TCU Horned Frogs full speed ahead after San Diego cruise

By STEFAN STEVENSON

sstevenson@star-telegram.com

SAN DIEGO — Each week a different hero has stepped up for TCU’s offense.

Against Virginia it was Jimmy Young. Against Texas State it was running back Joseph Turner.

The varied nature of the Frogs’ attack has been a headache for opponents, who don’t know which Frog to key on from one week to the next.

Saturday against San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium, it was Ryan Christian’s turn. The senior receiver, who was third in all-purpose yards for the Frogs in 2008, erupted with two long touchdown receptions to lead the No. 6 Horned Frogs to a 55-12 Mountain West Conference win over the Aztecs.

The win sets up a showdown at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Frogs (9-0, 5-0) face their biggest test of the season, against No. 17 Utah (8-1, 5-0) at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Frogs, No. 6 in the BCS standings, are trying to win their first MWC title since 2005 and are chasing a BCS bowl bid. The Utes, 14th in the BCS, have defeated TCU three consecutive years, including 13-10 last season.

"We haven’t had success the last couple of years against Utah," Gary Patterson said after Saturday’s win. "This is a big game for us, just like all the rest of them, but fortunately for us we get a chance to play it at home. Right now we’re on a little bit of a roll, especially offensively."

You can say that again. The Frogs’ offense gained more than 500 yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2006. TCU rushed for 312 yards Saturday, the most since 2000, when the LaDainian Tomlinson-led Frogs topped the 300-yard barrier twice.

The one fixture for the Frogs’ offense all season has been quarterback Andy Dalton. He connected with Christian for touchdowns of 44 and 29 yards, the first touchdown receptions of Christian’s career. Christian, a senior, finished with three catches for a career-high 106 yards. He entered the game with nine receptions for 57 yards. Dalton also rushed for two scores in the first half, his first rushing TDs of the season. He had eight in 2008.

"We’ve got so many athletes on this team and a bunch of different guys who can make plays," said Dalton, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 239 yards. "Today, Ryan stepped up and made some big plays. It was good to see that from him in his last year."

The Frogs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, taking a 14-0 lead on a 5-yard run by Ed Wesley and a 13-yard run by Dalton. Dalton’s TD was set up by a 33-yard pass to Christian.

"We were running read-zone-type plays, and if they take away the running back it gives me an opportunity to run the ball," said Dalton, who also scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter. "That’s what they did both times and I was able to score."

TCU’s defense held the Aztecs (4-5, 2-3) to 279 yards and kept them out of the end zone until late in the third quarter. The Aztecs entered the game averaging 345 yards per contest. The Frogs’ secondary, without starters Rafael Priest and Colin Jones, intercepted Aztecs quarterback Ryan Lindley twice. Strong safety Tyler Luttrell, starting in place of Jones for the fourth time this season, made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch on an overthrown pass in the first half, and Greg McCoy, in for Priest, picked off a pass in the third quarter. Lindley hadn’t thrown an interception in his last 124 attempts, dating to Oct. 17 against BYU.

"Every day Coach P tells us someone might go down and the next guy has to stand up and play the part, and I think [Luttrell and McCoy] handled that really well," defensive tackle Cory Grant said. "They played really big today."

TCU started the second half as fast as it did the first. Christian’s 29-yard touchdown reception capped a four-play, 57-yard drive to open the third quarter and gave the Frogs a commanding 38-6 lead. The Frogs scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half, thinning the already thin crowd, which was announced as 21,708.

ONLINE: gofrogs.com

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