Just going with 1 Saturday play.
No personal write up today.
Here are some game notes...
As newcomers to the Mountain West Conference, the Horned Frogs of TCU have certainly proven their worth over the first half of the season and are now in first place in the league with a spotless conference record. Trying to put an end to that run this weekend will be MWC stalwarts the Air Force Falcons, as they host the 21st-ranked squad from the Lone Star State in Colorado. The Frogs started off the year with a resounding 17-10 win over powerhouse Oklahoma, but then fell to SMU on the road the following Saturday (21-10). Since then, TCU has been the aggressor with five straight victories, the most recent being a 38-17 triumph over the visiting Black Knights of Army last Saturday. With the decision the Horned Frogs moved their overall record to 6-1, tops in the Mountain West. As for the Falcons, their back-to-back wins over Washington and San Diego State to start the year were overshadowed by four straight setbacks, three of which were against league foes. Last Saturday, bright and early in the morning in the mountains, the Falcons cruised to a 42-7 win over UNLV, marking their highest scoring output of the year. In terms of the all-time series between these two programs, this game marks just the fifth meeting overall, with TCU having gone 2-1-1 thus far. The most recent bout took place in 1998 with the Horned Frogs grabbing a narrow 35-34 victory.
Quarterback Jeff Ballard passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Horned Frogs dispensed with Army last weekend in Fort Worth. Ballard finished the evening 22-of-29 for 219 yards and an interception while adding 45 yards on nine rushing attempts. TCU rolled up 403 yards of total offense, which came in handy considering the team was flagged nine times for a loss of 100 yards along the way. TCU has the top scoring offense in the conference right now, putting up 30.9 ppg, but the passing offense for the group is somewhat suspect, having generated only 188.4 ypg to rank eighth in the league. A huge boost to the unit has been the kick return specialists who lead the MWC with 28.5 ypg and have scored the only two touchdowns among the conference members. Also playing a huge role in the team's success has been turnovers, with the squad first in the nation with a positive 2.14 per outing.
TCU's pass defense surrendered 252 yards to the Black Knights, but considering the Horned Frogs recorded three interceptions, it proved to be a good trade- off for the home team. Drew Coleman, who finished with seven tackles for TCU, had one of those picks, while the other two fell to Quincy Butler who chipped in with four takedowns. Offensive players and specialists are not the only ones on the TCU roster who have been able to take some credit for the team's success, as the defense ranks first in the league in sacks with 23 through seven games. The run defense for the program is second in the MWC, allowing 119 ypg, and overall the group is second in total defense, permitting just 357.7 ypg. Butler now has four interceptions to his credit, the team a total of 15 to go along with 12 recovered fumbles. Chase Ortiz has just 26 tackles to this point, but eight have been behind the line of scrimmage, with four of those against the quarterback so there's no shortage of talented players on this side of the ball either.
Although they are averaging barely four and a half yards per carry, head coach Fisher DeBerry and the Falcons have always relied heavily on their rushing attack. Unfortunately, even though the team is ranked seventh nationally with 252.1 ypg on the ground, that approach has gotten the squad into trouble this season because it's tough to play from behind if the passing attack is not up to par. Last Saturday, quarterback Shaun Carney rolled up 83 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries, with the team as a whole producing 316 yards on 64 attempts. Carney and backup Adam Fitch managed only 10-of-12 passing for 96 yards, so luckily the game was in the bag. Carney might be good at running the triple option, but his play in the pocket is still suspect as the team ranks 102nd in the country in passing with only 151.7 ypg. Due to the nature of the offense, Air Force quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 45 times through seven games, with Carney having gone down for a combined loss of 91 yards. If Carney isn't the one carrying the ball, then there might not be another reliable rusher available, what with Jacobe Kendrick questionable again this week with a shoulder injury.
The Rebels found out what it was like having to come from behind and not have a reliable passing attack, as Air Force limited UNLV to a mere two yards on 25 attempts on the ground and then proceeded to pick off two passes to keep UNLV honest. Take away the trick play that resulted in the 58-yard passing score for the Rebels, and the visitors had virtually no offense to speak of against the Falcons. Chris Sutton and Andy Gray each had interceptions for the unit, one that posted five sacks by five different players. Not having a strong passing offense has also taken its toll on the Air Force defense this season, perhaps because the squad has no one to practice against from day to day. At the moment the Falcons are ranked 93rd in the country, giving up 255.9 ypg and more than nine yards per completed pass play. Bobby Giannini continues to put up the top tackling numbers overall with 59 stops, but one of the biggest hitters for the squad has been Gilberto Perez who is second in the conference in tackles for loss with nine and a half.
I feel good about the Falcons winning a tight game at home!
TCU don`t belong in the top 25...lol.
BET ID=127669841
Straight Wager 10/21/05 21:10 ET
200.00/190.48 Result: Pending
TCU
AirForce 10/22/05 (15:00 ET)
AirForce 0 (-105)
No personal write up today.
Here are some game notes...
As newcomers to the Mountain West Conference, the Horned Frogs of TCU have certainly proven their worth over the first half of the season and are now in first place in the league with a spotless conference record. Trying to put an end to that run this weekend will be MWC stalwarts the Air Force Falcons, as they host the 21st-ranked squad from the Lone Star State in Colorado. The Frogs started off the year with a resounding 17-10 win over powerhouse Oklahoma, but then fell to SMU on the road the following Saturday (21-10). Since then, TCU has been the aggressor with five straight victories, the most recent being a 38-17 triumph over the visiting Black Knights of Army last Saturday. With the decision the Horned Frogs moved their overall record to 6-1, tops in the Mountain West. As for the Falcons, their back-to-back wins over Washington and San Diego State to start the year were overshadowed by four straight setbacks, three of which were against league foes. Last Saturday, bright and early in the morning in the mountains, the Falcons cruised to a 42-7 win over UNLV, marking their highest scoring output of the year. In terms of the all-time series between these two programs, this game marks just the fifth meeting overall, with TCU having gone 2-1-1 thus far. The most recent bout took place in 1998 with the Horned Frogs grabbing a narrow 35-34 victory.
Quarterback Jeff Ballard passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Horned Frogs dispensed with Army last weekend in Fort Worth. Ballard finished the evening 22-of-29 for 219 yards and an interception while adding 45 yards on nine rushing attempts. TCU rolled up 403 yards of total offense, which came in handy considering the team was flagged nine times for a loss of 100 yards along the way. TCU has the top scoring offense in the conference right now, putting up 30.9 ppg, but the passing offense for the group is somewhat suspect, having generated only 188.4 ypg to rank eighth in the league. A huge boost to the unit has been the kick return specialists who lead the MWC with 28.5 ypg and have scored the only two touchdowns among the conference members. Also playing a huge role in the team's success has been turnovers, with the squad first in the nation with a positive 2.14 per outing.
TCU's pass defense surrendered 252 yards to the Black Knights, but considering the Horned Frogs recorded three interceptions, it proved to be a good trade- off for the home team. Drew Coleman, who finished with seven tackles for TCU, had one of those picks, while the other two fell to Quincy Butler who chipped in with four takedowns. Offensive players and specialists are not the only ones on the TCU roster who have been able to take some credit for the team's success, as the defense ranks first in the league in sacks with 23 through seven games. The run defense for the program is second in the MWC, allowing 119 ypg, and overall the group is second in total defense, permitting just 357.7 ypg. Butler now has four interceptions to his credit, the team a total of 15 to go along with 12 recovered fumbles. Chase Ortiz has just 26 tackles to this point, but eight have been behind the line of scrimmage, with four of those against the quarterback so there's no shortage of talented players on this side of the ball either.
Although they are averaging barely four and a half yards per carry, head coach Fisher DeBerry and the Falcons have always relied heavily on their rushing attack. Unfortunately, even though the team is ranked seventh nationally with 252.1 ypg on the ground, that approach has gotten the squad into trouble this season because it's tough to play from behind if the passing attack is not up to par. Last Saturday, quarterback Shaun Carney rolled up 83 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries, with the team as a whole producing 316 yards on 64 attempts. Carney and backup Adam Fitch managed only 10-of-12 passing for 96 yards, so luckily the game was in the bag. Carney might be good at running the triple option, but his play in the pocket is still suspect as the team ranks 102nd in the country in passing with only 151.7 ypg. Due to the nature of the offense, Air Force quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 45 times through seven games, with Carney having gone down for a combined loss of 91 yards. If Carney isn't the one carrying the ball, then there might not be another reliable rusher available, what with Jacobe Kendrick questionable again this week with a shoulder injury.
The Rebels found out what it was like having to come from behind and not have a reliable passing attack, as Air Force limited UNLV to a mere two yards on 25 attempts on the ground and then proceeded to pick off two passes to keep UNLV honest. Take away the trick play that resulted in the 58-yard passing score for the Rebels, and the visitors had virtually no offense to speak of against the Falcons. Chris Sutton and Andy Gray each had interceptions for the unit, one that posted five sacks by five different players. Not having a strong passing offense has also taken its toll on the Air Force defense this season, perhaps because the squad has no one to practice against from day to day. At the moment the Falcons are ranked 93rd in the country, giving up 255.9 ypg and more than nine yards per completed pass play. Bobby Giannini continues to put up the top tackling numbers overall with 59 stops, but one of the biggest hitters for the squad has been Gilberto Perez who is second in the conference in tackles for loss with nine and a half.
I feel good about the Falcons winning a tight game at home!
TCU don`t belong in the top 25...lol.
BET ID=127669841
Straight Wager 10/21/05 21:10 ET
200.00/190.48 Result: Pending
TCU
AirForce 10/22/05 (15:00 ET)
AirForce 0 (-105)
