Extra Points

Happy Friday! It finally feels like football season! Bundle up when you head to the game tomorrow. It’s going to be a cool 48 degrees at kickoff.

No. 13 Oklahoma State comes to visit Saturday. This is just the second time at “The Carter” for Oklahoma State since TCU joined the Big 12. They’re riding a six-game winning streak, and they have lots of weapons.

OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph is the hottest QB in college football right now. He has been ablaze the last three games, and no quarterback in college football has more deep completions (34) or yards on deep throws (1,342). Last year, he lit up the Frogs for 352 yards and five touchdowns. Doing most of the damage on the receiving end was James Washington, #28. He’s a speedster from a little town north of Abilene called Stamford, Texas (check the note below for an interesting fact on this tiny town). Washington had huge games recently, including 82-yard scoring catches in each of the last two games. Last year against TCU, he was stealthy, running through the Frog secondary with five receptions and 184 yards, including scoring grabs of 48, 50 and 74 yards. Additional wideouts with large claws include Jalen Mccluskey, #1 (62 catches on the year) and Jhajuan Seales, #81. The Cowboys worked hard to improve their running game, which last year was pitiful. This year, they are averaging 148 yards per game, most of it on the legs of freshman Justice Hill, #27. One area of interest for TCU’s defense should be Oklahoma State’s offensive line. No group in the Big 12 has given up more sacks this year.

On the other side, Cowboy defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer is a crafty one. The wily veteran put together a great game plan last year, with his defense seemingly moving at the snap to exactly where the ball was going, forcing four interceptions. His scheme features lots of looks and has defenders moving all over the field. The key is to take the space that they give you. The defensive line was hit hard by graduation and has been rebuilt. Linebacker Devante Everette, #40, is very active. Free safety Jordan Sterns, #13, leads the team in tackles. The Frogs’ newly-found power running game will be a great counter to some of OSU’s antics. I like the screen game as well, with short passes short-circuiting the Cowboys’ penchant for jumping routes and playing aggressively in the secondary.

After last year’s loss to OSU, which took the Frogs out of the College Football Playoff picture, TCU should be hyped and ready for this one.

Oklahoma State is off next Saturday.  They’ll finish up the season at Oklahoma on December 3. The Frogs head to Austin next Friday to take on Texas (but I bet you knew that!)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. OSU’s James Washington hails from Stamford, Texas, which also happens to be the hometown of TCU alum and 1971 Masters Champion Charles Coody, who was a standout quarterback for Stamford High School back in the 1950s.

Kick ‘Em High!

An overhead view of the Nov. 17, 1984, football showdown between TCU and the University of Texas at Amon G. Carter Stadium. (photo courtesy of TCU Athletics)

Thirty-two years ago today, No. 12 TCU hosted No. 10 Texas in a Southwest Conference showdown. It was a cold, gray and misty November day, and I remember the waterfall of noise in the stadium as I teed up the ball to kick off. You could feel it.

The Frogs trailed at the half, 10-9, before the Horns broke the game open in the second half, winning 44-23. Still, for the Frogs, it was a landmark day representing TCU football’s climb out of a 20-year ditch. The sellout crowd of 47,000-plus was the largest in Amon G. Carter Stadium history. Check out the photo – they even parked cars on the track! Unbeleeevable!

I knew it was a big game when I saw legendary writer and TCU alumnus Dan Jenkins walk by the locker room on his way to Friday’s practice. Dan didn’t live in Fort Worth back then and was usually off somewhere covering some world championship.

Basketball Time

We’re about to get into the thick of basketball season. The Frogs play six games in the next 16 days. Your next chance to see Jamie Dixon’s group is Friday night at 6 p.m. when Jacksonville State comes to visit Schollmaier Arena. Trivia question for you: What is the Jacksonville State mascot?

Lady Frogs are off to a hot start. They’re 2-0 after a win over Sam Houston State, 81-37. Stat for you: The Lady Frogs led by six at the half, then outscored SHSU 38-5 in the third quarter! Hello, defense! Next up is SMU on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.

More congrats to the TCU Women’s Soccer team and head coach Eric Bell on the program’s first NCAA tournament berth. Great job by TCU Athletics in hosting the first-round game as well.

Just a reminder for you that Thanksgiving Day is a week from today. Better get shopping.

Moore Good News

TCU football student-athlete Caylin Moore has been named a 2016 Rhodes Scholar finalist. The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the oldest and most prestigious scholarships in the world. Only 32 students from the United States are selected each year. Moore, a senior safety, is an economics major with a 3.9 grade-point average.

Frog Football takes on No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday morning. OSU’s Mason Rudolph (no relation to the PGA Tour golfer from the 1960s & ’70s) is the hottest quarterback in college football right now, and he’s more accurate with deep throws than short ones. Maybe the cool weather will cool him off.   The temperature at kickoff is going to be in the 40s.

More on the Cowboys tomorrow.

Kick ‘Em High!

This is a holiday that gets buried in the headlines and bustle of everyday life. That’s a shame. Reach out to a veteran you know and say thanks today. They lay it all on the line. My dad, Joe D. Denton, is a veteran of World War II. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps, the forerunner of today’s Air Force. Here he is back in the day. He’s my hero.

Joe D. Denton was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. (photo courtesy of John Denton)

Flag talk

When I was growing up in Dallas, the Dallas Morning News always badged their masthead on holidays with an alert: “Fly Your Flag.” For some reason, that practice stopped. Fly your American Flag this weekend to honor all of our veterans.

Historic Weekend for several Horned Frogs

Good luck to the history-making TCU women’s soccer team. The squad will open action in the program’s first NCAA Tournament tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium. The Aggies are coming to visit, and that always makes for a lively atmosphere. Get there early! Hosting a NCAA tournament game is a special thing.

And it’s time for hoops! Basketball season is here – a long, interesting journey that begins now and ends on Monday of Masters Week. In between, there are always a lot of thrilling games, upsets and nail-biters. Trips to faraway places and cold venues, such as Ames, Iowa, in the dead of winter. Or Manhattan, Kan., where the howling wind and near-zero temperatures lashing you on a tarmac while waiting to board a plane will keep you honest. I’m looking forward to all of it, and I’m wishing both the women’s and men’s teams good luck and, most importantly, good health throughout the season. Winning teams are healthy teams.

Lots of big basketball news on campus. The Jamie Dixon era begins tonight at 6 p.m. against St. Thomas. Raegan Pebley (in her  third season at TCU – doesn’t seem possible) and the Lady Frogs tip it off against Incarnate Word right after the men finish. It’s a rare double-header at Schollmaier Arena … take it all in. And don’t forget to claim your Jamie Dixon bobblehead.

Enjoy your historic TCU Athletics weekend.

Kick ‘Em High!

Happy day after the election. As the old song “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” by Danny O’Keefe says:

“Some gotta win, some gotta lose …
Good time Charlie’s Got the Blues.”

Regardless of who is president, that person deserves our prayers. Such a gigantic job.

In other news … How about those Frogs?

TCU Women’s Soccer is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Great job by head coach Eric Bell and the entire staff and team. AND they get to host a first-round game! Get out and support them on Saturday when they host the Lady Aggies of Texas A&M at 7 p.m.

The matchup feels like a lucky one. We’ve done well against the Aggies in post-season play lately. #Schloss.

And, yes, the trip to Baylor last Saturday was great, with a few surprises thrown in to make the day almost perfect. The pregame chicken fried steak at George’s was superb, and the game was even better. The Frogs played their most complete game of the year. All three phases of the game dominated the Bears, and Kenny Hill was near-perfect. A healthy duo of Kyle Hicks and KaVontae Turpin made the Frogs unstoppable. Next up: Okie State and a chance to get bowl eligible.

Hey, Basketball Jones!  It’s Hoops Season!
More history this weekend at Schollmaier Arena as Jamie Dixon makes his debut as head basketball coach for TCU. The Frogs take on the St. Thomas Celts Friday night at 6 p.m. Get there early; it’s bobblehead night. The Lady Frogs follow the men with a 8:30 p.m. game against Incarnate Word. Good luck to both teams – make it a great year.

Fans, your job is to be loud and “Shake ‘The Scholl!’ ”

More Friday on whatever comes to mind.

Kick ‘Em High!

Time to take that 83-mile trip down I-35 to visit the Baylor Bears. Along the way, don’t forget to stop in West (known as West Station back in the old days) for some kolaches and myriad other treats. Remember the pimento cheese sandwiches.

Our crew will be making its traditional stop at George’s in Waco for a pregame meal of their famous chicken fried steak. Am I making you hungry?

Speaking of hungry, we have a matchup of two hungry teams with stomachs (and coaching staffs) growling for a win. Baylor (6-1, 3-1) lost its first game of the year at Texas last week and the Frogs (4-4, 2-3) have hit a rough patch with losses in three of their last four. This game will be interesting for a number of reasons. Baylor, amid all the other things going on in Waco, has to bounce back from a loss, something it hasn’t had to do all year. What will the Bears’ response be?

TCU has to bounce back from a heart-twister of its own after last week’s double-overtime loss to Texas Tech. The Frogs still have not put together a complete game, and they have a great opportunity to do so on Saturday in Waco. The defense is playing better, relying on a deeper rotation of players to create pressure. The offense has struggled and needs a jump. The return of KaVontae Turpin will help. Last week, the kicking game, which had been cruising along nicely through the first seven games, threw a rod at a critical time. All three phases of the team need to come together on Saturday.

While a lot has changed in Waco over the last six months, one thing hasn’t. Baylor is loaded with talent, and the Bears are playing good football. The one surprise may be how well quarterback Seth Russell has recovered from his severe neck injury. He’s as good as ever and has run for 440 yards, including a 50-yard scoring jog through Austin last week before suffering a concussion.

Running seems to be a big theme for the Bears under acting head coach Jim Grobe. Baylor is averaging 299 yards-per-game by bear tracks, outrunning the air game by an average of 38 yards each game. Watch out for #32 Shock Linwood, now Baylor’s all-time rushing leader with 4,029 career yards. He’ll be playing in his 45th game as a Bear. Baylor uses a three-back rotation, so look for Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty as well. Receivers are still the stars at Baylor. K. D. Cannon, #9, is a deep threat who can take over a game; he has six touchdowns on the year. Ishmael Zamora, #8, is a Josh Doctson-like 6-4 and 215 pounds, and he uses his size well, especially on hitch screens, which seem to be Baylor’s favorite play this year.

Defensively, former SMU head coach Phil Bennett still runs the show. His group is No. 1 in the Big 12 in scoring defense (19.7 points-per-game), total defense (353 yards-per-game) and pass defense, surrendering an average of just 179.4 yards. You’ll see mostly a 4-3 defensive look from Baylor, but they’ve been flipping to a 3-4 as well, trying to find the right fit for the personnel. Nose tackle #97 Ira Lewis anchors the defensive line, and #48 Travon Blanchard, who plays the Bears’ hybrid position, is the best player on the field. Linebacker Taylor Young, #1, is an undersized, Mike Singletary-type who never stops, and safety Orion Stewart, #28, is a crafty veteran who will shepherd the secondary in his 44th appearance.

On special teams, kicker Chris Callahan has struggled this year, hitting just eight of his 12 field goal attempts. He’s most famous for the hit he took a couple of years ago when his field goal attempt was blocked in the Cotton Bowl against Michigan State. Google it.

The Frogs are working to get bowl eligible, and the Bears are trying to stay in the race for the Big 12 Championship. The last two games have been wild, with the Frogs losing a 21-point lead in Waco in 2014 and then prevailing in double overtime last year in the cold rain in Fort Worth. This one will be no different — a long, wild battle on the Brazos River. You may need TWO chicken fried steaks.

And Happy Birthday to the late Walter Cronkite.   The iconic broadcaster, who was the narrator of my youth for CBS News, would have been 100 today. He had a great signature sign-off:  “… And that’s the way it is … Friday, November 4th 2016.”

Kick ‘Em High!

Herm Reich played first base and right field for the Chicago Cubs in 1949. (photo courtesy of John Denton)

Sorry I missed you yesterday, but I was waiting for the World Series to end. I got nervous last night thinking the Cubs were going to blow a lead. I’ve been conditioned to expect that after what happened to the Rangers in Game Six of the 2011 Series. Glad the Cubs got it done. Feel for the Indians — they are a class act.

And somewhere Herm is enjoying it.

Herm Reich, that is (pronounced “Rich”). Herm was the big brother my dad never had. They met in the Army Air Corps in 1942, became lifelong friends and were closer than close until Herm died in 2009.

Herm spent his best baseball years serving his country during World War II. After the Axis Powers had been sent to the showers, he returned to pro baseball as a star in the Pacific Coast League.

Amazingly, he made the Cubs as a 31-year-old “rookie” in 1949, when he hit .280 with three home runs and 34 RBIs, appearing in 108 games. He wore #22.

He loved the Cubs and playing in Chicago. I’m sure he’s celebrating in Heaven today, telling everyone how great it is in his loud voice that began every excitable sentence with, “Ah, Hell…..!” He was a gregarious guy and had a great spirit that typifies “The Greatest Generation” and the game of baseball. He never quit. He signed all of his autographs, “Give It a Ride! … Best Wishes, Herm Reich.”

Why the focus on this obscure ball player from years gone by?? Well, I’m his namesake. My dad thought so much of Herm that Herman is my middle name. And I’m proud of that today and every day. I still think about him a lot, and I have one of his Louisville Slugger bats from his playing days.

Today, Herm and all of Chicago are partying like it’s 1908!

Speaking of Cubs and the bear family, the Frogs have some business with the Bears who roam the Brazos River Valley this weekend. More on them tomorrow.

Kick ‘Em High!

Herm Reich’s custom Louisville Slugger bat. (photo courtesy of John Denton)

Wow, seems like yesterday Brian Estridge and I were trying not to lose our minds while the Frogs were trying not to lose to the Red Raiders last year in Lubbock. On fourth-and-goal from the Tech 4-yard line, Trevone Boykin, Josh Doctson and Aaron Green teamed up for what’s now known as “The Divine Deflection” with 23 seconds left in the game. Not until the end of a multiple lateral play with no time left, when Jakeem Grant was pushed out of bounds at the TCU 10-yard line, was the game decided. That day, it seemed neither team had an answer for the other.

KaVontae Turpin goes high for the ball during TCU’s 55-52 victory over Texas Tech on September 27, 2015. Photo by Michael Clements.

This year, TCU and Tech have both had flashes of brilliance and, at the same time, have struggled in spots. Coach P and Kliff Kingsbury are both searching for answers. The Frogs are trying to regroup after a tough trip to West Virginia. I told you the Mountaineers were closer to a Top 5 team than No. 12. They’re good. Over the last two weeks, the Mountaineers have held TCU and Tech to a combined 27 points. Tech is coming off a “basketball-on-grass” affair in Lubbock that saw Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes throw for 734 yards and five touchdowns AND LOSE!

Texas Tech begins with Patrick Mahomes … I’ve been impressed with him since last year’s game in Lubbock, when he nearly beat TCU on one leg, taking a beating all game long and still getting up and making plays. One of Mahomes’ go-to receivers in this Tech offensive juggernaut is Jonathan Giles. Entering Saturday’s game with 917 receiving yards, Giles is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark with five games remaining. He needs 182 yards to enter the top 10 in single-season school history; at that point he would match Wes Welker’s total from the 2003 season. Giles’ 917 receiving yards are the most for a Red Raider through seven games since Michael Crabtree had 1,244 during the same span in 2007. Good company. The Red Raiders like to throw it, as evidenced by their top-ranked passing offense, which spirals dangerously at 542.7 yards-per-game. They’re ranked No. 125 in the nation in rushing offense with just 98 yards per game. It’s a bright-light show.

On the dark side is the Red Raider defense, a group that’s ranked No. 127 in the nation and trying to pull itself together. The Red Raiders are trying to come up with a vaccine for the defensive virus that has plagued the program for years. Tech has had a turnstile at the defensive coordinator’s office door. When David Gibbs took over last year, he became Tech’s seventh defensive coordinator in as many years. The Red Raiders run a 4-3 that hasn’t stopped anyone yet. Aside from holding Stephen F. Austin to 17 points, Tech has given up 68, 45, 19 (to KU), 44, 48 and 66 points. Defensive end Kolin Hill, a transfer from Notre Dame, and Ondre Pipkins, a Michigan transfer, have added size to the Red Raider defensive line, but youth reigns on a defense that has yet to gel.

The Frogs will need to play ball-control to keep the magic of Mahomes off the field. He’s dangerous and makes most of his plays on the run. A large section of the Tech play book is labeled “Ad Lib.” This makes Tech tough to defend. The Frogs have to contain Mahomes.

Answers? They’ll come Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Did You Know??? — The Frogs and Red Raiders will meet for the 59th time on Saturday. Tech leads the all-time series with a 30-25-3 advantage. But did you know the three series ties occurred in three straight games in Lubbock: a 3-3 finish in a snow storm in 1979, a crazy 39-39 game in 1981 and a 10-10 mess played in the mud (on artificial turf) following a huge dust storm/rain event in the Hub City in 1983.

Kick ‘Em High!

The second half of the season kicks off tomorrow at West Virginia. And it’s a BIG challenge. Make no mistake. West Virginia is 5-0 and rolling. A win would huge for the Frogs.

The Mountaineers jumped from No. 20 in the polls to No. 12 in one week by virtue of the beat-down they put on Texas Tech last weekend in Lubbock, 48-17. WVU’s defense held Tech to a season-low 379 yards and just 17 points. Coach Dana Holgorsen‘s team is fast and physical, and they run a scheme that’s hard to unravel.

At times, WVU will play a 3-7-1 defense with seven defenders spread all across the field, five yards off the line of scrimmage. This makes reads tough for the quarterback and wide receiver. It also makes the offensive line’s job tough because delayed blitzes are coming from all angles, depending on a post-snap read by the linebackers. The system is a crafty invention from defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. It’s built to confuse and constrict … and it works. Ask Texas Tech. And Missouri. And BYU.

Holgersen’s offense has its most effective weapons since he had Geno Smith and Tavon Austin four years ago. Senior quarterback Skyler Howard is from Fort Worth, and his skills are only exceeded by his confidence to use them. He’s the kind of guy you want to run an offense. He has a great arm, and when he runs, he runs mean, stiff-arming and shoving people out of the way. West Virginia’s best running back is Rushel Shell, once the highest-rated running back in the state of Pennsylvania. He went to the same high school as Tony Dorsett, and at times he looks like T. D. Shelton Gibson is an explosive wideout who averaged 24 yards-per-catch last year (21 so far in 2016). The offensive line is big and nasty, led by center Tyler Orlovsky, who looks like every big, bad lineman to appear in your worst nightmare. The offense is a stout group that likes to run the ball and then surprise with speed here and there. Watch out for Jovon Durante, a speedy Tavon Austin-type the Mountaineers utilize on sweeps and end-arounds.

Morgantown is a tough place to play, and the weather forecast has worsened throughout the week. Plan on low 50s and rain.

Also plan on hearing WVU fans sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. The song has become their anthem, and the more success the Mountaineers have, the more they sing it. With the hope that you don’t hear it often on Saturday, here’s the original version from 1971:

Kick ‘Em High!

Without a game to broadcast this week, I need something to keep me on my game. So here are the games I’ll be checking out this weekend … after I’ve finished Mrs. Denton’s to-do list.

No. 20 West Virginia at Texas Tech  

This should be interesting, as WVU has impressed me so far. Quarterback Skylar Howard has been good, but so has his Texas Tech counterpart Patrick Mahomes, who has thrown for 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. Lubbock is a tough place to play, and that makes this one intriguing to me.

Kansas State at No. 19 Oklahoma

We find out if the Wildcats are for real when mentor Bill Snyder visits understudy Bob Stoops, who worked for Snyder at KSU. The difference in this one may be OU receiver Dede Westbrook, who has 544 yards and five touchdowns. He also set the OU single-game receiving record last week against Texas with ten catches for 232 yards. Better double-cover him. K-State showed real guts on he road versus West Virginia and proved that the slow-down game is not dead in a win over Texas Tech last week.

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 8 Wisconsin

J. T. Barrett is back at full throttle at quarterback for Ohio State, and Urban Meyer loves to take his teams on the road the same way Coach Patterson does. But don’t overlook the Badgers’ redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook, a heady lefty and a capable engineer on the Wisconsin freight train. This should be a physical battle, Saturday Night Wrestling style.

Enjoy your open week, Frog fans.

Kick ‘ Em High!

With an open week for the Frogs, a lot of us outside of the TCU Football team turn our attention to catching up on things away from the field – errands, home repairs or just spending time with family.

My “To Do” list changed late Saturday night when I arrived back home from the Kansas game. I got some bad news. The kind of news that takes you way back.

You see, in 1968, I entered first grade at Mark Twain Elementary School in Dallas. In my class was a girl named Laurie Porter. We were buddies and in the same class most of the way through elementary school. She was nice. Always said “Hi” and was funny – had a great laugh.   She also was the sweetest person in school.

Years later, after college, I was delighted to find out that she had married my good friend Craig Way, who was, at the time, working at KRLD Radio in Dallas. Laurie and I would send messages to each other via Craig, the Voice of the Longhorns, as we ran into each other more frequently at broadcast assignments and games over the last 30 years. In the last ten years, I saw Laurie quite often at TCU-Texas football games, baseball games and NCAA Super Regionals. I also watched as she fought a brave battle with a cancer that came out of nowhere six years ago. Out of nowhere. There is no justice in this, no explanation.

While I stewed over TCU’s narrow win over Kansas late Saturday night, Laurie was leaving us. We lost her late that night. Her journey on this earth was done. So was her pain. Laurie Porter Way raised four great kids while keeping Craig on track as he ran from event to event to event for years. She was a hero to her family and to many around the athletic department at the University of Texas.

She’s a hero to me. Her death has hit me hard.

When someone from your childhood dies, it conjures up a lot of memories that make you say, “Wow, that doesn’t seem that long ago.” Thoughts of classrooms and class pictures, school hallways and the noise of laughter and conversations on the playground. Just running around being a kid. The end seemed far away then.

Today we’ll remember the good times with Laurie. As you read this, I’m on my way to Georgetown for a memorial service that will be full of tears, memories and laughter.

And sweetness. Just like Laurie.

I have one “Do” for you on Denton’s Do’s & Don’ts for today: Hug your loved ones.

Talk to you Friday.

Kick ‘Em High!