Dalton receives rave review for debut
It was just Andy Dalton's first game, but count TCU senior wide receiver Marcus Brock among his admirers.
"In my eyes, he's a young Peyton Manning," Brock said. "I know that's high praise, but for a youngster and a redshirt freshman, he did a heck of a job tonight."
Dalton had his ups and downs in his first start as TCU's starting quarterback, but showed glimpses of his potential as the Horned Frogs beat Baylor 27-0 on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Dalton finished with 205 yards on 18-of-30 passing, including a 14-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. He also managed to get key first downs and even help block.
Preparing for Baylor's 4-2-5 scheme was made easier for Dalton, who saw the same defense, and numerous other looks, during camp.
"I thought we had great tempo early, and we did things -- the way they played defense -- we did a lot of quick stuff that I thought really helped him and helped us," TCU head coach Gary Patterson said.
"I thought we got away from it later on. Maybe got a little too conservative."
Dalton, a Katy High graduate who won the job over sophomore Marcus Jackson, started off throwing a 16-yard pass to Brock on the game's first play. He completed four of his first six passes on the opening drive, including a five-yard pass to Brock on fourth-and-four.
"After that first play, it was just getting into a rhythm and getting into a groove," Dalton said. "I felt like I just relaxed."
Dalton had two mistakes on the ensuing drive. He was credited with a two-yard loss after lateralling the ball out of bounds. A 50-yard pass play to Shae Reagan put TCU at the Baylor 18, but the drive ended at the Bears 1 when Dalton fumbled the ball and Baylor recovered.
Brock noticed that Dalton didn't get deflated.
"Being a redshirt freshman, you'd probably think his head would go down," he said. "But he knew mistakes are going to happen, there's highs and lows, and he handled the lows."
As the game progressed, Dalton said Patterson told him to relax, and play like he's capable of.
Dalton warmed up late in the third quarter, completing two passes for 37 total yards, then got his first touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter on third and four when he completed a 14-yard pass to Ervin Dickerson, who managed to stay in bounds for the score.
There's room for improvement, Dalton said. He has to keep working, and humbly deflected comparisons to Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.
"It's nice to hear that from a senior," Dalton said. "But I'm just trying to go out and execute."
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