SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs Football Preview

Mustangs look to upset in-state foe

Date: Saturday, September 22, 2007, 7:30 pm Central

SMU and TCU will battle once again for The Iron Skillet on Saturday. The Mustangs own it now.

Location: Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Tex. (44,008)

Television: CSTV

Season Records: SMU 1-2, 0-0 Conference USA / TCU 1-2, 0-1 Mountain West

The Series

*TCU leads, 40-39-7.

*SMU won last meeting, 21-10, in 2005 in Dallas.

*SMU’s last win at TCU: 1993, 21-15.

*Except for 1987-88, when SMU had no team, 2006 was the first time SMU and TCU didn’t play since 1925.

Injury/Personnel Report

SMU:

• running back Cedrick Dorsey (deep thigh bruise) – doubtful.
• defensive end Patrick Handy (stinger) – questionable.
• linebacker Wilton McCray (hamstring) – probable.

TCU:

• tailback Aaron Brown (knee) – unknown.
• tailback Joseph Turner (foot) – unknown.

SMU @ TCU Overview

The Children of the Soy Beans – Arkansas State – really laid the lumber to SMU last week, 45-28. While a tough road game was expected, this result sounded an alarm for many Pony fans. Mustang Internet message boards haven’t looked this angry since last year’s loss at North Texas.

For the third week in a row, an opponent lit up SMU’s defense - a unit now giving up 560 yards and 41 points a game.

Where does that put the anxiety level about the defense?

“High,” said SMU head coach Phil Bennett on Tuesday. “It’s high.” He quickly added were also some positives from Saturday, “believe it or not.”

“But there’s no skirting it, getting around it,” he said. “We have got to be … improved this week on defense.”

Another recurring theme - falling behind early – reared its head at ASU. The Mustangs trailed, 21-0, after one stanza, as the offense failed to answer an opponent’s opening salvos.

Offensive tackle Kenard Burley said the Mustangs aren’t done. “We still have a lot of fight in us,” he said.

“I think our kids are determined,” Bennett said. “I don’t think they’re down. I know I’m not down.”

Bennett stressed he wasn’t disappointed by his team’s effort, but by its inconsistent execution. He said execution and coaching on both sides of the ball must improve.

Now, the battle with TCU for the Iron Skillet looms. “Right now the skillet’s in our possession,” Bennett said. “We know we’ve gotta get a lot better to keep it.”

For slow-starting SMU, that could be a tall order. TCU’s been busting up folks early for some time now. In their last 11 games, the Frogs have outscored opponents in the first half, 226-16.

TCU’s trouble lately has been keeping the lead. The Frogs led Texas, 10-0, and Air Force, 17-3, before losing.

Bennett’s record, in his sixth year at SMU, is 18-43, with a 1-3 mark against TCU.

In his seventh Frog year, head coach Gary Patterson is 55-22 with a 4-1 advantage over SMU.

Foreboding Factoid: Under Patterson, TCU has never lost three games in row.

“We understand the challenge,” Bennett said. “We have great respect for TCU.”

SMU Offense vs. TCU Defense

Advantage: TCU

For whatever reason, SMU’s offense struggles early.

Bennett said on the first play at ASU, the wrong play was run. Instead of throwing a screen pass, which the O-line expected, quarterback Justin Willis handed off to DeMyron Martin for no gain.

“We looked bad,” Bennett said of the play.

Willis got untracked for 332 total yards and, with 435 yards the week prior, set a school record for total yards in back-to-games. He also had four touchdown passes.

Wideout Emmanuel Sanders, with eight catches for 100 yards last week, leads C-USA with seven grabs per game.

TCU returns nine starters from a 2006 defense that ranked in the top three nationally in run, total and scoring defense.

“Defensively, they’re the same ol’ ‘get-in-your-face-get-after-you’ defense,” Bennett said of the Frogs’ blitzing 4-2-5 scheme.

Tommy Blake, TCU’s preseason All-American defensive end, leads the team in career sacks (20). Blake and fellow senior Chase Ortiz, on the other side, are wicked bookends. Together they have 60 tackles-for-loss in three seasons.

At Air Force, the Frogs gave up 339 total yards, mostly through the air. Nearly half of the 146 rushing yards allowed came on one play.

Senior Brian Bonner, an All-MWC safety, anchors an experienced secondary. TCU already has seven interceptions by six different players.

TCU’s linebackers are back, led by Jason Phillips, a two-time All-MWC pick. Senior David Hawthorne has a team-high 27 stops.

Frog food for thought: In 77 games since Patterson’s arrival, TCU has allowed just 12 100-yard rushers. The Frogs are also 37-0 when holding opponents to 17 points or less.

SMU’s offense averages 27 points per game and TCU allows 18.

TCU Offense vs. SMU Defense

Advantage: TCU

SMU gave up 250 yards rushing and 266 yards passing at ASU. Though the Mustangs’ rushing defense still ranks second in C-USA, (114 yards per game), ASU’s Reggie Arnold got loose last week for 156 yards.

SMU linebacker Ryan Moczygemba had strep throat and didn’t make the ASU trip. Linebacker Wilton McCray left the game early with a tweaked hamstring. “We really had to mix and match our linebackers,” Bennett said, which contributed to some alignment problems, he added.

Defensive end Justin Smart didn’t practice last week due to back problems, though he played, and defensive end Patrick Handy left the game after one quarter with a stinger.

On the positive side, Bennett said defensive tackle Charlie Berry, back from injury, had a good game, nose guard Serge Elizee was “better” and defensive end Cory Muse’s post-injury conditioning continues to improve.

SMU coach Phil Bennett meets the media last Tuesday.

And with a couple of plays in the fourth quarter, the game could have been different, Bennett said.

Safety Bryce Hudman, with a C-USA-record 26 tackles last week, leads SMU with 34 stops.

Andy Dalton, TCU’s redshirt freshman quarterback, has completed 62 percent of his passes and his numbers improve each week. Against Air Force, he hit on 29 of 45 throws - to nine different receivers - for 320 yards

“TCU … moved the ball against everybody,” Bennett said. “They’ve hurt themselves in

the red zone, but they’ve moved the ball.”

Sophomore Ryan Christian leads TCU in rushing with 112 yards on 32 carries. He’s also the leading receiver out of the backfield with 11 catches. Christian led the Frogs at Air Force with six catches for 74 yards.

Starting running back Aaron Brown, injured in Week One against Baylor, hasn’t played since. His backup, Joseph Turner, went down the next week.

Senior wideout Marcus Brock leads TCU with 13 catches. All 17 of tight end Shae Reagan’s career catches have all been for first downs.

Three starters return on the O-line. The new guy is 6-8, 298-pound tackle Nic Richmond.

SMU vs. TCU Special Teams

Advantage: Even

SMU’s Thomas Morstead is the nation’s second-rated punter with a 47.3-yard average. TCU’s Derek Wash is ninth, averaging 45.7 per try. Should be a good show.

For kickoffs, TCU’s Drew Combs is a rare straight-on style kicker averaging 61 yards with three touchbacks. SMU’s Kellis Cunningham averages just over 60 yards per kick with two touchbacks.

Frog senior place-kicker Chris Manfredini is 5-8 on field goals and 6-6 for PATs. Manfredini’s 36-yard OT attempt at Air Force just missed, hitting the left upright.

Morstead remains 4-4 in field goals and his SMU-record consecutive PAT mark is now 44.

Jessie Henderson leads SMU with a kickoff return average of 24.2 on 12 attempts, now ninth in C-USA. TCU’s leader, with two attempts, is Brock with a 33-yard average.

Bonner is the MWC’s top punt returner with a 14.6-yard average and long of 64. Sanders’ five-yard average for SMU includes a long of 12.

Intangibles

Advantage: TCU

It’s Froggie Homecoming and though their BCS dreams are toast, they’re plenty riled about losing to SMU two years ago.

SMU vs. TCU Prediction

Too much Frog D and Dalton airs it out: TCU, 27-10. (Hope I’m wrong – and I am 66 percent of the time.)

Quotable Bennett

• On TCU’s direction in recent years: “When they decide their path, they really don’t worry about what other people think is … best for them. They took the path and they’ve stayed with a path. And I think that took a lot of courage and I think it’s paid off for them.”

• On TCU’s preparation for Willis: “I can promise you, they’re over there scratching their heads how to defend him - because he can make plays.”

SMU Football - Did you know?

• The SMU-TCU rivalry is now The State Farm DFW Duel – Battle for the Iron Skillet. The three-year sponsorship was announced Tuesday.

• SMU’s Charlie Berry is the grandson of 1949 TCU All-American quarterback Lindy Berry.

• TCU’s Patterson was an assistant coach at Navy in 1995 when the Midshipmen beat SMU, 33-2, in the Cotton Bowl.