TCU will celebrate its first-ever WAC home game when it entertains the UTEP Miners here Saturday. Kickoff is 7:05 pm. The contest is part of TCU's 1996 Parents' Weekend activities.
Last week, while TCU (1-3) was dropping its third straight game - 35-7 at Tulane - UTEP (2-3)was throwing a scare into Utah in El Paso. The Miners led, 27-17, with 9:28 remaining, before losing 34-27.
SOME BASIC NUMBERS & FACTS ABOUT TCU FOOTBALL '96
Besides celebrating the program's centennial year of football and its
entry into the WAC, other numbers and historical facts worth noting about
Horned Frog Football in 1996:
Last Week for the Frogs
High points for the Frogs was the commendable punting of freshman Royce Huffman (46.5 avg), and another redshirt freshman, John Williams. Williams led the Frogs with 73 yards on only 9 carries. Also noteworthy was the prime time insertion of transfer Fred Taylor at quarterback on eight different possessions.
TCU vs. UTEP
In their only previous matchup, UTEP (then Texas Western) defeated TCU, 13-12.
PAT SULLIVAN SAYS - "Our problems are really pretty simple: football is a game of blocking and tackling, and those are a couple of areas in which we haven't been doing a very good job. We have a long way to go, but there is still a lot of football left in this season. It's kinda like a golfer who gets stuck with a string of bogies. He needs to work it out and start turning some of those into pars. That's what we had better do right now ... 'work out' some of our problems."
"It is also important for some of our players not only step up and make big plays for us, but to start providing us the type of leadership a football team needs."
TCU INJURY SITUATION - In addition to those definitely out for the UTEP game - starting tight end Travis Wilson (fracture of the left thumb) and backup wide receiver Tavarus Moore (pulled hamstring) - TCU's injury camp appears on the mend. Expected to be available for action this week after sitting out the Tulane game are backup LB Jason Illian (sprained ankle), and nose tackle Bernard Oldham (sprained ankle).
CAREER STARTING STREAKS -
Versus Kansas fullback Koi Woods
made his 27th straight starting appearance as a Horned Frog and
John Washington logged his 26th straight start (Geoff Stephens
enjoyed his 20th).
Frog Punter Keeps Booming 'Em
Redshirt freshman Royce Huffman remains one of the individual
bright spots for TCU. On the
season, Huffman, a 1996 freshman baseball all-American, has averaged
44.6 yards with his 26 efforts.
Musical Chairs in TCU's Offensive Line
In part because of injuries as well as being in search of a winning ticket,
TCU offensive coordinator Pete Hoener has deployed four different offensive
line combinations through TCU's first four games. Seven Horned Frogs -
center Ryan Tucker, Fabian Stegall (at both guard and tackle), Mark
Cortez (at both guard and tackle), Greg Davis (at strong tackle), Jon
Donahue (at quick tackle), Doug Loeser (at quick guard) and Clifton
Clemons (at quick guard) - have been utilized in these combos.
Williams making mark at tailback
Low-slung John Williams, a redshirt freshman, versus Tulane enjoyed
his best outing of the season. The 195 pound Williams led the Frogs
with 73 yards on 9 carries, plus he accounted for the team's only
touchdown on a three yard burst up the middle. Williams (with 188 yards
through four games) has closed in on sophomore Basil Mitchell (199 yards)
for the team lead on the running board. His 6.1 yards per carry is tops
among TCU running backs.
ENTER TAYLOR
Though admittedly his repertoire from the TCU playbook is still somewhat
limited, heralded juco transfer Fred Taylor was offered ample playing time
last Saturday. Taylor, the National JC Offensive Player of the Year at
Hinds (MS) Community College, guided the Frogs on their only scoring
drive versus Tulane - a seven play, 57 yard second quarter march, and he
finished with 9 completions (on 14 attempts) for 57 yards.
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), cornerback Russell Gary (La Marque), and cornerback Terrance Cook (Everman)- have logged
action through the first four weeks of the 1996 season.
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