Andy Dalton threw for 239 yards and two
touchdowns, and ran for two more scores, as sixth-ranked TCU blew out San
Diego State, 55-12, to remain undefeated.
Matthew Tucker, Ed Wesley and Joseph Turner each ran for a touchdown for TCU
(9-0, 5-0 MWC), which accumulated 312 rushing yards and 551 overall.
Ryan Christian had both TD receptions in a three-catch, 106-yard performance.
"San Diego State is great, they play hard," TCU head coach Gary Patterson
said. "We had trouble with them in the first half. We made some plays to get
up and get going, but they're going to be someone to be reckoned with in the
future in this conference. Right now, we're on a roll, especially offensively,
and we were able to make some plays."
Ryan Lindley completed 16-of-34 attempts for 164 yards and a score, and was
intercepted twice. DeMarco Sampson had six catches for 81 yards and the TD for
the Aztecs (4-5, 2-3), who had won two in a row.
"That was a long day. I haven't been in one of those in a long time," San
Diego State head coach Brady Hoke said. "They're a good football team. We got
beat in every phase - coaching, playing, all phases. We've got a lot of growth
that we have to do and a maturity as a team that we've got to keep moving
forward."
San Diego State punted on the game's opening drive, leaving TCU to start its
offensive attack. Because of a 23-yard punt, the Horned Frogs started at the
Aztecs' 32-yard line and scored in four plays, getting into the end zone on
Wesley's five-yard run.
After the Aztecs punted again, TCU drove for another score. Dalton's 33-yard
pass to Christian put the ball at the SDSU 13, and Dalton ran across the goal
line on the next play, making it a 14-0 game with 5:44 left in the opening
quarter.
Lane Yoshida's 45-yard field goal a little more than two minutes later got the
Aztecs on the board, but the Frogs widened their lead in the second quarter.
Beginning at its own 41, TCU went the distance in eight plays, which included
a 24-yard pass play to Jimmy Young on a 3rd-and-five. Dalton's 15-yard pass to
Evan Frosch set up his seven-yard scoring run, pushing TCU's lead to 21-3.
After Yoshida kicked a 48-yarder, TCU got a 44-yard scoring strike from Dalton
to Christian. Ross Evans' 25-yard field goal with 2:54 left in the half made
it a 31-6 game at the break.
The rout continued in the third quarter, as the Horned Frogs opened it with
another scoring drive. Thanks to a 39-yard kick return from Jeremy Kerley,
they needed to go only 57 yards and did so in four plays. The first three were
runs, and Dalton ended the march with a 29-yard TD to Christian.
Following Greg McCoy's interception of Lindley on the next series for the
Aztecs, the Horned Frogs got on the board again with a four-yard run by
Turner, which put TCU's lead at 45-6 with 7:42 left in the third.
San Diego State countered with its only TD of the game, a 30-yard pass from
Lindley to Sampson, ending an eight-play, 72-yard drive.
TCU countered immediately, with a 30-yard scoring run by Tucker, pushing the
Frogs' lead to 52-12 with 2:21 remaining in the quarter. Evans added a 48-
yarder with 2:03 left in the game to complete the scoring.
Game Notes
TCU has won 11 consecutive games dating back to last season...Tucker finished
with 79 rushing yards, while Wesley had 77 and Turner 61...Brandon Sullivan
had 17 carries for 75 yards for SDSU...The Horned Frogs are 9-0 for the first
time since 2003, when they won their opening 10 games...In its last four
games, TCU has outscored its opponents 178-25.
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