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Frogs Shut Down Texas Tech Attack, Win 12-3 TCU wins 13th straight behind four Manfredini field goals.
Sept. 16, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - TCU got the ultimate revenge against Texas Tech. Not only did the 20th-ranked Horned Frogs win, they held No. 24 Texas Tech's pass-happy offense without a touchdown in a 12-3 victory Saturday - two years after the Red Raiders' 10-TD assault in the last meeting between the former Southwest Conference rivals. Chris Manfredini kicked four field goals for TCU (3-0), which won its 13th straight game. His longest kick was 34 yards, and the last was a 23-yarder with 4:19 left. TCU's winning streak is the longest in NCAA Division I-A, and one short of the school record. The record streak included the Frogs' undefeated national championship in 1938, when quarterback Davey O'Brien won their only Heisman Trophy. The only other time the Red Raiders (2-1) didn't score a touchdown in Mike Leach's 79 games over the last seven years was in a 56-3 loss to Nebraska in 2000, the coach's first season. They scored less than 10 points only one other time, a 42-7 loss at Texas in 2001. Jeff Ballard was 13-of-23 for only 101 yards but ran nine times for 66 yards, improving to 11-0 in his starts. Only Sammy Baugh (12) has won more consecutive starts at quarterback for TCU, but Ballard's has come in his first 11 since taking over last season. After Manfredini's last field goal, the Red Raiders had one more chance - and Graham Harrell had completions of 21 and 20 yards to move them to the Frogs 34 before he was sacked by Brian Bonner and fumbled on fourth down with 2:11 left. Two years ago in Lubbock, the only other time the two teams have played since the SWC disbanded after the 1995 season, the Red Raiders overcame a 21-0 deficit and won 70-35 - the most-lopsided loss by TCU in coach Gary Patterson's six seasons.
Texas Tech had its opening drives of both halves end on failed fourth-down conversions, in addition to Harrell's fumble after being sacked and a blocked punt. The Red Raiders even lost starting linebacker Kellen Tillman in the first quarter. He was ejected for throwing an elbow against a TCU kick returner along the sideline - at the end of a play on which he wasn't even in the game. TCU went ahead to stay after Manfredini's second kick, a 33-yarder midway through the second quarter. That came seven plays after Chase Ortiz sacked Harrell and stripped the ball. Cody Moore recovered for the Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs ran 14 plays on their opening drive, and were to the 15 after a 23-yard pass to Aaron Brown, but an illegal block penalty on the play drove it back to the 29. They had to settle for a 30-yard field goal. Harrell completed passes of 21 and 33 yards to start the next drive and quickly get to the 15, but the drive stalled. Alex Trlica, whose wobbly field goal in overtime beat UTEP last week, kicked a 27-yard field goal. The Red Raiders had only 242 total yards, while TCU had 281. Harrell, the fifth starting quarterback for Tech in five seasons - and the first underclassman in that span - was 23-of-47 for 204 yards. He completed 74 of 101 passes (73 percent) for 718 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two starts. Robert Henson's blocked punt late in the third quarter set TCU up at the 38. Ballard converted a third-and-9 play with a 23-yard keeper, but overthrew an open Quentily Harmon in the end zone on another third down and Manfredini kicked a 34-yarder for a 9-3 lead. |
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