Another Statement From Fort Worth

By Kevin Graham
November 14. 2009

Top 25 Scoreboard

Maybe it was the new uniforms.  Or the first sellout crowd in Amon G. Carter Stadium in three years.  Or ESPN College GameDay’s appearance that drew added attention to the game.  Most likely though--TCU is just that good.  
 
Dominant on both sides of the ball as well on special teams, No. 4 TCU (10-0; 6-0) made a huge statement in their quest to bust into the BCS dominating No. 16 Utah (8-2; 5-1) Saturday night 55-28.  Andy Dalton led the Frogs balanced offensive attack completing 17 of 29 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  Nine different rushers combined for 342 yards and five touchdowns.  Ed Wesley led the way with 137 yards on just 12 carries and a score.     

“In the past, I haven’t played very well against Utah,” said Dalton.  “For me, this was a great win and a great win for this team. It really speaks wonders for this program. Anytime we lose, I am probably one of my harshest critics. That was a big game for us to lose last season and just the feeling that we had afterwards is what I really remember from it. I think this whole team knew that we didn’t want to have those same feelings at the end this year.”

Led by senior defensive end Jerry Hughes, TCU regularly pressured Utah freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn who finished 16 of 32 for 219 yards and a touchdown.  Wynn also threw an interception that was returned 15 yards for a touchdown by Tank Carder that gave the Frogs a 35-7 lead early in the second quarter.  TCU completely took away Utah’s run game holding them to just 65 yards.  Eddie Wide, who had rushed for 100 plus yards in six consecutive games, was limited to just 25 yards on 14 carries but did score a touchdown.  The Utes also helped the Frogs by committing 14 penalties in the game for 110 yards. 

Special teams wise, the Frogs blocked a punt and Jeremy Kerley returned one for 39 yards, both of which set-up first half touchdowns.  Kicker Ross Evans also contributed hitting two field goals after missing his first attempt in the opening quarter. 

“They were who we thought they were,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.  “Tonight, that was a good football team. I have been a head coach for five years, and that is the best team I’ve faced. They are a solid team from top to bottom, and we knew we were going to have to play our best to compete tonight. That did not happen.”

The win enabled the Frogs to wipe away the memories of the last three years of losses to the Utes and extend their winning streak to 12 games.  And with games left at Wyoming, before closing at home with winless New Mexico, the victory has all but assured TCU of a BCS bowl bid for the first time in the school’s history.  And as dominant as they were, they truly deserve consideration and discussion for the National Title game.

Kevin Graham hosts a daily sports talk show in Salt Lake City. You can listen and read his station blog. You can also follow him on Twitter