2007 TCU Horned Frogs football team
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Texas Christian Horned Frog football team represented Texas Christian University
in the 2007 college football
season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson
, who took over the program in December 2000
. The Frogs
play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium
, which is located on campus in Fort Worth
.
The Horned Frogs returned nine starters from their 2006
defense, which ended the season ranked 2nd nationally. Headlining the defense was All-America candidate defensive end Tommy Blake
. On offense, the Frogs returned six starters and was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Andy Dalton.
On July 23, the Mountain West
held their annual Media Blitz in Las Vegas
, where members of the media picked the Frogs as the favorite to win the conference, as well as selected Aaron Brown
as Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Tommy Blake
as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Sacks:
team.
This was the second of three contests TCU had in 2007 against former SWC rivals, and this was the first time these two schools had faced each other since the conference disbanded following the 1995 season. With the win, Texas now leads the all-time series, 61-20-1. TCU led the game 10-0 at halftime on two interceptions- one returned for a touchdown by cornerback Torrey Stewart, the other by David Roach, setting up a field goal. However, Texas came out roaring with 27 unanswered points to open the second half and ended up winning easily, 34-13.
".
, Stanford welcomed TCU to Palo Alto
for their Homecoming
. It was also the first ever meeting between the two schools. The Frogs again found themselves with a double-digit deficit late in the second half in this game, as they trailed the Cardinal 31–17 with 3:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Andy Dalton then hit Jimmy Young for a 70-yard touchdown and Aaron Brown for a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to tie the game at 31. Stanford kicked a field goal with 7:22 remaining to re-take the lead, 34–31. Aaron Brown gave TCU its first lead of the game with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:13 left. An intentional safety by TCU in the final seconds made the final score 38–36. Andy Dalton ended the game with a career high 344 passing yards.
.
in Provo
. Last year, BYU defeated TCU 31-17 in Fort Worth on their way to the 2006 title.
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in the 2007 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson
Gary Patterson
Gary Patterson is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs college football team. He grew up in Rozel, Kansas and played football at Dodge City Community College and Kansas State University. Patterson is married to Kelsey Patterson . He has three sons: Josh, Cade and Blake...
, who took over the program in December 2000
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
. The Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University, consisting of 18 varsity teams. The "horned frog" nickname and mascot refer to the Texas horned lizard, as known as the "horned frog". The women's athletics teams are often referred to often as the Lady Frogs...
play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU Horned Frogs football team. It was named after Amon G...
, which is located on campus in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
The Horned Frogs returned nine starters from their 2006
2006 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 31, 2006 and, aside from all-star exhibition games that followed, concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona, where the #2 Florida...
defense, which ended the season ranked 2nd nationally. Headlining the defense was All-America candidate defensive end Tommy Blake
Tommy Blake
Tommy Earl Blake, Jr. is a former American football defensive end who played at the collegiate level for Texas Christian University.-Early life:Blake grew up in tiny town in Texas...
. On offense, the Frogs returned six starters and was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Andy Dalton.
On July 23, the Mountain West
2007 Mountain West football season
The 2007 Mountain West Conference football season was the ninth since eight former members of the Western Athletic Conference banded together to form the Mountain West Conference. It began on August 30 when UNLV defeated . The same night, Utah fell to Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon...
held their annual Media Blitz in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, where members of the media picked the Frogs as the favorite to win the conference, as well as selected Aaron Brown
Aaron Brown (running back)
Aaron Brown is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played at the collegiate level for Texas Christian University .-College career:Once at TCU, Brown made an immediate impact...
as Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Tommy Blake
Tommy Blake
Tommy Earl Blake, Jr. is a former American football defensive end who played at the collegiate level for Texas Christian University.-Early life:Blake grew up in tiny town in Texas...
as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Schedule
Statistical leaders
| Passing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | COMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
| Andy Dalton Andy Dalton (American football) Andrew Gregory Dalton is an American professional football quarterback for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at Texas Christian University... |
RFr. | 222 | 371 | 2,459 | 10 | 11 |
| Marcus Jackson | So. | 35 | 69 | 368 | 3 | 1 |
| Rushing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Joseph Turner | So. | 211 | 597 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Aaron Brown | Jr. | 106 | 490 | 4.6 | 2 |
| Ryan Christian | So. | 8 | 321 | 3.6 | 2 |
| Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | REC | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Ervin Dickerson | Sr. | 40 | 514 | 12.9 | 4 |
| Donald Massey | Jr. | 29 | 364 | 12.6 | 0 |
| Walter Bryant | Jr. | 27 | 337 | 12.5 | 1 |
| Tackles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | SOLO | AST | TOTAL | ||
| Jason Phillips | Jr. | 58 | 29 | 87 | ||
| David Hawthorne | Sr. | 56 | 28 | 84 | ||
| Brian Bonner | Sr. | 56 | 22 | 78 | ||
Sacks:
| Sacks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | SACKS | ||||
| Chase Ortiz Chase Ortiz Chase Patrick Ortiz is a professional American and Canadian Football defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2008... |
Sr. | 9.0 | ||||
| Stephen Hodge | Jr. | 8.0 | ||||
| David Hawthorne | Sr. | 5.0 | ||||
| Interceptions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Class | INT | ||||
| Steven Coleman | Jr. | 3 | ||||
| Rafael Priest | So. | 3 | ||||
| Torrey Stewart | Sr. | 2 | ||||
| Robert Henson | jr. | 2 | ||||
Returning honorees
- Tommy BlakeTommy BlakeTommy Earl Blake, Jr. is a former American football defensive end who played at the collegiate level for Texas Christian University.-Early life:Blake grew up in tiny town in Texas...
, Sr. Defensive End: First Team All-MWC 2005 & 2006 - Chase OrtizChase OrtizChase Patrick Ortiz is a professional American and Canadian Football defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, Sr. Defensive End: First Team All-MWC 2005 & 2006 - Jason Phillips, Jr. Linebacker: First Team All-MWC 2006, Second Team All-MWC 2005
- Brian Bonner, Sr. Safety/Punt Returner: First Team All-MWC PR, Second Team All-MWC Safety, 2006
- Aaron Brown, Jr. Running Back: Second Team All-MWC 2006, MWC Freshman of the Year 2005
- Matty Lindner, Sr. Guard: Second Team All-MWC 2006
Baylor
With the 27-0 win, the Horned Frogs evened the all-time series with the Bears at 49-49-7. Defensive end Tommy Blake did not dress for the game, and running back Aaron Brown left in the first half with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman quarterback Andy Dalton, making his first career start, threw for 205 yards and a touchdown. Two missed field goals by Baylor and four interceptions by the TCU defense helped preserve the shutout. It was TCU's fifth consecutive victory over a Big 12Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
team.
Texas
This was the second of three contests TCU had in 2007 against former SWC rivals, and this was the first time these two schools had faced each other since the conference disbanded following the 1995 season. With the win, Texas now leads the all-time series, 61-20-1. TCU led the game 10-0 at halftime on two interceptions- one returned for a touchdown by cornerback Torrey Stewart, the other by David Roach, setting up a field goal. However, Texas came out roaring with 27 unanswered points to open the second half and ended up winning easily, 34-13.
Air Force
Air Force erased a 17-3 4th quarter deficit and won, 20-17. TCU kicker Chris Manfredini missed a 36-yard field goal in overtime before Air Force kicked the winning field goal. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton had 320 yards passing, a career high, but was also intercepted twice.SMU
The Mustangs were the first to strike paydirt in TCU's Homecoming game, with a 15-yard touchdown run by running back DeMyron Martin in the first quarter. The TCU special teams and defense answered to give the Frogs the lead for good, though. They evened the score on a blocked punt that wide receiver Bart Johnson returned for a touchdown, and then linebacker Robert Henson took an interception back 58 yards for a score early in the second quarter. Derek Moore hauled in a Marcus Jackson pass to give the Frogs a 21-7 lead at halftime, and that ended up being the final score as well. With the win, the Frogs now hold a 41-39-7 advantage in the series, which is called "The Battle for the Iron SkilletBattle for the Iron Skillet
The Battle for the Iron Skillet is the name of the college football rivalry between the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. The campuses are located 40 miles apart in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex...
".
Colorado State
Marcus Jackson, filling in for an injured Andy Dalton, ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the TCU defense kept Colorado State's offense out of the endzone until the 4th quarter to emerge victorious on Family Weekend.Wyoming
With 6:30 remaining in the 4th quarter, TCU found themselves behind the Cowboys in Laramie, Wyoming. Andy Dalton then threw a 26-yard touchdown to Ervin Dickerson to make the score 24-14. On the ensuing Wyoming possession, the Frogs forced a three & out before sacking the Cowboy punter on his own 29-yard line, turning the ball over on downs. Six plays later, Dalton found Bart Johnson for another score, pulling the Frogs to within 24-21. TCU got the ball back with 1:17 to play on their own 20-yard line, driving themselves into position for a potential game-tying 48-yard field goal, but kicker Chris Manfredini's attempt hit the right goalpost as time expired.Stanford
A week after defeating top-ranked USC2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
, Stanford welcomed TCU to Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
for their Homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
. It was also the first ever meeting between the two schools. The Frogs again found themselves with a double-digit deficit late in the second half in this game, as they trailed the Cardinal 31–17 with 3:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Andy Dalton then hit Jimmy Young for a 70-yard touchdown and Aaron Brown for a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to tie the game at 31. Stanford kicked a field goal with 7:22 remaining to re-take the lead, 34–31. Aaron Brown gave TCU its first lead of the game with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:13 left. An intentional safety by TCU in the final seconds made the final score 38–36. Andy Dalton ended the game with a career high 344 passing yards.
Utah
This was the fifth meeting between the Frogs and the Utes, a series which Utah leads 4-1. Two years ago, the Frogs snapped Utah's 18-game win streak with a 23-20 overtime win in Fort Worth. Last year, Utah defeated TCU 20-7 in Salt Lake City, which was one of only two defeats the Frogs suffered in 2006.New Mexico
This will be the ninth meeting between the Frogs and the Lobos, a series that dates back to 1991 and that TCU leads, 5-3. The Frogs have won both contests between the schools since joining the MWC, including a 27-21 win last year in New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
BYU
This was the seventh meeting between the Frogs and the Cougars, who are the two most recent MWC Champions. On their way to the 2005 league title, the Frogs pulled out a thrilling 51-50 win in triple overtime at Lavell Edwards StadiumLaVell Edwards Stadium
LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Provo, Utah, on the campus of Brigham Young University. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars....
in Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. Last year, BYU defeated TCU 31-17 in Fort Worth on their way to the 2006 title.