Sam Boyd Stadium last Saturday, limiting the home team to a mere 8-of-22 passing for 67 yards and a score, sacking Mike Clausen three times and picking off Omar Clayton once in the decision. Boasting the top run defense in the nation, TCU held the home team to 108 yards on 33 carries, which is actually more than what the Frogs are used to giving up. However, take away the 58-yard run by Channing Trotter and the numbers pretty much fall into place.
Even after UNLV picked up significant yardage on the ground, the Horned Frogs are still first in the country with a mere 38.9 ypg allowed. Add to that a pass defense that has surrendered just 175.6 ypg (second in the MWC and 22nd in the nation) and the unit as a whole trails only USC in total defense with 214.5 ypg permitted. What's most impressive about this group is that it appears to get stronger as games wear on, allowing a total of just seven points in the fourth quarter this entire season.
Although he's not considered a part of the offense per say, Louie Sakoda is still one of the most vital scorers in the Mountain West and again proved it last Saturday as he knocked through a pair of field goals to remain perfect on the season (14-of-14) and lead the Utes to a crucial three-point win. The lone touchdown of the game for the Utes came when Brian Johnson threw to Jereme Brooks who then tossed a lateral to Brent Casteel for the seven-yard score. "In breaking the game down, we did not do a bad job of moving the ball, but what we did have was untimely penalties and a turnover in the red zone," is how head coach Kyle Whittingham explained his unit's sluggishness.
Johnson is averaging just over 200 ypg passing and has 14 touchdowns to show for his efforts, but in the last three outings he's been held below 200 yards in each game. While he's yet to post more than just a single INT in any one contest, Johnson still has to be careful not to make a crucial mistake in a close game. Despite coming up with just the single touchdown last week, the Utes are still second in the conference and 20th in the nation in scoring with 36.1 ppg.
"The defense played well, we held New Mexico to half their usual total and held (Rodney) Ferguson to 34 yards," noted coach Whittingham. "I was very pleased with our defensive effort." Aside from a third quarter touchdown by Ferguson, the Lobos were pretty much shut down by the Utah defense on Saturday. New Mexico managed only 114 yards on the ground and another 147 through the air as the Utes held the home team to just 3-of-13 on third down. Paul Kruger and Brice McCain each recorded sacks and Aiona Key a blocked kick during the outing. "He has a tremendous vertical leap," said coach Whittingham of Key. "When we win by three points and he blocks a field goal, that is a vital part of our win."
Blocked kicks are nothing new for Key because he has three this season, one in each of the last three games. Giving Key the opportunity and incentive to go after kicks is a defense that is eighth in the nation with just 89.6 ypg allowed on the ground and is seventh in total defense (266.2 ypg). In addition to his team-best six and a half sacks, Kruger is also first on the team with 14.5 TFLs, which is a big part of the team being ranked 12th in the nation in that department with 7.6 TFLs per game.
