It isn’t just the hot backup quarterback who concerns Wyoming coach Joe Glenn. It’s the guy Texas Christian has hiding behind him.
When asked what concerns him most about playing TCU on Saturday, Glenn didn’t hesitate.
“It’s a guy that doesn’t even start, if you can believe that,” Glenn said. “No. 23 is the best player I’ve seen on any team we’ve played. He’s very different. Every time he touches the ball, it’s a first down.”
No. 23 is Aaron Brown, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound true freshman running back from Katy, Texas, who has yet to score his first collegiate touchdown. He might be ready to bust loose in Laramie, however, when TCU plays Wyoming (4-1, 2-0) with first place in the Mountain West Conference at stake.
Brown is far from TCU’s only weapon. For instance, new quarterback Jeff Ballard accounted for six touchdowns against New Mexico last week.
“He has come in and done a good job,” Glenn said. “There’s a lot of things you can say about TCU, but the one thing that is different is No. 23.”
Brown has rushed for 342 yards on 42 carries, an 8.1-yard average, in four games. Ahead of him is Robert Merrill, a 5-10, 204-pound junior who has rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns on 72 carries, an average of 4.5 per carry.
Throw in wide receiver Cory Rodgers, whom Glenn compares to his Jovon Bouknight, an all-conference wide receiver, and it’s easy to see why the Horned Frogs (4-1, 3-0) have made a mockery of the coaches’ preseason prediction that had them pegged sixth in their first trip around the league. The Frogs have averaged 50 points in their past two games.
“I’ll tell you what, they compete at a very high level,” Glenn said. “They fell off a little last year, but prior to that they had back-to-back 10-win seasons.”
The Frogs are very similar to the ‘Pokes on offense and defense, Glenn said.
“Multiple everything,” he said. “We’ll probably see a little I-back option, some power, no-back, two-back. They’re a pressure defense, and so are we. It looks like a classic matchup.”
That’s how TCU coach Gary Patterson sees it, too, pointing to Wyoming’s many weapons, starting with Bouknight and including running back Wynel Seldon and quarterback Corey Bramlet.
“For us to win, it probably needs to be a closer ballgame, but I thought that against BYU, too, so we’ll see,” Patterson said. The Frogs defeated BYU 51-50 on Sept. 24, rallying from a huge deficit.
Saturday’s showdown will put the winner in sole possession of first place in the conference, but Wyoming has five conference games left while TCU has four. In a conference as closely matched as the MWC is this season, that doesn’t guarantee anything.
“I think Colorado State will have a lot to say about how it ends up, and so will San Diego State,” Patterson said.
TCU at Wyoming
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TCU (4-1, 3-0): The Horned Frogs have a new quarterback, Jeff Ballard, who rushed for four touchdowns and passed for two last week, and a wide receiver, Cory Rodgers, who looks a lot like Wyoming star Jovon Bouknight. But the most dangerous player on the TCU roster, according to Cowboys coach Joe Glenn, is backup running back Aaron Brown, a true freshman. The Horned Frogs are athletic and deep on defense, with eight players having accounted for the team’s eight interceptions this season, and seven players combining for nine forced fumbles and recoveries. Eleven players have a sack.
Wyoming (4-1, 2-0): At his weekly luncheon, TCU coach Gary Patterson said he planned to take six defensive tackles to Laramie to rotate against Wyoming’s offensive line. That might be a tip that the Horned Frogs are going to focus their defense on rushing Cowboys quarterback Corey Bramlet up the middle. If the ‘Pokes can handle the inside pressure, Bramlet will probably try to take advantage with slant patterns over the middle to Michael Ford, the inside receiver who has developed into a major weapon the past two games in the absence of the injured Tyler Holden. With all the ways TCU has of attacking on offense, it’s probably also going to be a busy day for the Chase brothers, linebackers Matt and Luke, from Windsor.
KEY STAT
17 – The Horned Frogs finish strong, having allowed just 17 points in the fourth quarter in five games.
KEY FOR TCU
The Horned Frogs probably can’t count on all the turnovers they’re used to getting, so against the top defense in the conference they are going to have to do what they’ve excelled at: toughing it out and winning late.
KEY FOR WYOMING
The Cowboys must protect their quarterback, protect the ball and keep their concentration for four quarters. TCU has shown an ability to rally from big deficits.
Staff writer Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
