Ho, Hum! TCU Tunes-Up Against Wahoos

Not having the opportunity to have an easy game against a FCS team like many of other FBS schools, the Texas Christian Horned Frogs utilized their game against the Virginia Cavaliers of the Atlantic Coast Conference as their tune-up, working out the jitters.

TCU raced out to 30-0 lead before Virginia managed a couple late touchdowns against the TCU second string.

For the Frog faithful, not much was seen of the much-talked about new offensive.  Instead, TCU kept with its bread-and-butter running plays for the most part. 

The TCU defense stayed true to form, shutting out the Wahoos for three quarters and stomping down on the Virginia offense.

Now, a win is a win, but this one would win very few glamour points.  Of course, TCU will show little new wrinkles before its upcoming game at Clemson.

So, did we learn anything from this game?

TCU looks like its defense it about as good as last year, though it may need a few more games to completely come together.  Eight sacks and a 1.7 yards per carry allowed fit right in with last season's great defense.

The TCU offense struggled on third down, going one for eleven. 

Another source of long-term concern remains:  the redzone offense.  TCU scored only two touchdowns on five redzone possessions.

The offense remained the kings of the clock, controlling the ball for almost thirty-five minutes.  

So, there was more than enough to keep the smile off Gary Patterson's face.

Given fellow Mountain West Conference BYU's great success so far this year, TCU will need to raise its offense to another level if the Frogs hope to challenge for the conference crown and a BCS berth.