Tuesday, June 26, 2012

College Football Preview: 15. TCU Horned Frogs

15. TCU Horned Frogs Returning Starters: 13 Returning Star: DE Stansly Maponga Key Loss: LB Tank Carder Player to Watch: QB Casey Pachall No more beating up on Mountain West teams anymore. Now its time for the big boys of the Big 12. Though this 2012 Horned Frogs team shouldn't see any type of dropoff. Quarterback Casey Pachall is back after a surprisingly strong sophomore year replacing Andy Dalton. Pachall is tall at 6 feet 5 inches which he uses to his advantage. He has good vision and has a strong arm. Though, the strength of this Horned Frogs' offense will come from the ground game. Three players should contribute to the backfield led by senior Ed Wesley. Wesley had a disappointing 2011 but should have a comeback year in '12. Senior Matthew Tucker and junior Waymon James will also get considerable amounts of carries. Tucker and James are both gritty and tough. Combined these three ran for over 2,100 yards and could even improve on that number. The receiver corps are okay headlined by junior All-MWC receiver Josh Boyce. Boyce is a fast receiver that helped Pachall develope last season. Senior Skye Dawson is experienced and is also a good run blocker. Tight end Corey Fuller will be the favorite to replace Logan Brock at the position. The offensive line went from a strength to a weakness this offseason. Seniors James Fry and Blaine Foltz are back but neither are superb pass blockers. Foltz will have trouble retaining the success he had last year now that he is in the Big 12. Defense has always been coach Gary Patterson's strong suit and will once more be vicious. The defensive line could be one of the best units in the nation thanks to the return of end Stansly Maponga and three other starters. Maponga is the next great pass rusher at TCU. He has great speed and has shifty moves and hard to stop. Senior Ross Forrest should contribute on the other side and tackle David Johnson is a beast. Tank Carder is done and Tanner Brock's future is up in the air. Though the linebackers will still prove strong. Senior Kenny Cain should lead this team in tackles but the rest isn't experienced. Secondary is definitely an issue for this team allowing 220 passing yards per game last year. Against teams like Oklahoma and West Virginia that could kill them. Heisman Hopeful: Casey Pachall Big 12 Rank: 3rd

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