Get Ready - Again / cusa-fans.com

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Get Ready - Again
Mustangs Face Second Major Test This Month: No. 4 TCU
By Rick Atkinson for cusa-fans.com
http://cusa-fans.com/

DALLAS – After thumping Washington State, 35-21, last Saturday, SMU whiplashes to the other end of college football’s spectrum on Friday when No. 4 TCU invades Ford Stadium. It’s the second gut-check in four weeks for the Mustangs (2-1) and this one could make the Texas Tech opener look tame.

TCU blasted Baylor, 45-10, last week and nine of its last ten wins have been by 27 points of more. The Frogs dumped SMU, 39-14, last year in rain-soaked Fort Worth in a game the Mustangs led, 7-6, just before halftime. That’s when TCU’s Jeremy Kerley loosed a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown, sparking the Frogs’ 27-7 second-half rout.

SMU managed minus-16 yards rushing that night. Then-freshman running back Zach Line had no carries for the Mustangs. His shot comes Friday.

Line continues to impress this year with 82 yards on 8 carries against WSU, following a career-high 122 yards versus UAB.

His 36-yard fourth-quarter scamper against WSU set up SMU’s final touchdown. That run demonstrated Line’s heretofore hidden speed. “I don’t think I’d found that gear in a couple of years,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “It was nice to finally hit the clutch and head for that gear.”

“That was one of our trap plays and it was kind of a game-planned formation for their defense. It just worked like it was supposed to. The guards led off on the right guys. The o-line blocked great.”

Line (6-1, 235) is becoming more of an every-down back for SMU, not just a hammer-back or fourth-and-goal specialist. “It just comes from the practice habits that the running backs have,” Line said of his progression. “Always practicing how we’re going to run in the game, finishing our runs on the safeties, finishing our runs all the way through.”


Kelvin Beachum, Jr., left, celebrates with Aldrick Robinson after Robinson's 3rd TD catch on Saturday

SMU continues to fine tune its 2010 rushing attack with senior Chris Butler and freshman Darryl Fields also seeing time. Last Saturday, left guard Bryce Tennison threw his 6-3, 285-pound frame into the ring too. Tennison scooped up a first-half fumble by quarterback Kyle Padron at the Mustangs’ 15-yard-line and headed for pay dirt, albeit briefly. Tennison showed a nice move and a stiff arm before going down.

“Oh, my gosh, yeah,” Line said when asked if he liked Tennison’s style. “I’m going to have to watch that again. I think it should be on the running back highlight film. And I’ve got to pick up that cut-move he had.”

Said right guard Kelly Turner, “That was pretty sweet. We’ve been always jackin’ around, dreaming, whenever there’s a loose ball, pick it up and start taking off. Last year, [tackle] J.T. [Brooks] had his big run for five yards. I thought Bryce had a pretty good chance. It was just open field.”

But back to TCU: “Big game,” Line said. “Not a big game from the standpoint that it’s too big for me. I just think I have to have a big game. … Everybody, personally, has to have their biggest games because they’re a good team.”

Prediction: TCU, 40-28. The Mustangs hang for three quarters, then Purple reigns.
(Last week: picked SMU by 26 over WSU; straight record, 2-1)

Gameday: No. 4 TCU @ SMU, Friday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. Central, Television: ESPN

Notes:
*Padron posted a career-high four touchdown passes against WSU and a season-high 280 passing yards. He was sacked four times. Wideout Aldrick Robinson scored three touchdowns on four catches for 111 yards. Cole Beasley had five catches for 54.
*Linebackers Taylor Reed and Ja’Gared Davis led SMU last week with 10 and 9 tackles, respectively.
*SMU has won five straight home games, its longest streak since 1985-86. The Mustangs’ 7-2 record over their last nine games is their best mark since 1984-85.
*TCU coach Gary Patterson is 7-1 as a head coach versus SMU, the only loss coming in 2005 at Ford Stadium.
*Froggie Factoid: TCU’s enrollment is 60 percent female. With only 3,695 males enrolled, about 3.2 percent of all males on campus are suited up for home football games. If Ohio State had the same ratio, its roster would have 1,000 players.


Kyle Padron


From left, Youri Yenga, Taylor Reed and Ja'Gared Davis

[Harry0569]

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