Blake returns, injured Brown sits
AUSTIN -- Preseason All-American Tommy Blake, TCU's top defensive player, made his long-awaited 2007 debut Saturday, but the offense's top player never saw Joe Jamail Field in a 34-13 loss to No. 7 Texas.
Starting tailback Aaron Brown was held out with a knee injury suffered in the season opener, a decision coach Gary Patterson said was made just before kickoff.
Brown didn't practice all week as he worked to strengthen the knee. He was in uniform and went through warm-ups with the team, but Justin Watts and Ryan Christian were the primary backs used in place of the Mountain West Conference's Preseason Player of the Year.
Patterson said Brown's absence was a big one.
"We missed Aaron Brown," the seventh-year Horned Frogs coach said. "We didn't have a player that could run away from them."
Watts and Christian were the biggest pieces of a rushing attack that managed only 43 yards on 32 carries, a statistic that also included 16 yards in losses by Andy Dalton and a team loss of 17 yards on a fumbled punt snap.
Christian led all TCU rushers with 41 yards on 10 carries. Watts added 29 on 10 totes.
The defense, though, got a boost from Blake, who had a tackle for loss among his three stops. Linebacker David Hawthorne said Blake's presence alone gave the Frogs a lift.
Patterson said the senior from Aransas Pass played well considering he has had only one full week of practices since early last month.
"He got tired, and we took him out in the fourth quarter," Patterson said. "But I thought he played really well up until that point."
Perspective on loss
The three Frogs made available to the postgame media all said Saturday's loss is painful, but they also were quick to mention that their attention has turned to Thursday's game at Air Force.
"It still hurts, but we've got a game Thursday against a conference opponent," senior linebacker David Hawthorne said. "That's our ultimate goal, to win a conference championship."
Patterson noted that Air Force defeated Utah 20-12. TCU (1-1) will practice at 8 tonight for more than an hour to get ready for the Falcons (2-0).
Briefly
Running back Joseph Turner, an Austin native, and tackle Heath Raetz were both seen on crutches after the game. Turner had only two carries for 4 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Marcus Jackson did not play in the game as Gary Patterson said he would. TCU's backup quarterback guided the offense for an early series in the season opener and finished out the game.
Patterson said that the Frogs attempted to convert twice on fourth down in the first quarter because they were outside of kicker Chris Manfredini's range. TCU was unsuccessful on the first try, but Justin Watts powered for a first down on the second. Quarterback Andy Dalton, though, fumbled on the next play.
Up next
TCU at Air Force
7 p.m. Thursday, Falcon Stadium, Air Force Academy, Colo.
TV: CSTV
Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, KTCU/88.7 FM
See
more at www.star-telegram.com
