Tuesday June 30, 2009

The Horned Frogs

The Horned Frogs
I applaud the Clemson and Texas Christian athletic staffs in their efforts they made to make this year’s contest between the two schools happen.

Clemson’s schedule is not very good but dropping Idaho to add TCU is a tremendous upgrade. Many Clemson fans may not know a lot about the Horned Frog program so here are a few thoughts:

*TCU is a terrific program with a good history. This is not Alabama from last year but it is still a proud program. TCU won the 1938 Associated Press National Championship. They recognize another national title in 1935.

*They were a member of the Southwest Conference until 1995 and won eight conference titles from 1929 to 1959. The Horned Frogs won their last SWC title in 1994 under Pat Sullivan (former Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn).

*Speaking of Heisman’s, in 1938 Davey O’Brien won the award in his senior season at TCU.

*O’Brien might not be the best player in school history however. Sammy Baugh, Bob Lily, Kenneth Davis and LaDainian Tomlinson were also Horned Frogs.

*TCU was a football power in the 1930s but has reemerged this decade. They have finished in the top 25 in the AP poll six times this decade including a spot at number seven last season.

*I think “program” is a perfect way to describe TCU. They are a lot like Virginia Tech in that they are not the most talented team in America but their players play well in their system. Players come into their program with high expectations and they work hard to maintain those expectations.

*Gary Patterson is a defensive minded coach that took over for Dennis Franchione in 2000. Patterson is 73-27 as the head coach of Horned Frogs.

*TCU is known for hard-nosed football. They are known as one of the top defensive programs in America. The last four seasons TCU has held opponents to 18.6, 12.3, 18.7 and 11.3 points per game.

*Last year they had one of the nation’s top defenses. They allowed just 11.3 points per game and only 47 yards per game on the ground. Teams averaged just 1.7 yards per attempt on the ground last season. They had 43 sacks a year ago.

*Only Oklahoma scored more than 16 points against the Horned Frogs last season.

*Only three teams rushed for over 100 yards against TCU a year ago.

*TCU went 11-2 last season with the only two losses coming at Oklahoma who played for the national title and at Utah who finished second in the country.

*This year’s defense returns only four starters but they do have a couple of highly thought of transfers to help limit the loss of experience. The Horned Frogs run a 4-2-5 defense and will be very aggressive again this season because they have two excellent cornerbacks in Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest.

*Offensively TCU averaged 33.6 points per game last season and was very balanced in their attack. They were one of the few teams in America to average over 200 yards per game rushing and passing.

*A perfect example of how this is system and a program is found when you examine their running game from last season. Injuries forced the staff to use a bunch of combinations at running back but they still averaged 220 yards rushing per game. The Horned Frogs had five players rush for over 375 yards last season and four return this season.

*TCU returns Andy Dalton at quarterback. The junior was 182 of 307 a season ago with 2,242 yards and 11 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

*The Horned Frogs were +13 in the turnover department a year ago.

*The leading receiver is Jimmy Young a junior who hauled in 59 balls for 988 yards and five touchdowns last year.

*The Mountain West Conference has made a name for itself in recent seasons with TCU, Utah and BYU. Also Air Force has been a tough out in out of conference contests.

*TCU usually plays at least one BCS conference school each season and has fared well in recent years. Last year they beat Stanford but lost to Oklahoma. In 2007 they beat Baylor but lost to Texas. In 2006 they beat Baylor and Texas Tech. In 2005 they won at Oklahoma.

*We will get a chance to see TCU early in 2009 as the Horned Frogs will visit Virginia on September 12.

In summary, Clemson will face a national power in September 26. This may not be Alabama like last year but it is still an excellent program. I like the idea of playing schools from a different region of the country. One of the best trips I have taken as a Clemson fan was to Texas A&M. In fact, I would love to renew that series again. I like the idea of going to Ft. Worth for a game with TCU too.

Football scheduling is difficult and Clemson does have SEC schools on the schedule often over the next six or seven years, but I like the different regional matchups as well. The Pac 10 and Big 10 usually play each other so that makes it difficult. I could see a Big 12 series with A&M, Nebraska or even Missouri again. Terry Don Phillips has ties to Oklahoma State and they play Georgia again this season. Clemson and West Virginia would be a nice series because both schools travel well. Heck, as long as we are looking at possible matchups lets go ahead and schedule a trip to Hawaii. Until then, I will enjoy the September 26 battle with the Horned Frogs.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey.