2009 Texas State Football Season Preview: Southern Utah Thunderbirds

When researching 2009 Bobcat football opponents, one quickly learns that not all FCS programs are created equal in regards to the wealth of information available to those interested. For example, teams with some national hype like McNeese State and Central Arkansas can be researched easily enough. You can often find updated depth charts, statistics, and rumors from various sources about these programs, and their athletic departments are usually on top of keeping things up to date as well. On the other side of the equation, well, there are schools like Southern Utah and Texas Southern. TSU has had countless program issues and gets buried in the headlines behind UT, A&M or even Sam Houston State. However, the Tigers are at least in a major urban area and there are local magazines that will give the program some coverage (Dave Campbell's Texas Football, anyone?). Consider the plight of Southern Utah football:

The Thunderbirds have only 3 winning seasons in Division 1 football play since moving up to 1-aa in 1996 and are located in a beautiful but extremely isolated area of the country (172 miles away from Las Vegas, 253 miles from Salt Lake City). They haven't been in a stable conference since 1985, when they were members of the Division 2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Since then, they've bounced around as an independent and have fled from two now-defunct conferences. Now they're a football-only affiliate in a Great West Conference looks to be teetering towards extinction in the next 5-10 years as well, at least in FCS football. Yikes.

SUU also doesn't exactly have a long-standing winning tradition as they've gone 309-354-19 in their history. Recruiting from the state of Utah is one of the toughest jobs in the country to begin with since there is not much homegrown talent, and any elite talent that doesn't get snatched up by BCS programs will more than likely go to Utah or BYU. Further down the pecking order is FBS doormat Utah State and FCS power Weber State, who made the playoffs last year. Then, at the bottom of the college football totem pole is Southern Utah. Obviously, Salt Lake media will focus on Utah, USU, BYU and WSU first, so SUU is lucky to even get a blurb on the news there. Las Vegas, while closer to Cedar City than Salt Lake, is focused on UNLV and Nevada-Reno. So, can you really blame SUU for a lack of hype and up-to-date information?

While it's understandable that you don't hear much about SUU football, it still doesn't make life any easier for the average Bobcat fan looking to learn more about the team that will round out Texas State's non-conference play. KTSW will take its best shot at previewing the Southern Utah program, so enjoy.

Texas State at Southern Utah
Location: Eccles Coliseum, Cedar City, Utah
Date/Time: October 3rd, 12 pm Central Time
Last year's result: Southern Utah 34, Texas State 20


Basic facts about SUU:
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Enrollment: 7,509
2008 Average Game Attendance: 5,073 (Capacity: 8,500)
2008 Record: 4-7 (1-3 Great West Conference)
Head Coach: Ed Lamb (4-7 in one year at SUU)
Series Record: Southern Utah leads 5-4

Southern Utah's 2008 season in review: A 4-7 record would get coaches fired at some schools, but Ed Lamb won't be sweating about his job security any time soon. After an 0-11 record in 2007 and a lack of a winning season since 2004, four wins doesn't sound too bad. Last year saw three losses by 7 points or less, victories over SLC Champion Texas State and former FCS power Youngstown State along with close losses against big names in Northern Iowa and Northern Arizona, so it's clear that SUU is no longer the patsy they once were. Lamb won't be going anywhere anytime soon unless someone offers him a coaching position at a better school.

You can't really look at the stats and point out a wealth of significant improvements when comparing SUU's 2008 campaign with the 2007 disaster; surprisingly, the Thunderbirds regressed in some categories in 2008. There was one category that did stand out, however: Interceptions. In 2007, SUU committed 27 while their opponents only committed 6. That ratio improved to 20 thrown by SUU and 9 by their opponents in 2008. While that's not exactly going to raise any eyebrows across the FCS landscape, any coach will tell you that an improvement in turnover margin will more likely than not translate into improvement in the win column as well.

Last season's game: Southern Utah deserves all the credit in the world for their 2008 turnaround. That said, Texas State's 34-20 loss to the Thunderbirds last year was easily the lowest point in the season for a then-inconsistent Bobcat squad. The atmosphere was muted, the crowd was stagnant, and unfortunately that lack of enthusiam also seemed to translate to the Bobcat players' effort as well. Three turnovers proved extremely costly for the Cats as the Thunderbirds turned two of them into touchdowns. Even more shocking was the 199 rushing yards that SUU rolled up on Texas State, since the T-Birds were not known for being a proficient running team at all. RB Deckar Alexander gained nearly a third of his total rushing yards plus one of his two touchdowns on the season against Texas State, and backup Kenny Apilli earned his only rushing touchdown on the season. Combine that with two T-Bird passing touchdowns, and it's obvious that the Bobcat defense didn't show up that day. Negated was a 100-yard effort by Karrington Bush and a 300+ yard combined effort through the air between Bradley George and Clint Toon. Needless to say, while it wasn't the disaster that was the Abilene Christian loss in 2007, it was still tough for Bobcat fans to watch.

Returning Starters/players: 7 on offense, 6 on defense

Three of the Thunderbirds' top four wide receivers are back, including 1,200+ yard receiver senior Tysson Poots who torched opponents for an average of 112 yards per game. Poots, however, was for some reason MIA in Southern Utah's spring game. Jared Ursua and Fesi Sitake were short-range threats at WR last season, but they'll need to step up their production next season if the T-Birds want to keep their aerial attack as formidable as in 2008. Leading rusher Dereck Alexander will also return at running back, but he's going to have to step up production after an unremarkable season of 384 yards, two touchdowns (one of them against Texas State), and averagse of 2.7 yards per carry and 34.9 yards per game. Nonetheless, you can count on the Bobcat defense keying on stopping him this year. Four of the five starters on an improving offensive line are back, which should only help the Southern Utah offense improve further.

A Thunderbird defense that gave up over 420 yards per game last year will need all the help it can get from All-GWC senior linebacker Robert Takeno, who led the team in tackles last season. Colin Pretlow showed promise at CB last season with a couple of interceptions, while CB Akeem Anifowoshe is a hard-hitting converted safety that can lay the wood to running backs. Whether he'll be able to shut down Texas State's Karrington Bush is another story, however. Blake Fenn returns as the primary threat at the safety position, after tying for a team-leading two interceptions and recording 47 tackles his freshman year.

Key Losses: Two big names will be sorely missed by Southern Utah next year: QB Cody Stone and noseguard Austin Curtis. Stone, while inconsistent (he only finished with two more passing touchdowns than interceptions and completed only 50% of his passes), still passed for 242.6 yards per game in 2008 and was by far the primary source of offense for the Thunderbirds. His replacement will be a senior transfer from Oregon in Cade Cooper, who hasn't taken a snap in Division 1 football since being injured against BYU in his days with the Ducks. However, he is obviously a talented player if he was taking snaps at UO, so he will be an unknown quantity coming into this fall. Backup Kyle Bowen may see some playing time as well, after seeing action in 9 games last year. Cooper will have one less offensive weapon to work with though, since WR Nick Miller has also graduated. Miller was the only other consistent receiving threat last year behind Pooter for SUU, racking up about 70 yards per game and 763 yards on the season.

Austin Curtis, an all-GWC defensive lineman, led the team in sacks with four and tackles for loss with 13.5 total. Also gone is defensive tackle Aaron Fernandez, signaling a potential weakness in 2009 along the interior defensive line. Coach Lamb is confident about his team's ability to replace those players, using phrases such as "(Noseguard replacement) Nick Garcia is as physical a run-stopper as Austin Curtis was" and "Chad Westwood has made the adjustment well (after being converted from DE to DT)." Whether that confidence is well-founded or just posturing obviously remains to be seen. DJ Senter, DeWayne Lewis and DJ Lucchesi, three defensive backs who saw significant playing time, are also gone. Aside from the senior leadership of Takeno, this is going to be a fairly young defense.

Key newcomers: SUU stayed local in their 2009 recruiting class despite Utah not being known as a hotbed of talent, inking 14 of their 27 players from the Beehive State (interesting nickname, yes?). It also appears to be planning on building their program with a long-term approach rather than go after quick fixes, as only 3 of the 27 signees came from the JUCO ranks. The Thunderbirds did sign one Texan at the wide reciever position in Cameron Morgan from Uvalde, but he likely won't play against the Bobcats due to adequate depth at the position.

There isn't a whole lot of information out there right now regarding which of these signees will have a significant shot at any playing time whatsoever, and we'll update this section if and when said info comes out. However, JUCO LB Tu Tui seems to be the one player that has the best shot at seeing the field, as he recorded one tackle in the 2009 SUU Spring Game. This is pure speculation here, but JUCO DE Trent Barney seems likely to also have a shot at playing time due to less than optimal depth at the position coupled with his Honorable Mention All-American honors in the JUCO ranks.

Other notes: Last year, Southern Utah was a legitimate threat to teams when returning punts. Nick Miller and Taylor Thatcher both took one to the house last season and Miller averaged an impressive 16 yards per return. The bad news? Both players graduated.

One thing you can't accuse SUU head coach Ed Lamb of having is a lack of confidence. Following a spring scrimmage where snow covered the field, Lamb stated “(Practicing in these conditions) will do us good down the road. When we make the playoffs its likely that we’ll be matched up against someone from the Big Sky or some other cold-weather team, in a cold-weather time of the year." Now, perhaps Lamb was suggesting that the Thunderbirds will make the playoffs in the next couple of years, which isn't entirely unreasonable. The Great West Conference has only 5 teams, which is great for a quick shot at a conference championship. However, the small membership number also hurts SUU's playoff chances since it is too low to earn an automatic playoff bid from the NCAA. Big non-conference wins are needed to have a shot at the postseason.

However, if Lamb really does think that Southern Utah will make the playoffs this year, it's not out of line to accuse him of being a bit overconfident. After coming off a 4-7 season with one win being a Division II school, going the 9-3 needed to make the playoffs seems extremely unlikely (there are certain scenarios where 8-4 might be enough to get an at-large, but they're somewhat far-fetched). Consider that SUU has to play FBS teams San Diego State and Utah State along with preseason top 20 FCS teams in Texas State, Eastern Washington, and Cal Poly. Northern Arizona could crack the top 25 and the University of San Diego has rattled off six straight winning seasons. 9-3? SUU will be lucky to go 6-6, and that won't be good enough for postseason play.

The big picture: Cedar City may not be the most imposing road atmosphere that Texas State will play at this season, but this game should tell us more about the readiness of the Bobcats for Southland play then any of their previous three games. Angelo State and Texas Southern aren't at the level toughness that even the weakest SLC teams would bring every week, and TCU is too strong of a team to be legitimately compared to contenders like McNeese or Central Arkansas. So, while SUU likely would struggle to get out of the cellar in the Southland, it is still a team that has at times provided legitimate competition against the best in FCS and should provide a good road test for Texas State.

It's always hard to predict how games in the fall will go when you're sipping a beer in your recliner in the middle of June, but this contest seems especially hard to get a feel for. Will the Bobcats avoid another baffling collapse against a rushing attack that normally is only used to keep defenses honest? Despite the losses on defensive line and SUU returning 4 of 5 offensive lineman, one would have to think so since last year's game seemed to be a major anomaly. However, the relative certainties end there. Nobody knows what Cade Cooper will do as quarterback, and whether anyone besides Tysson Poots will constitute an offensive threat at receiver. The defense is an even bigger question mark, as what will happen with the interior defensive line and defensive backs is a mystery. Texas State should have a significant advantage in talent, however, and would be advised to use it to its advantage. As long as the Bobcats don't play with the same lackadaisical attitude that plagued them against in 2008's contest, it's reasonable to assume that Texas State will come home with a win.

- Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

2009 Texas State Football Season Preview: Texas Southern Tigers

It's the middle of June, and if you San Martians, Austinites, Houstonians, etc. haven't melted already, we congratulate you and appreciate your stopping by the KTSW Sports Blog. This week our preview of Texas State's gridiron opponents for the 2009 season continues with a battle between the TSU's--well, not really. Texas State swore off using TSU as their initials ever since the name change from SWT was set in motion, while Texas Southern has used TSU as their official abbreviation for years. So, while the "real" TSU brings a world-famous marching band in the Ocean of Soul, will they bring a legitimate upset threat to Bobcat Stadium? Read ahead to find out.

Texas Southern at Texas State
Location: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
Date/Time: September 26, 6 pm
Last year's result: Texas State 63, Texas Southern 39


Basic facts about TSU:

Location: Houston, TX

Enrollment: 11,635
2008 Average Game Attendance: 4,811 (Capacity: 12,000)
2008 Record: 4-8 (1-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Head Coach: Johnnie Cole (4-8 in one season at TSU)
Series Record: Texas State leads 8-0

Texas Southern's 2008 season in review: While a 4-8 season is certainly not something to dance in the streets about, it was still a significant feat for the Tigers after a sad-sack 0-11 campaign in 2007. After a 1-10 season in 2005 and another 0-11 clunker in 2004, it's obvious that second year head coach Johnnie Cole is doing something right at his alma mater. He certainly knows how to ressurrect a program, as he engineered the fastest turnaround in school history at his last job at Divison 2 Lane College with a high octane offense.

The bad news about last year's season though was that three of those wins came against a Division 2 school in Shaw and two NAIA squads in Texas College and Concordia College of Selma, AL. There wasn't an extremely dominant win in the bunch either, as the Tigers did not beat any of those teams by more than 18 points. TSU's other win came against 2-10 SWAC foe Alcorn State on the road, but it was by only one point.

Should Texas Southern have expected more from their season? If you consider the addition of talented hometown quarterback Bobby Reid (who transferred from Oklahoma State after being part of Mike Gundy's infamous "I'm a man, I'm 40" rant), an extremely effective junior season from talented wide receiver William Osbourne and a relatively easy strength of schedule, you could try and make a case that TSU should have squeaked out another win or two. However, a very strong case could also be made that the Tigers did about all they could do considering the state of their program at the time. If you examine TSU's schedule in 2008, you'll see blowout after blowout pile up, most notably an 83-10 embarrassment of a game at FBS Arkansas State. The lack of close losses suggest that Coach Cole and Texas Southern were still light years away from competing with the upper echelons of the SWAC last season.

Last season's game: Was last year's jaw-dropping 63-39 shootout a result of great offense or awful defense? Well, while there were some fantastic efforts made by members of both offensive units, it was more of the latter. Texas State came into their tilt with Texas Southern knowing that the Tigers' defense was likely to be the worst they would face all season. While SFA would eventually put up even less of a fight in Nacogdoches than a rebuilding (to put it nicely) Tiger defense, the Bobcats nonetheless rolled up a staggering 623 yards. What Texas State didn't expect was to give up 599 yards themselves. While it was obvious that the Bobcat defense was struggling to adjust to first-year defensive coordinator Fred Bliel's system in the early season, nobody expected such a poor defensive outing.

The Bobcats struggled with the tandem of Reid, Osbourne and junior WR Brian Haith until late in the first half, when Texas State went up by two scores off of a Darren Dillard touchdown reception. Halftime brought fireworks from the Ocean of Soul, and both offenses followed suit with more fireworks of their own in the second half. Texas State effectively put the game away with a 39-yard Stan Zwiggi TD run that put the Bobcats up 42-20, but both offenses proceeded to embarrass their defensive counterparts anyway. Reid, normally a rushing threat at the signal-calling position, eventually threw for a staggering 484 yards and 5 TD's. Texas State countered with six different players reaching the end zone.

Returning starters/players: 5 on offense, 6 on defense

You may be noticing by now the name William Osbourne constantly being mentioned in this preview. Well, there's a reason for that: He's really the only major offensive threat returning for this Tiger team. The to-be senior exploded for 1093 yards receiving in 2008 after being a marginal threat the season before for TSU. He will likely be the main weapon that will give opposing defenses headaches in 2009. Senior Brian Haith, while not as effective as Osbourne, is a legitimate second option at wideout. Junior RB and Wake Forest transfer Lucas Capparelli returns as a possible dual threat on the ground and through the air after an unremarkable 2008 season, while sophomore tailback Marcus Wright will likely be relied upon to generate the most success for an improving rushing attack once again. These two tailbacks will likely get more chances to demonstrate what they can do, since Bobby Reid won't be eating up the majority of yards and touchdowns on the ground anymore. They'll have an offensive line supporting them that remains mostly in tact. While it remains to be seen for the offensive line to be "one of the best in the conference" as Cole claimed following a major OL transfer from LSU, it's a young unit that has huge potential.

The much-maligned Texas Southern defense returns its biggest playmaker in junior LB DeJuan Fulghum, who led the team in tackles and tackles-for-loss last season. William Parker and Antonio St. Rose are also back at the linebacker position after being second and third on the team in total tackles last season, respectively. Sophomore De'Markus Washington had a huge year as a true freshman at the cornerback position, netting 5 interceptions on a defensive unit that didn't exactly impress in the turnover margin category. Kydarian Wilkins also got major playing time as a true freshman at the cornerback position, and will be counted upon to step up his game in 2009. However, it's probably not a good thing when your linebackers and defensive backs are making the majority of tackles for your defense, so a defensive line that was the source of many Tiger woes last year will have to step up. The Tigers usually play a 3-4 defense, and only one starter returns to the line in Darnell Reeves, who was replaced after three games by freshman Adeyanka Peters. According to Texas Southern's stats, Peters didn't record a single tackle on the season in eight starts. If the Tigers hadn't gotten some JUCO transfers to help bolster depth on the defensive line, things could have been very dicey in the trenches for them this year.

Key losses: By far the biggest loss is dual-threat quarterback Bobby Reid. Losing a player that generated over 2/3 of a team's offense per game is certainly someone that is tough to replace. However, Reid's backup Cornelius Harmon graduated as well, so nobody on the TSU roster returning from 2008 will have taken a snap in Division 1 football. There may or may not be an FBS quarterback transfer waiting in the wings for TSU (more on that in a bit), so it's hard to say whether one of the three rising sophomores will get a shot at manning the offense. Tight end Roland Robins was a steady threat on the receiving end, and he's gone too.

As mentioned earlier, two of the three key playmakers on TSU's 3-4 defensive line in Matthew Valmore and David Knighten have graduated, leaving some major depth issues at the position. However, given the line's woes last year, maybe a fresh start is what the unit needed. Zachry Logan was a decent contributor at cornerback, but there are a number of young corners on this squad that can easily replace him.

In summary, this is a young team with few losses that has a lot of potential to climb out of the SWAC cellar. However, being faced with the prospect of playing a quarterback with no game experience is always a daunting task to overcome.

Key newcomers: Make no bones about it, coach Cole is relying on FBS transfers to be the centerpiece of a powerful offense this season as he continues to rely on his M.O. of fielding prolific offensive units. Two transfers from LSU at the WR and OL positions will likely make an impact, especially at OL where rising sophomore Ernest McCoy will likely see the field immediately. Chip Gregory, a running back transfer out of Arkansas, will likely be converted to wide receiver as well to help out Osbourne. The biggest question mark from this FBS haul is former Iowa quarterback Arvell Nelson, who was arrested on charges of marijuana possession last year and was subsequently dismissed from the Hawkeyes. Nelson, who saw extremely limited playing time and was eventually moved to wide receiver, now has a warrant for his arrest as of June 9th. The warrant cites a failure to appear in court in response to last year's charges, and Arvell could have his probation revoked as a result.

The other key newcomers that could make an immediate impact are JUCO transfers Justin Coleman and Kinsley Akinwole on the defensive line. Two freshman d-linemen were also signed in response to the lack of depth at the position. JUCO tight end Jordan Curtin could also make waves at a position that is possibly even thinner than defensive line following the departure of Robins.

Other notes: Special teams were a mixed bag for Texas Southern in 2008. Upcoming senior Stephen Solomon did a respectable job at the punting position, averaging around 39 yards per punt and downing 12 of them inside the 20. William Osbourne further cemented his role as an impact player for the Tigers by averaging nearly 16 yards per punt return. TSU as a result was 8th in all of FCS in average yards on punt returns. On the flip side, placekicker Robert Hersh had an extremely rough freshman season as he hit only 8 of his 15 field goal attempts and was able to convert a field goal longer than 30 yards just once.

Here's a stat that might surprise you: Texas Southern was 7th in the country in tackles for loss with an average of eight per game. Here are some stats that likely won't surprise you: TSU was 104th in total defense, 114th in scoring defense and 109th in turnover margin out of 125 teams in Division 1 FCS football.

Texas Southern has traded Division 2 Shaw and NAIA Concordia for FBS teams in UL-Monroe and Big East power Rutgers in 2009. They'll also avoid the embarrassment of a road game at an NAIA school when they host Texas College after traveling to Tyler to face the Steers last year.

The big picture: Assuming that the team is in good condition from the week before, there are a couple of things that fans will be counting on to happen in this game: A large number of Bobcat points on the scoreboard, big numbers for Bradley George and Karrington Bush, and a fantastic halftime performance from the famous Ocean of Soul Marching Band. What nobody knows is how Texas Southern will answer the inevitable Texas State offensive onslaught. Whichever quarterback is starting for the "real" TSU will only be playing in his third road game of his career, and given Nelson's legal troubles it may be prudent to assume that it will be one of the three unproven sophomores manning the helm. That could spell trouble for the Tigers if Texas State gains an early lead. But, no matter who the quarterback is, William Osbourne will have the eyes of Bobcat defensive backs Will Thompson, Drenard Williams and company trained on him the entire time. If Osbourne is locked down completely, then TSU has some potential backup weapons at receiver to counter in Haith and the SEC transfers. Cole has also preached a committment to a balanced offensive attack, so shutting down Wright and Capparelli in their carries and forcing Texas Southern to go one-dimensional is a major goal.

Texas State will likely notch another victory due to the talent disparities between these two squads, but the Bobcats should still play with intensity just in case. If Texas State gets sufficient pressure from the d-line and the secondary executes their assignments, then the good guys should come away with a convincing win. However, if there are missed assignments like last year and TSU's signal-caller gets all day to throw, then these Tigers could bite.

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

2009 Texas State Football Season Preview: Texas Christian Horned Frogs

Last week the sports blog started its first ever extended preview of the upcoming Texas State football season with an in-depth look at the Angelo State Rams. This week, we will preview the Bobcats' jump from one extreme of football competition to the other. After a bye week following Texas State's season-opener against a middling Division II school, the Bobcats will be faced with a road game against one of the best teams in the entire country in TCU.

Texas State at Texas Christian
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Date: September 19th, 6 pm

Basic facts about TCU:
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Enrollment: 8,696
2008 Average Game Attendance: 30,388 (capacity 44,008)
2008 Record: 11-2 (7-1 Mountain West Conference)
Head Coach: Gary Patterson -- 73-27 in eight seasons @ TCU
Series Record: This is the first meeting between these two schools

TCU's 2008 Season In Review: The defensive-minded Horned Frogs had a fantastic season by anyone's standards, but they did not reach their goals of winning the Mountain West Conference and obtaining a BCS bowl berth. A 35-10 road loss to Oklahoma raised questions about TCU's ability to play with the big boys, and a 13-10 heartbreaking loss to eventual Sugar Bowl champion Utah in Salt Lake left fans in Fort Worth wondering what might have been. However, TCU plowed through most of the rest of their competition, leaving a trail of destruction in the wake of their conference play. Blowout wins of 54-7 over Wyoming, 44-14 over UNLV, 44-10 over Air Force and most impressively a 32-7 laugher on national television over a BYU squad that was ranked at times in the top 15 of FBS showed just how powerful the Horned Frogs could be. To cap off their success, TCU took a 17-16 upset in the Poinsettia Bowl over a previously undefeated Boise State team that had felt slighted for being left out of the BCS picture. The Horned Frogs finished ranked as the #7 team in the country by the AP and USA Today polls for FBS football while their defensive unit ranked #1 in the country for the third time in nine years.

Returning starters/players: 6 starters on offense, 4 starters on defense

TCU under head coach Gary Patterson has been known for stingy defense for the majority of this decade, but that defensive acumen could be tested with only four starters coming back. However, the starters that are coming back are all juniors or seniors that will be counted on to make a big impact for the Horned Frogs. Senior defensive end and All-American Jerry Hughes has by far the best track record of the four. He led the team in tackles for loss with 19.5 and led the nation in sacks last season with 15 while grabbing two interceptions for good measure. Hughes had four sacks in the BYU game, so he has shown that he can plow through even the best offensive lines in the country. Rafael Priest, senior cornerback, returns in 2009 after being selected as an All-Mountain West Conference second team selection. Senior CB Nick Sanders will also be counted upon to be a leader in the secondary as he returns from a 2008 campaign that saw him garner an Honorable Mention honor in the All-Mountain West Conference awards. Additionally, backup LB Daryl Washington will look to lead a linebacking corps that lost all of their starters from last season.

The offense will have fewer issues with working in new personnel, and most importantly their dangerous signal-caller in Andy Dalton will be back for his junior season. Dalton, a dual-threat QB out of Katy, had a solid but not outstanding season through the air as he threw for about 204 yards per game and had an 11/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His rushing attack is where defenses can find themselves in a jam; Dalton had the third-most yards in TCU's well-balanced rushing attack with 432 yards, but more importantly he had 8 rushing TD's in 2008. Backup senior QB Markus Jackson will also return as a solid alternative to Dalton as he also has stymied defensive units with a dual-threat attack. They'll be buoyed by two beastly All-MWC selections at offensive tackle in 317-lb. Marshall Newhouse and 350-lb. Marcus Cannon. There are also a number of solid backups at the tackle position for TCU, so the position should be one of their strengths next season.

TCU's media guide describes the Frogs' 2008 rushing attack as a "Ground Game By Committee," and rightfully so. Five different players made significant contributions in the most effective ground game that TCU has seen since legendary RB LaDanian Tomlinson came through Fort Worth in 2000. It's hard to say whether may see a more top-heavy rushing attack as returning backup tailback Joseph Turner out of Austin's LBJ High School will replace starter Aaron Brown after rushing for 577 yards and 11 TD's in 2008. If Patterson does decide to stay with the "committee" rushing approach, then senior tailback Ryan Christian will likely be his main second option. Sophomore RB Jai Cavness may also see himself getting more playing time as a possible third option. Junior wide receiver Jimmy Young returns as the main (and only) major receiving threat from last season for the Horned Frogs, as he barely missed the 1,000 yard receiving mark in 2008 with 988 total yards.

Key Losses: Even though TCU may be keeping four of the main pillars of their #1 defense from 2008, any time you lose seven starters it hurts a bit. A monstrous linebacking corps of Jason Phillips and Robert Henson (1st and 3rd in total tackles on the team, respectively) are gone. The safety position will also take a hit as they lose two contributors in Stephen Hodge and Stephen Coleman. Hodge was a hard-hitting player who was second on the team in total tackles, while Coleman terrorized receivers in the secondary with three interceptions and a pick six. The defensive line aside from Hughes could be a major question mark as nosetackle Cody Moore, defensive end Matt Panfil and defensive tackle James Vess have all graduated. There are a number of players vying for the starting spots in the holes left by these three defensive linemen, and nobody has really stood out quite enough to truly lock down these positions.

On offense, starting running back Aaron Brown leaves the team as the second-biggest contributor in TCU's running game. The third and fourth most productive receivers in WR Walter Bryant and TE Shae Reagan have moved on, but that's not really saying much as neither player ever averaged over 25 yards receiving a game. Rather, it is a couple of spots in the interior offensive line that could be suspect. Guard Giles Montgomery and center Blake Schlueter have graduated, and a couple of juniors and sophomores will be jockeying for their positions. Expect the Horned Frogs to spread the field on the ground in 2009.

Newcomers: Coach Patterson did a solid job on the recruiting trail for the Frogs in 2009, at least if you go by recruiting rankings as your measurement of success. Four players ranked as 4-stars by various recruiting services were signed at the QB, RB and S positions, but the only player that may have any shot at playing time is QB Casey Pachall out of Brownwood as he has been inserted as the third-string quarterback in TCU's depth chart. Josh Boyce may see limited playing time as a backup WR and Tanner Brock will likely see some action as a backup middle linebacker. However, barring catastrophic injuries, there won't be many true freshman making a significant impact for TCU this year.

Other Notes: TCU's special teams are traditionally a legitimate threat to opposing teams at all positions, and next year should be no different. Punt returner Jeremy Kerley averaged 13.9 yards per return, putting him at 13th nationally and garnering him a first team All-MWC special teams selection in 2008. Punter Anson Kelton put over half of his punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line in 2008, while placekicker Ross Evans went 16 for 20 on field goals. Evans was also a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is awarded to the best kicker in FBS football.

The Horned Frogs live and die by the turnover. In TCU's two losses they averaged 3 turnovers a game, while in their 11 wins they only managed 0.8. Their usually outstanding job of taking care of the football put them at 10th best in FBS in turnover margin.

TCU annihilated the two common opponents that they shared with Texas State in wins over Stephen F. Austin in Fort Worth and SMU in Dallas by scores of 67-7 and 48-7, respectively. Texas State beat SFA 62-21 in Nacogdoches while falling to SMU 47-36 in Dallas.

The big picture: While this may not be the most important game of the year for Texas State, it will certainly be the toughest. TCU is consistently among the top 20 teams in FBS football under Gary Patterson, and his squad always fields a stingy defense. The Horned Frogs' offense may not be the most flashy in terms of numbers put up, but it consistently grinds opponents up on the ground in ruthless fashion. A young Texas State defense that has lost some key starters will likely give up some points. As a result, the main question will likely be if Bradley George and company can get their shots in early and often. Mishak Rivas and the other Texas State receivers will have a couple of shut-down corners on their hands in Priest and Sanders, so it will be vital for them to break free in the secondary. Gore, Hall, Luna and company will need to play the game of their lives in the trenches if they want to give George enough time in the pocket and provide running lanes for Karrington Bush.

Texas State has shown that they can hang with FBS teams in close games in the past against SMU, Texas A&M, and Baylor, and the Bobcats absolutely can shock the world with a win over TCU...if they play a perfect game. If the Texas State defense forces timely stops turnovers and the offense keeps up their high-scoring ways while avoiding coughing up the ball, then we may see the star lit on Jackson Hall. However, if the Cats play sloppily like they did in DFW last year, it could result in a long day for the good guys. The Frogs may be in the same metroplex as an SMU team that let Texas State back in the game after several early Bobcat turnovers last year, but the two cross-town rivals are hardly on the same planet in terms of overall strength. This will be the biggest challenge that this football team has seen in the entire decade, and Texas State had better bring their "A" game if they want a shot at the "W."

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

2009 Texas State Football Season Preview: Angelo State Rams

Well folks, the dog days of summer are setting in and all Bobcat sports are in their respective off-seasons. However, Texas State football is on the horizon, so we aren't going to take a break. Instead, we will bring you an in-depth preview of every opponent that the Texas State football team will face this fall once a week until September. At the end of this preview series, we will give a preview of the Bobcats themselves. This week's preview focuses on Texas State's season opener and former Division 2 rival: Angelo State University.

Angelo State at Texas State
Location: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
Date/Time: September 5th, 6 pm
Last year's result: Texas State 21, Angelo State 14

Basic facts about ASU:

Location: San Angelo, TX
Enrollment: 6,400
2008 Average Game Attendance: 4,509 (capacity 17,000)
2008 record: 3-8 (1-5 Lone Star Conference)
Head Coach: Dale Carr - 17-26 record in four seasons @ ASU
Series Record: Texas State leads 17-6

Angelo State's 2008 season in review: It was a disappointing 2008 campaign for the Rams as a stagnant passing offense and an ineffective passing defense negated a 1,020 yard campaign by senior running back Daniel Thomas. The quarterback position seemed to be a bit of a revolving door after star junior quarterback Josh Neiswander went down with a gruesome season-ending injury after throwing for 213 yards against Texas State. Freshman Michael Cochran and redshirt freshman Will Mezger each played in at least 8 games and combined for 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions between the two of them. While the Rams' defense was able to keep the floodgates from bursting after the Texas State loss and nurse the team to a 3-3 record, things went south as the season wore on. The meat of ASU's Lone Star Conference slate took a toll as the Rams lost their last 5 games to teams that all had winning records. To add insult to injury four of their last five losses were by margins of 24 points or higher, including a humiliating 51-7 loss to rival Abilene Christian.

Last season's game: Angelo State visited San Marcos and played way above their heads as they have been known to do against their former Lone Star Conference rival. Angelo State actually outgained their Texas State counterparts in passing yards with 227 yards to 136 for the Bobcats, and both teams passed for two touchdowns. Bradley George also suffered his first early-season struggle as he threw two interceptions, including one baffling throw that ended up right in the numbers of an ASU linebacker's chest. Throughout the game, the Rams made the obvious talent differential between the two teams look non-existent as Bobcat fans wondered if the team would suffer another loss to a Division II school a la Abilene Christian in 2007. However, a rally led by senior QB Clint Toon saw Texas State come from behind in the fourth quarter to score two touchdowns and secure a season-opening 21-14 victory. Neiswander's season-ending injury with 1:48 left in the game put a somber tone on a victory that already had Bobcat fans skittish.

Returning starters/players: 6 starters on offense, 7 starters on defense

You obviously have to look at now-senior QB Josh Neiswander as ASU's most important returning starter, as the Ram offense was not the same last season without him. He will look to work his way back into the starting position this fall, although he may not be back to full strength just yet. Coach Dale Carr said in spring drills that "Josh is not back to the speed the had at this time last year, but he's actually stronger" from an increased focus on his workouts, so Texas State will likely be monitoring his status as fall approaches.

Senior running back Kobey Lewis, a transfer from Texas Tech, will look to inherit the starting position for an Angelo State rushing attack that was at times the only thing that kept the Rams competitive last season. However, he has a big hole to fill as he was only the third-string RB last year and only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. WR senior Robert Boone is the only returning wideout that seems to have made even a marginal difference for this ASU offense as he average 18 yards receiving per game last year with 1 TD. The offensive line should be improved for this team, as only one player in Joey Faken (9 starts in 11 games) graduated from the unit. Brian Dickey and Jorrie Adams are two 6'7" senior monsters that will likely see a lot of playing time.

On defense, junior linebacker Ian Ritchey will return as last year's leader in tackles for Angelo State, while sophomore defensive lineman Cody Smith will be counted on to make noise in the trenches as he led the team in tackles for loss and sacks last season. The main returning players looking to make an impact at defensive back are two relatively young players in redshirt sophomore Nick Williams and sophomore Jake Eannerelli. Despite only having two interceptions on the season, both players are likely tabbed to be the best returning candidates to replace the team's best DB in Quinton Butler.

Key Losses: Running back Daniel Thomas will be by far the biggest loss on offense for Angelo State, as he rushed for 1,020 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 92.7 yards per game last year. His backup, Terrell Lee, is also gone after averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 33.2 yards per game. Three of the top receivers Sam Tindol (42.5 rec. ypg.), Drew Peterson (26.2 rec. ypg.) and Garrett Tidwell (14.0 rec. ypg.) all graduated or are no longer with the program.

DB Quinton Butler who led the team in interceptions with three total on the season and LB Jordan Cortez who was second on the team in total tackles are the main cogs of the defense that will have graduated. Both players were tied for second on the team in total sacks.

Newcomers: Transfer wide receiver V'Keon Lacy will likely assist a depleted receiving corps, as Coach Carr stated after spring drills that "V'Keon will be our best receiver this fall." JUCO transfer Johnathon Norcott will be counted upon to assist Kobey Lewis in the running game at fullback, while JUCO QB Aqura Brown could give the Rams a solid alternative under center if Neiswander re-aggravates his injury. Four offensive linemen and three defensive linemen signed from ASU's 2009 high school class may help give the Rams depth in the trenches.

Other notes: The Rams will undoubtedly look to cut back on unneeded mistakes in their 2009 season. 13 fumbles lost and an average of 71.4 penalty yards per game while opponents only averaged 55 penalty yards are the type of stats that can get a coach's blood boiling. ASU's kicking game could also use some improvement, as the Rams only made 6 of their 14 field goal attempts last year.

The big picture: Josh Neiswander may be back, but Texas State fans should hopefully enjoy a blowout at newly renovated Bobcat Stadium this year. Even if the passing game is effective again for the Rams, their running game looks to be less of a factor this year, and a one-dimensional offense won't get it done with the talent differential that exists between these two squads. Bradley George has also improved drastically after his early-season struggles last season, and has been displaying lots of confidence in spring drills. You can likely count on him not throwing any easy interceptions between the numbers this time around.

If you want to throw intangibles into the mix, then you have to factor how charged up the Bobcats will be when they take the field on September 5th. Texas State will not just want to beat a pesky Ram squad in front of a likely sellout crowd and new press box, they'll want to obliterate them. Ultimately, ASU might get a couple of scores through the air if they bring their A-game, but a romp seems likely for Texas State as long as they don't play with complacency.

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor