FORT WORTH, Texas — It wasn’t a tango, it wasn’t a waltz, it was just a good old-fashioned TCU hoedown, Texas-style.
The Horned Frogs did whatever dance they wanted Saturday, outstepping Air Force in a 44-10 victory that surely emphasized the attractiveness of the No. 15 team for bowl-game committees.
Sophomore quarterback Andy Dalton dazzled the Falcons with a performance that accounted for 360 yards of total offense and four touchdowns (two passing and two rushing).
The only problem Dalton had was exhausting his playbook while tormenting Air Force’s defense. Everything worked.
“Today, it seemed as if everything we called we were executing,” Dalton said. “It was a big win for us. I think we prepared hard for Air Force the last two weeks and it showed today. I hope we showed the bowl people what we’re all about.”
Dalton completed 21-of-27 passes for 321 yards. He also rushed for 39 yards, but was sacked four times to erase another 27 yards on the ground. He orchestrated TCU’s offense so well that the Horned Frogs compiled an overwhelming 79-47 advantage in offensive plays and a commanding 30-7 advantage in first downs.
“They had some play fakes and we had no clue where the ball was, and he (Dalton) had it, and he ended up in the end zone,” Air Force outside linebacker Hunter Altman said.
Air Force’s offense managed to gain 150 rushing yards against an NCAA-leading TCU defense that allowed 39.5 yards on the ground, but 111 of Air Force’s yards came on two plays. Tailback Asher Clark galloped 54 yards on the way to a 32-yard Ryan Harrison field goal in the second quarter, and fullback Jared Tew rambled 57 yards for Air Force’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Air Force’s problems were magnified on offense as freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson wasn’t able to escape a fast, dominating TCU defense. He never found a consistent answer and Air Force’s defense was called back on the field too many times. Senior quarterback Shea Smith came on in the fourth quarter.
“They’re as good a defense as we have faced here at the academy since we played Oklahoma in 2000,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “They dominated in a very thorough way. It makes it clear that we have to play with third- and fourth-year players. If there is one thing that is evident about an Air Force team is that it will fight to the end. That was evident today.”
Jefferson was 2-of-7 passing for 3 yards. He added just 3 yards rushing.
“We always go into a game expecting to be able to move the ball with our offense,” Jefferson said. “We ran into a team that had all their assignments down pat. They ran to the ball and they didn’t miss tackles.”
Said Clark: “They have a world-class defense. They play assignment football. I knew there was backside pursuit on my run. I just covered the ball when I felt pressure. We’ll leave it up to the bowl scouts. That stuff is way above my head.”
TCU’s 21-point advantage at halftime was just the summary of a performance that had the Falcons on their heels from the beginning. The Horned Frogs had a 243-yard advantage in total offense and 15 more first downs (18-3).
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
30: Number of first downs for
the Horned Frogs. TCU’s efficient
offense piled up a 30-7 advantage
in first downs, and it
led to a healthy 38:32-21:28 advantage
in possession time.
Key play
After Air Force stemmed the early
tide to hold on to a 10-3 deficit
with 11:12 left in the second
quarter, TCU quarterback Andy
Dalton came on strong to score
the first of his two running
touchdowns on an 8-yard keeper,
capping an 83-yard drive – and the rout was on.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
