2011 TCU Horned Frogs Football Preview

One thing is for sure: The 2011 Mountain West Conference football campaign will come down to a two-team tango of former Fiesta Bowl foes Boise State and TCU. In the only season in which the two non-AQ powers will share the same conference affiliation, the clash between the Broncos and Horned Frogs was spicy enough in its own right. However, with an additional move by MWC administrators to replace a TCU home game with Boise for a contest to be held on the blue turf of Idaho, the 2011 MWC season will be even more packed with intrigue.

TCU has entered a new level of prominence and stature as a program, but even with ample resources, the 2011 season will be a thorny one for the Horned Frogs. Head coach Gary Patterson had quite a run with quarterback Andy Dalton over the past four seasons. In 2011, Patterson must replace not only the winningest quarterback in school history, but a plethora of talented wide receivers in Jeremy Kerley, Jimmy Young, and Bart Johnson. Pitching and catching the pigskin is going to be a lingering issue, especially in the face of Boise State’s potency and defensive prowess.

Running back, however, will not be a concern in Fort Worth, Texas. Ed Wesley is back for TCU, along with Matthew Tucker and home-run threat Waymon James. Defense is the Frogs’ mainstay, and they have two of the best linebackers in the nation returning in Tank Carder and Tanner Brock. The defense returns just five starters from last season, but history is on the side of Patterson and defensive guru Dick Bumpas. TCU’s defense will be just fine, and that’s what will keep this program a factor in the top tier of the sport.

TCU has found itself in the top 7 of the final Associated Press ballot in each of the last three seasons. Folks in Fort Worth have become accustomed to success. The Frogs have won at least 10 games eight times during the past decade. With a swan song in the MWC on the docket for 2011, it will be interesting to see how the Frogs respond. TCU will find itself on the road or in a neutral site for all of its most difficult games. The Frogs travel to old Southwest Conference rival Baylor and Mountain West foe Air Force during the first two weeks of the year. TCU plays former MWC rival BYU in late October at Cowboys Stadium. Two weeks later, the Frogs travel to Boise in what should be the deciding game in the MWC. The real test is this: Can TCU fight through a tough road slate while breaking in a new quarterback? We shall see soon enough.

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