Also see last weeks Football News for notes on the New Mexico game.
PAT SULLIVAN SAYS -
"We haven't seen the (scouting) tapes from the game yet, but for a team to
go on the road (to Provo, Utah) before 65,000 people and play a
nationally ranked team (BYU) off its feet before losing (17-14),
certainly speaks highly of New Mexico's football program right now.
I am especially impressed with the progress New Mexico has made on it
defense. We knew they (UNM) were capable of moving the football,
but against BYU, last Saturday, they held one of the country's
most-explosive offenses pretty well in check. That has a way
of getting your attention.
"We will have our work cut out (vs. UNM),
but that's pretty much going to be the case each week for teams
throughout the WAC. Hopefully,
our team will be able to look back and say we
benefitted from our open-date week."
TCU INJURY SITUATION -
Most often open-date weeks enable football teams
time to alleviate nagging injury concerns. Not so for TCU this time round,
however. Adding to the shoulder dislocation (left) of starting offensive
tackle Jon Donahue during the Kansas game (the injury will force
Donahue from action for at least four weeks) were the off-week injuries
of starting tight end Travis Wilson (fracture of the left thumb)
which will sideline him for two to three weeks, and of backup wide
receiver Tavarus Moore (pulled hamstring) which is expected to
shelve him from four to eight weeks.
MOST OF HERALDED HORNED FROG YEARLING CLASS STILL 'SOAKING' -
While TCU coach Pat Sullivan has repeatedly referred to his 1996 recruiting
class as his "best and most talented, thanks to solid depth throughout
much of the Horned Frogs lineups, most of that group of Frog newcomers
are experiencing the proverbial football axiom of "continuing to soak and
mature." Whereas most seasons double figure numbers of first-year fresh
have logged action, only three of TCU's first-year fresh - wide receiver
Patrick Batteaux (Sugar Land Elkins), free safety Reggie Hunt
(Denison) and cornerback Terrance Cook (Everman)- have logged
action through the first two weeks of the 1996 season.
BRUCE UNDERTAKES POSITION CHANGE -
Talented sophomore Andre
Bruce, who found himself in a four-way rotation scenario at tailback,
has decided to shift his skills to the defensive side of the football.
The 185-pound Bruce quickly impressed the TCU staff after he began
learning the cornerback position during the Horned Frogs' open date week.
Notes from New Mexico Press Release (9/22)
New Mexico Injury Report - OT Matt Tyner (broken left fibula) is out; DT Joe Haynes (back) is questionable; FB Chris Shelton (sprained ankle) and TB Dion Marion (knee) are probable.
From Coach Fran: (On BYU) "Getting close in this series ain't worth a damn; it doesn't
mean anything. We're not into moral victories anymore. We had a chance
to win it and we didn't."
(On TCU) "This should be an outstanding game. We're not very comfortable
with them having a week off because it allowed them to get some people
healthy, but that's the breaks. This is their opening WAC game so they get
a little extra time to prepare for us. TCU is one of the teams expected
to contend for the division title. They are every bit as good as BYU.
They have a solid all-around team. They always have a good running
attack as we have seen too many times in the past. I would hope we would
have a good crowd for homecoming."
"Obviously, we would have liked to be 4-0 going into this game. Beating
BYU would have meant as much to us as it did for Arizona State beating
Nebraska. Our offense sputtered a little, but getting fullback Chris
Shelton back will help."
(On the Lobo Defense) "The defense has done a good job. And we really
have a chance to improve even more as the players continue to grasp
the scheme better. They like the reckless style; being able to put
more pressure on the quarterback has been a big benefit for us. We're
missing fewer tackles and we have better speed on the field. The leverage
from the outside of the defense in allows for fewer missed tackles."
WEEKLY TELEVISION FOOTBALL SHOW FOR TCU -
The 1996 TCU Football Television Show, featuring Horned Frog head coach
Pat Sullivan, will debut Wednesday, September 11. The program, available
throughout the Southwest on the Prime Sports Productions (locally channel
1), airs on Wednesday afternoons at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
THIRTEEN STATIONS TO JOIN FLAGSHIP KCLE ON THE HORNED FROG NETWORK
Thirteen stations will join flagship station KCLE (1120 am) of Cleburne on
the Horned Frog Football Network this fall:
KVLF (1240 am) of Alpine
KPUR (1440 am) of Amarillo
KFON (1490 am) of Austin
KCLE ( 92.1 fm) of Cleburne
KDFX (1190 am) of Dallas
KAHZ (1360 am) of Fort Worth
KTCU (88.7 fm) of Fort Worth
KTXQ (950 am) of Lubbock
KRIL (1410 am) of Odessa
KBOP (103.7 fm) of Pleasonton/San Antonio
KBOP (1380 am) of Pleasonton/San Antonio
KTBB (600 am) of Tyler
KBBW (1010 am) of Waco