The No.3 TCU Horned Frogs are proving why they deserve to be in the BCS discussion as they defeated the No. 5 Utah Utes 47-7 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah last week.
Andy Dalton, quarterback for the Horned Frogs, threw for 355 yards passing and three touchdowns to keep TCU unbeaten at 10-0, 6-0 in the Mountain West Conference. “We (TCU) showed that we can play anybody,” Dalton said, according to ESPN.com. “This game ranks right up there with the games that I have played. I have grown up. My team relies on me now to make plays and not just manage the game.” Dalton threw two touchdowns in the first quarter to wide receiver Josh Boyce, who had three receptions for 126 yards receiving and caught two of those receptions for a total of 119 yards. Receiver Jeremy Kerley connected on a 26-yard pass to Bart Johnson to give TCU 20 unanswered points in the first quarter.
By halftime, the Horned Frogs out gained Utah 328-72 en route to a 23-0 lead. The Horned Frogs had a total of 177 yards rushing, 381 yards passing, and 558 total yards. They were 10 for 15 in third down conversions and had the ball for a total of 39:06 in the game. “They put themselves on a different plateau,” said TCU coach Gary Patterson, according to SI.com. “We (TCU) have to finish the season, and we can only control what we can control, but I think they made a statement today. Everybody else in the country that usually goes into the big has gotten beat.”
The Utah Utes fell to 8-1 and 5-1 in the MWC and had seven points of total offense. It came in the fourth quarter at 11:12 as Jordan Wynn, Utes quarterback, threw a 19-yard pass to Matt Asiata, avoiding the first shutout at home since October 14, 1967. It was still Utah’s worst home loss since 1989. The Utes had 51 yard rushing, 148 yards passing, and 199 total yards. “We got beaten by a better team,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
The strength of schedule will always come into play for TCU. However, they should be considered for the BCS National Championship game if they go undefeated, because they destroyed Utah by a 40 point margin.
