TCU Spring Football 2008 Team Report

The expectations of 2007 in the rear-view mirror, TCU is hoping to again sneak up on the competition and quietly put up a double-digit win total like it did in four of the previous five years. The Frogs “slumped” to an 8-5 finish last season.

The medical saga of defensive end Tommy Blake and the inexperience at the quarterback position saddled the Horned Frogs with a 4-4 record before they finally began to resemble the team picked to win the Mountain West Conference championship in 2007. They won four of their last five games.

“We had a lot of distractions last year,” coach Gary Patterson says. “We probably have more team chemistry right now than we’ve had the past two seasons. We went 8-5 one year, 11-2 the other. We’re not as flashy a team this year, as far as big names, but it’s the kind of team I’d like to have, anyway.”

TCU, however, still has speedy tailback Aaron Brown, who’s healthy after knee and ankle injuries, and one of the league’s offensive coordinators calls linebacker Jason Phillips the best defensive player in the MWC. So it isn’t exactly devoid of name talent.

Still, the Frogs teams that won 10 and 11 games were the ones that created turnovers on defense and held on to the football on offense. The maturation of quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Marcus Jackson should facilitate the latter. The return of defensive tackle James Vess after a year out because of what Patterson says was a violation of school policy could help the defense create more takeaways.

TCU will rely on inexperienced players at punter and kicker, which could define the difference between a good season and a great season in 2008.

Notes, Quotes

- DT James Vess’ return gives TCU a dynamic interior presence. Coach Gary Patterson says his absence last season was a bigger loss than that of Tommy Blake because Vess’ replacement was an inexperienced freshman. Vess was up to nearly 900 pounds on squats and 500 on the bench press in offseason workouts.

- QB Andy Dalton continued his learning process in limiting turnovers in the spring. He hooked up on a 20-yard TD pass with TE Shae Reagan during the annual spring game. It was the first time in at least a few years, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that TCU’s first-team offense scored a touchdown on the first-team defense.

Spring Movers:   LB Daryl Washington has the best session of any player, coach Gary Patterson said, comparing his athletic ability for his position to that of former TCU greats LaDainian Tomlinson and Aaron Schobel. Patterson adds that he’s as good or better at coverage skills than any of the Frogs’ CBs or safeties.

RB Chris Smith emerged as a ball-carrying threat in spring practice, filling in for Joseph Turner, who was sidelined while he recovers from a knee injury. Smith gives the Frogs another between-the-tackles bruiser to complement Aaron Brown’s burst around the edges.

TE Shae Reagan looked impressive after being sidelined for the majority of ‘07 games with a broken leg against Wyoming. He’s listed at 261 pounds but still runs a 4.6 40-yard dash.

Quote To Note:   “It wouldn’t be my pick, but one thing I like is if I’m going to start the season with a conference game, I want it to be a good game because I know our kids will get ready for it and they were excited about seeing that we’re going to play a team the level of New Mexico. Anytime we’ve started with a high-level game, they’ve worked so hard in the summer time to get ready for those kinds of games.”—Coach Gary Patterson, on facing New Mexico in next season’s opener.

Strategy And Personnel

2008 Outlook:   With Brigham Young on a 16-game conference winning streak entering next season, TCU will not come into August as the favorite. That might be a good thing for the Frogs, who seem to relish an underdog role. Defensively, they have the potential to be as good as any team in the conference. They likely will have more depth on defense than any team in the conference. TCU’s key will be the maturation process of QB Andy Dalton and the health of TB Aaron Brown. The Frogs should be one of the leading contenders to challenge BYU’s two-year reign atop the MWC.

Scouting The Offense:   Sophomore WRs Jimmy Young and Jeremy Kerley both had impressive spring practices to bolster the passing attack. TCU returns four starters on the line, which should give Dalton more time and confidence to make his reads. RB Chris Smith gives the Horned Frogs an added dimension and could be key if Brown and Joseph Turner are ever sidelined in ‘08. Coach Gary Patterson says Dalton and fellow QB Marcus Jackson were light years ahead of their performances during spring camp last season.

Scouting The Defense:   The best linebackers in Patterson’s tenure at TCU? “This is probably the best group we’ve ever had, bar none, in 11 years since I’ve been here,” he says. Jason Phillips and Robert Henson will be the starters, but Patterson says backup Daryl Washington is more athletic than both of them. DEs Matt Panfil and Jerry Hughes have huge shoes to fill, but if the Frogs can fill their customary depth at the position, Panfil and Hughes should be fine. The one spot up for grabs is the weak safety position, where Tejay Johnson and Corderra Hunter should continue their battle in the fall.

Scouting The Special Teams:   P Anson Kelton, a redshirt freshman, put his footprint on the starting job with a strong spring, although he did struggle in the spring game. No one emerged as a viable candidate for kicker in the fall, putting the onus on incoming freshman Ross Evans to perform when he arrives. Patterson calls deep snapper Clint Gresham one of the best deep snappers in the nation.

Roster Report:  

- RB Joseph Turner, who missed spring practice with a knee injury he suffered last season, should be cleared to practice by June and make it in time for fall camp.

- WR Walter Bryant hurt his toe at the end of spring drills but should be 100 percent by fall camp.