By GIL LeBRETON
glebreton@star-telegram.com
PROVO, Utah — On the Wednesday, before the biggest game of the season, TCU coach Gary Patterson threw aside his old-school ways.
"We took the pads off," Patterson said.
Patterson figured that the respite from the daily grind would breathe new life into the legs and limbs of his undefeated, No. 10-ranked Horned Frogs.
In the usual Patterson practice week, you must understand, Wednesday’s Frogs are full of woe. Or at least a few bruises.
"I wanted to get our shoulders back," he explained Saturday night. "I wanted to get our legs back."
And then Patterson uttered the understatement of the night:
"It seemed like we were fast tonight."
Gee. Ya think?
With a glossy share of the national spotlight finally upon them, Patterson’s Frogs showed BYU and the college football world what they are all about Saturday night.
They buried BYU quarterback Max Hall in a Wasatch avalanche of quick and overpowering defenders. They outraced the Cougars to every corner. They overwhelmed them from every angle.
"I don’t think anybody would’ve predicted this," Patterson said after the 38-7 rout.
The Frogs dashed to a 21-0 lead midway in the second quarter, and the Cougars could only gasp.
By that point, the tenor of the evening was already set. TCU had scored touchdowns on three of its opening five possessions and seemed eager and able to score more. The BYU crowd was forced to alternate between silence and exasperation.
"They’re very strong and physical up front," Patterson said of the 16th-ranked Cougars, who upset Oklahoma to begin the season.
"So we knew we had to take our shots."
Patterson had told the TCU offense that it was probably going to have to score 30 points to have a chance to win the game.
"Fortunately, our defense ...," he said later, letting the half-sentence speak for itself.
Sacked five times, chased from the pocket another dozen more, Hall was under siege all night.
BYU assistant coach Robert Anae said afterwards, "I would like to commend our quarterback. He played a very courageous game."
Hall’s final numbers weren’t telling — 18-of-28 passing for 162 yards and one touchdown. But his night-long ducking and weaving for survival typified the match-up.
There were simply too many Frogs flying at Hall and the Cougars from every direction. And it wasn’t the kind of blitz-fest you’d expect against a passing team such as BYU. The Frogs made Hall’s night miserable mostly with a basic four-man rush.
One of Hall’s worst throws came in the third quarter and was picked off by linebacker Daryl Washington. It snuffed a faint whiff of momentum the Cougars were trying to grab.
The Frogs’ defense had many heroes on this night. Patterson singled out Wayne Daniels and Cory Grant for praise.
"Everyone talks about Jerry Hughes," Patterson said. "We lost our two senior tackles from last season, and everybody said those two new ones were not going to be close. But all they did was get better."
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