Sunday, August 26, 2018

TCU Opens 2018 Season Against Southern on September 1


Cleaning the cobwebs from the tailgating equipment and getting ready for the Frogs' two preseason games before the season really kicks off on September 15 ...


What do you do if you're one of the top-ranked teams in the country and your 2018 season- and home-opener kicks off at the unfavorable time of 11 am against one of the lower-tier teams in the country?

And on top of those two negatives, most of your fans don't believe the season really begins until your team's third game of the season, on September 15, against Ohio State, long one of the top teams in the nation.


Well, if you're the TCU Horned Frogs, you call upon one of your distinguished, historic football lettermen to save the day.

That's why on Saturday, September 1, when the Horned Frogs kick off their 2018 campaign during Saturday brunch time against the Southern University Jaguars, it will be Davey Day in Amon G. Carter Stadium, when TCU will commemorate the 80th anniversary of quarterback Davey O'Brien winning the Heisman Trophy and the Horned Frogs capturing the 1938 national championship.

Yes, 1938 was the first, and last, time a Horned Frog won the Heisman Trophy, although five other Frogs have been Heisman finalists. And, yes, 1938 was the last of two national championships claimed by TCU in football. But, those facts put the Horned Frogs into elite company.


TCU is one of 21 schools to have won multiple national championships (1935, 1938) and produce a Heisman Trophy winner. The other schools are Alabama, Army, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
 

On Saturday, TCU players will wear a sticker on their helmets honoring the late O'Brien, in addition to a field marking for him. Davey O'Brien Jr., his son, will be TCU's honorary captain.  During its pregame show, the TCU band will form a No. 8 on the field.

O'Brien's Heisman and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award trophy will be on display for pregame photo opportunities in Frog Alley, before moving to the stadium concourse during the game. Video tributes to O'Brien will be played throughout the game. The game program will feature O'Brien on the cover. A floral arrangement will grace O'Brien's statue in front of the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.

Of course, with 40,000 or so football fans in captivity, there's an opportunity for a few bucks to be made, so replica O'Brien No. 8 jerseys and t-shirts will be sold. Also, No. 8-shaped pretzels will be available for $7 from Ben's Pretzels, a new Amon Carter concessionaire, the local franchise of which is owned by Monique and Calvin Hudson, who have called Fort Worth home for the past five years. The Carter location will be the first Ben’s franchise in Texas. Ben’s Soft Pretzels already has athletic partnerships with a variety of other sports teams, including the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, the University of Michigan football and basketball programs and other colleges and minor league baseball teams.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whether you are Catholic or Baptist, all fans will not have the legal opportunity within the stadium to raise a toast of an alcoholic beverage to Davey, or the Frogs, on September 1.

Evidently, beer sales throughout Amon G. Carter won’t be happening in 2018. The earliest beer sales throughout the stadium will take place is 2019.

In late April, TCU announced beer sales in Lupton Stadium for the final seven home baseball games. The plan was to try selling beer at baseball games with the target of eventually expanding the policy to basketball and football games.

It was the perfect time to begin beer sales at Lupton. The 2017-18 baseball Frogs failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for first time since 2013. In fact, TCU had qualified for the College World Series in Omaha the past four years. Thus, there were plenty of sorrows to be drowned in Lupton this past baseball season.

Beer sales may begin at basketball games in 2018, but football fans will have to wait a bit longer to spend more of their cash at The Carter.

In the meantime, for the September 1 game, we're left with commemorating a couple of events the majority of us were not around to personally witness, worrying about sunburn and melanoma, wondering about how many points TCU head coach Gary Patterson will allow the Frogs to lay on the Jaguars, and hoping against hope that Southern will spend the big bucks required to bring its ballyhooed band to Fort Worth.

Last year, if you recall, when the Frogs opened the season at home against Jackson State, the Tigers, much to the disappointment of TCU fans, left its glitzy band at home in Jackson, Mississippi. Thus, we were left only with the joy of a 63-0 TCU win.

This Saturday, despite that the Frogs will be starting a new quarterback, Horned Frog fans might be celebrating just as large of a victory over Southern.

TCU enters the 2018 football season, its seventh in the Big 12 Conference, coming off an 11-3 season (7-2 Big 12) in which the Horned Frogs finished second in the Big 12, played in the Big 12 championship game, beat Stanford 39-37 in another classic Alamo Bowl and finished as the ninth-ranked team in the country. TCU is one of just five programs nationally to finish in the top 10 of the final polls at least three times in the last four seasons.

The Frogs are ranked within the top 20 in all of the preseason polls. This is the 10th time in the last 13 years that TCU has been ranked in the preseason.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson is entering his 18th season as head coach.  In 17 seasons under Patterson, TCU has posted seven top-10 finishes and 11 in the top 25.

The Frogs are one of three or four teams expected to contend for the Big 12 championship and a possible spot in the College Football Playoff. Over the last four years, the Horned Frogs' 40-13 overall record and 26-10 conference mark both rank second in the Big 12.

There is an abundance of talent on the 2018 edition of the Horned Frogs. Perhaps the most talent the Frogs have had since they've been in the Big 12.

The Jaguars are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The conference is made up of historically black colleges and universities in the Southern United States, including Jackson State. SWAC teams compete in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.

Southern University enters the 2018 football season, coming off a 7-4 season, during which the Jaguars won their first game, then lost three in a row before winning six straight games. The Jaguars closed out 2017 with a 30-21 loss to Grambling State.

Southern head coach Dawson Odums is entering his sixth full season as the team's head coach.

While the game is expected to be a dominating victory for the Frogs, TCU fans are anxious to see the quarterbacks who will be replacing Kenny Hill, who led the Frogs in 2016 and 2017.

Patterson and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Sonny Cumbie have an abundance of talent at the quarterback position to replace Kenny Hill, who after transferring from Texas A&M, led the Frogs in 2016 and 2017 as a junior and senior, respectively. Last year, Hill set school records for completion percentage (67.2) and third-down completion percentage (67.3). Hill has returned to TCU to finish his degree. He is working this season as a student coach with the football team.

There is a quartet of Shawn Robinson (#3), Michael Collins (#10), Grayson Muehlstein (#17) and Justin Rogers (#13).

Patterson and Cumbie have chosen Robinson (#3) to be Hill's initial replacement.

Robinson, 6-2, 228 pounds, is a sophomore who as a four-star recruit was highly recruited after he led DeSoto High School to a state football championship in 2016 and was named the 2016-17 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year.

As a true freshman at TCU last year, Robinson, played in six games, including filling in for an injured Hill and guiding the Frogs to a 27-3 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock on November 18. Robinson, who passed for 85 yards and ran for 84, became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in the 17 seasons Gary Patterson had been head coach. The last true freshman to start at quarterback for TCU was Casey Printers. On September 25, 1999, he led TCU to a 24-21 win over Arkansas State. Patterson was in his second year as TCU's defensive coordinator.

Behind Robinson are Michael Collins (#10), Grayson Muehlstein (#17) and Justin Rogers (#13).

Collins, 6-5, 214 pounds, transferred to TCU from the University of Pennsylvania. He sat out last season and is a sophomore this season. In 2016, as a freshman at Penn, he played in four games as the backup quarterback for the Ivy League Champions He was 2-for-2 passing for 17 yards, with 10 carries for 33 yards. He is from New Canaan, Connecticut, where he led his high school to three straight Connecticut state titles. As a senior, he threw for 3,414 yards and a Connecticut-record 54 touchdowns. His 89 career touchdowns are the fifth most in Connecticut high school football history.

Muehlstein is a 6-4, 211-pound senior who despite being talented, has been a career backup at TCU and seen little game action. He has appeared in five games, including three last year. He has not attempted a pass. He has run the ball 10 times for 44 yards.

Rogers is a 6-4, 220-pound true freshman from Bossier City, Louisiana. This past year, he was rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports.com, as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation, the No. 2 overall player in Louisiana and the No. 34 overall player in the country. He chose TCU over LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. In addition to Rogers, the Frogs' 2018 recruiting class had three other four-star players. The class was ranked third-best in the Big 12 and 25th in the nation.

In 2017, due to a knee injury, Rogers was limited to one game his senior year of high school. Rogers enrolled in TCU in January and has been rehabbing his injury under the guidance of the TCU training staff. He continues to recover from the injury. During his junior year of high school, Rogers completed 65.4 percent (159-of-243) of his passes for 2,646 yards and 26 touchdowns. On the ground, he added 566 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

TCU's other offensive weapons have familiar names.

Darius Anderson (#6), a 5-11, 212-pound junior, and Sewo Olonilua, a 6-3, 231-pound junior, return at the running back position.

Last season, Anderson led TCU with 768 yards rushing on 128 carries. He ranked third in the Big 12 with a per-carry average of six yards. He was on pace to be a 1,000-yard rusher before being injured in the first game against Oklahoma and missing the rest of the season.

Olonilua carried the ball 64 times for 330 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught 19 passes for 166 yards.

Providing depth is sophomore Kenedy Snell (#16), who was impressive last season as a true freshman, after coming to TCU as a four-star running back out of Waxahachie.

The Frogs will feature a strong corps of receivers, including seniors Jaelan Austin (#2), Jarrison Stewart (#22) and KaVontae Turpin (#25), junior Dylan Thomas (#11), and sophomore Jalen Reagor (#1).  Turpin, of course, also should continue to dazzle as a kick- and punt-returner. He is on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

There also are highly touted freshmen receivers Tevailance Hunt (#9), Taye Barber (#4) and John Stephens Jr. (#7). Hunt, from Texarkana, was a four-star recruit who was ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 4 wide receiver in Texas and No. 23 wide receiver in the country. Barber, from Cypress, was ranked as the No. 8 athlete in Texas, No. 42 athlete in the nation and the No. 76 overall player in Texas.  He chose TCU over such schools as Clemson, Stanford and Wisconsin. Stephens was ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 1 athlete in Louisiana and No. 61 athlete in the country, and rated by ESPN as the No. 19 overall player in Louisiana.

Southern will be facing a TCU defense that should be as good, or perhaps even better, than last year's defense.

In 2017, the TCU defense gave up fewer yards and points per game than any team in the Big 12. The Frogs also ranked first in the conference in rushing defense (104 yards per game), pass defense (227.5 yards per games), scoring defense (19 points a game), sacks (42) and rushing touchdowns (8). In the six years the Frogs have played in the Big 12, they have surrendered the fewest yards per game three times. Two of the remaining three times, they finished second in that statistic.

Nationally, the 2017 TCU defense ranked tied for 19th in yards allowed per game and 12th in scoring defense at 18 points per game.

End Ben Banogu (#15) and linebacker Tye Summers (#42) are expected to be the defensive leaders for TCU in 2018. 

Banogu was first-team All-Big 12 and the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year last season. His 8 1/2 sacks ranked second in the Big 12, behind only teammate and current Buffalo Bill Mat Boesen (11 1/2). Banogu's 16 1/2 tackles for loss led TCU and were third in the Big 12. The senior had at least one tackle for loss in 13 of 14 games. He also forced three fumbles on the season, including on sacks in consecutive road wins at Arkansas and Oklahoma State.

Banogu is on the Preseason All-Big 12 team and has been selected as the conference's Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He also has been named to the watch lists for the 2018 Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Wuerffel Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2018 Player of the Year Award. The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented to the collegiate defensive player of the year. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented to the nation's top defensive player. The Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. The Ted Hendricks Award honors the top defensive end in college football. The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. Banogu also has been named to Sports Illustrated list of the top 100 college football players. He is 98th. Plus, Banogu is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, recognizing the nation's best in community involvement and volunteerism.

Summers, who will play this fall as a graduate student after already earning his TCU degree, is a two-time All-Big 12 selection. His 271 career tackles rank fifth in the 18-season tenure of Patterson. Summers enters the 2018 campaign needing 73 stops to pass current Los Angeles Ram Travin Howard (343) for the top spot.

Summers has been named to the watch lists for the 2018 Chuck Bednarik Award, the Butkus Award, and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. The Butkus Award is presented to the nation's top collegiate linebacker. The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented weekly, and then for the entire season, to the defensive players who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Unfortunately, two defensive Frogs already have suffered significant injuries.

Sophomore defensive tackle Ross Blacklock (#90), 6-4, 329 pounds, suffered an Achilles injury that apparently will cause him to miss the season. Last year, Blacklock had an impressive freshman season, after which he earned Big 12 co-defensive freshman of the year honors. Blacklock came to TCU as one of the nation's top defensive tackle prospects from the 2016 class. Blacklock was rated a four-star and No. 18 defensive tackle in the nation according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He chose TCU over Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and others.

Highly touted true freshman safety Atanza Vongor also is expected to miss this season due to an injury. Vongor cam to TCU from South Grand Prairie where he was ranked as the No. 16 safety in the national and the No. 191 overall recruit, according to 247 Sports. He chose TCU over schools such as Alabama, Clemson, Baylor, Michigan, Texas and Texas A&M.

So, even though Davey O'Brien will only be on the minds and in the hearts of TCU fans, and not on the field this Saturday, the Frogs should easily begin the 2018 campaign with a victory over Southern University, which is better known for its band, than its football team.
 
Of course, the game and victory basically will be meaningless, except that it will get Robinson, and probably at least Collins, experience at quarterback, and the Frogs will be one game closer to lining up against Ohio State in AT&T Stadium on September 15.

And all TCU fans who have the habit, or at least the urge, will be able to buy an alcoholic beverage in Jerry World on that Saturday, unlike in The Carter this season.

That is, if they have any money left after splurging for a ticket and parking.


Go Frogs!

- Midnite
 

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