FORT WORTH, Texas -- Tennessee Tech lost five turnovers in its
own end of the field and No. 4 TCU took full advantage, turning all
five mistake into touchdowns on the way to a 62-7 victory on a hot
and steamy Saturday night in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The Horned Frogs recovered four Tech fumbles also had a 29-yard
interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter, giving
the home team 35 of its 62 points of Tech mistakes.
The Golden Eagles scored their initial TD of the season when
sophomore quarterback Tre Lamb tossed an 11-yard scoring pass to
Tremaine Hudson in the second quartert the trimmed the difference
to 21-7.
The win came in front of 37,117 purple-clad fans, the
eighth-largest crowd in Tech history.
TCU compiled 452 yards of offense, including 270 on the ground on
41 carries. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 182 yards, going
15-for-21 with one touchdown. The Heisman candidate also rushed for
one score.
Tech managed 150 yards of total offense on 55 plays, also rushing
41 times and gaining 92 yards. Tre Lamb and Cass Barnes combined to
go 9-for-14 for 58 passing yards.
In all, Tech fumbled six times in the contest and lost four along
with the interception for a total of five turnovers. TCU lost one
fumble.
Ed Wesley topped TCU's ground game, rushing 11 times for 85 yards
and one touchdown. Matthew Tucker had two touchdowns, gaining 53
yards on nine carries.
Tech's leading rusher was Dontey Gay with 38 yards in seven
carries.
For the second straight week, Marty Jones led Tech's defensive
charts with eight total tackles and a fumble recovery. Corbin Miles
and Dustin Dillehay had seven tackles each.
The Golden Eagles (0-2) return home to host Lane College in just
five days. The home opener is Thursday night in Tucker Stadium with
kickoff on Communiversity Night at 7 p.m. The first home game is
also First Tennessee Bank Poster Night.
First Quarter Notes
* After receiving the opening kickoff, the Golden Eagles ha a
tough time on the game's first possession. A 10-yard holding
penalty on first down was followed two plays later by a nine-yard
sack at the TTU four. Tech had to call its first timeout with 13:06
remaining in the opening period facing a third-and-26. Dontey Gay
was stopped for no gain and Nick Campbell punted from deep in his
own end zone. He delivered a 50-yard kick.
* The Horned Frogs drove 44 yards in three plays as Andy Dalton
fired a 24-yard TD pass to a striding Josh Boyce with 10:54 to play
in the quarter, making it 7-0.
* After getting one first down, Tech was halted and forced to
punt, and TCU was charged with a personal foul when they knocked
down Campbell on the kick, giving Tech the ball first-and-10 at the
TCU 48. The Golden Eagles still couldn't move and Campbell's punt
went 53 yards into the end zone.
* Mixing up their plays from ground to air, the horned Frogs drove
80 yards in 11 plays (4:17 length of drive) as Matthew Tucker
covered the final three yards for the score to make it 14-0 with
1:03 to play in the period.
* TCU tacked on another quick score with one second left in the
period as Tre Lamb suffered his first interception of the season.
Jason Teague made the pick at the Tech 29-yard line and took it
across the field all the way for the score to make it 21-0.
Second Quarter Notes
* Early in the quarter, Tech's Jocques Crawford was
stopped for no gain but fumbled the ball. It bounced loose to
Demetrous Garrett, who picked it up and raced 25 yards to the TCU
23. The play was reviewed by officials, but the ruling on the field
stood.
* Tre Lamb's first career TD pass went to Tremaine Hudson, an
11-yard toss over the top of the defense, that cut the TCU lead to
21-7 with 11:39 to go before halftime. Tim Benford made a big
12-yard reception on the previous play to keep the drive alive.
Tech's first TD scoring drive of the season was eight plays and
went 72 yards in 3:22.
* The Golden Eagle defense held TCU after on first down,
forcing the Horned Frogs to punt. Henry Sailes made a fair catch at
the Tech 39.
* Again the Tech defense held and forced a punt and Sailes
made another fair catch at the TTU 31 with 3:46 toplay in the half.
On the first play, Cass Barnes took over at quarterback. He rushed
qround the right side for a gain of eight but fumbled, and TCU
recovovered at the 39.
* On first down, Dalton found an open receiver for a gain to the
five, but a holding penalty brought the ball all the way back to
the TTU 49 for first-and-20. Dalton hit Boyce for a 22-yard
catch-and-run to the TTU 17. Three plays later, Jeremy Kerley went
five yards to paydirt to make it 28-7 with 1:26 remaining. It was a
five-play, 39-yard scoring drive that lasted 2:14.
* Tech lost its third turnover of the half, and second in it's own
territory, when Doug Page fumbled on second down at the Golden
Eagle 20 with less than two minutes to go before halftime. Matthew
Tucker bulled over from the one for a touchdown to make it 35-7.
Third Quarter Notes
* Tech yielded its fourth turnover of the game midway in the
third quarter, and the fourth time on Tech's half of the field.
This time it was a lost fumble at the TTU 36. Four plays later Andy
Dalton broke free for a 19-yard TD run. A missed PAT kick made it
41-7.
Fourth Quarter Notes
* The Horned Frogs opened the final period by finishing off a
10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, engineered by Dalton. Ed Wesley
went seven yards for the score to make it 48-7.
* On third-and-five, Dontey Gay lost a fumble that TCU recovered
at the Tech 30. It marked the fifth turnover in their own end of
the field by the Golden Eagles.
* With a 41-point lead, TCU sent in backup quarterback Casey
Pachall. Waymon James scooted 15 yards up the middle for a
touchdown, capping another short TCU scoring drive to make it 55-7.
Following the turnover, the Horned Frogs went 30 yards in four
plays and lasted 1:32.
* The final score of the game came on a 16-yard run by Ryan
Hightower, capping a nine-play, 71-yard TD drive that chewed up
4:53 off the clock, the longest scoring drive of the game in length
of time.
Pregame Notes
* Tennessee Tech and TCU will be greeted by mostly clear skies and
warm, humid conditions Saturday when they meet in Amon. G. Carter
Stadium on the edge of the sprawling campus.
* Temperatures are expected to reach 95 degrees and humidity will
be high. At gametime (6 p.m. CDT), temps will be hovering in the
mid- to upper-80s.
* The Golden Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive the
kickoff.
* The game will be played under partly cloudy skies. Temperature
at kickoff is 92 degrees.
* The Golden Eagles are dressed in their road uniforms with white
jersey and gold pants. TCU will be in purple jerseys with purple
pants.
* The Horned Frogs are ranked No. 4 in the nation, the
highest-ranked opponent ever faced by an Ohio Valley Conference
team.
* Tech is only the fifth FCS opponent that TCU has faced in Gary
Patterson's 10 years as head coach. The previous four were
Northwestern State (2001), UC Davis (2006), Stephen F. Austin
(2008) and Texas State (2009).
* TCU is 27-3 in their last 30 games. Seven of their last eight
victories have nbeen by at least 27 points.
* TCU head coach Gary Patterson earned a master's degree in
educational administation from Tech in 1984 while served as an
assistant coach for the Golden Eagles.
* TCU brings a 14-game home winning streak into the contest with
the Golden Eagles. Since 1999, the Horned Frogs are 56-6 (.903) in
its 62 home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
* This game is the first-ever meeting between Tech and TCU. The
Golden Eagles have played two opponents from the Mountain West
Conference. Tech lost to UNLV in 1985 and dropped a game at Air
Force Acadmy on Sept. 8, 2001.
* TCU quarterback Andy Dalton is mentioned among the preseason
Heisman hopefuls, making the fifth player Tech has faced who was
considered a top candidate for the Hiesman. The most recent was
last week with Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. Before that, Heisman foes
included RB Michael Turner of Northern Illinois (2005), QB Seneca
Wallace of Iowa State (2002) and Randall Cunningham of UNLV
(1985).
* Henry Sailes needs 60 all-purpose yards to catch Craig Rolle for
seventh on the career list.
* Tim Benfod is ninth in career receptions, needing four to move
to eight and five to climb into seventh place. Benford can also
cllimb into the career Top 10 for receiving yards if he has 11
yards against the Horned Frogs.
* The stadium at TCU holds nearly 45,000 fans, and the game is
nearly a sellout. That means it will rank somewhere around sixth on
the list of all-time largest crowds in Tech history. Last week's
crowd of 69,596 at Arkansas was the third-largest in school
history.
* Linebacker Will Johnson has moved up the depth chart and will
start tonight at the "bandit" position, his first career collegiate
start.