The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

Scout's Notebook: TCU @ SMU 9/25/10

Written By: Kenny Franek

TCU and SMU battled for the Iron Skillet, and the battle was close…for a little more than a half. After that it was all Horned Frogs. TCU managed to overcome two interceptions by Andy Dalton to win a game that was much closer than the score indicated. The lone bright spot for SMU was sophomore running back Zach Line, who managed to rush for 139 yards on just 17 carries against the stingy Horned Frogs defense. Here are the highlights and lowlights by players from both teams.

Andy Dalton struggled early with his accuracy, missing his receiver badly on a deep out route on TCU’s second series. On their third series he threw behind his receiver and, although he made the catch, it would have been an easy touchdown had the pass been on target. Dalton’s inaccuracy continued throughout the entire game. Outside of a throw or two, he was only accurate on passes within 10 yards. Dalton did excel at tucking the ball and running, picking up 13 yards on a second and long midway through the second quarter. Late in the second quarter he threw behind his receiver yet again while in the red zone, causing a third and long. At this point in the game it appeared Dalton made better decisions on the move than when he had time to throw in the pocket; not a good sign, especially against an undersized defense. With just under two minutes remaining in the first, Dalton threw a pop fly into double coverage on a play action and was picked off by Ryan Smith. That throw pretty much summed up Dalton’s first-half performance. The second half didn’t start any better for Dalton. They ran a bootleg on the second play and he threw it right at Sterling Moore, who intercepted it and brought it down to the two yard line. That play cost TCU the lead early on in the second half. The Frogs kept things simple for Dalton after that and only asked him to make short throws and be more of a game manager. This was one of the more unimpressive games for Dalton as a starter.

Kyle Padron made some good decisions under pressure, gaining yards on the ground when the pocket collapsed. He did, however, throw the ball into double coverage after being flushed out of the pocket early in the second quarter and was nearly intercepted. Shortly after that, he was flushed out of the pocket again and failed to secure the football, resulting in a fumble following a blind side hit. After that hit he looked rattled and seemed to hesitate when making decisions. He was inaccurate and out of sync with his receivers for the remainder of the game.

The most impressive player in this game was sophomore running back Zach Line. He had back-to-back outstanding runs, displaying a surprisingly good burst for a man of his stature (6’1” 240 lbs.). He took the first handoff and dashed through a hole for a nice gain. His second carry was a draw that he took for 15 yards before being contacted. Later on in the series, he took another draw, leveled a defender by dropping his shoulder, and then dragged a defender another couple of yards before finally going down. His running style is very physical and he showed great patience waiting for holes to open up against a very stingy defense. He took another delayed handoff early in the second quarter and weaved his way through the defense for a ten-yard gain. He had six rushes for 62 yards at that point. He added a nice 29-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, giving him 119 yards against one of the best run defenses in college football. He was the only SMU player who could truly get anything going in the contest and he surely opened up some eyes in the process. This kid has a very bright future ahead of him.

Jeremy Kerley showed off his speed early by taking the very first Dalton screen pass and hitting the edge hard for a seven-yard gain. Kerley made a great catch on a ball thrown behind him on the third series of the game. The grab required great concentration and sure hands. After SMU took the lead early in the second half, the playmaker showed why he is arguably the best return man in college football by returning the ensuing kickoff 83 yards. The special teams standout grabbed momentum back for the Frogs with that effort, and they would never look back.

Aldrick Robinson made a great catch for the first score of the game. The pass was deflected by a linebacker, but he showed great concentration, made the catch in stride, and took it in for the score. After the catch he shed off a defender and made a nifty juke to leave his opponent off balance. His hands and shiftiness were very impressive on that play. From that point on, TCU made it a point to double cover him.

Taylor Brock showed outstanding instincts on the second play of the game. He dropped back, stared down the quarterback and, as soon as he saw Padron had nowhere to go with it, rushed in to register the sack.

Ed Wesley didn’t have much room to run in the first quarter. He made a terrible decision to try and reverse his field on a play designed to go to the right side. He ended up getting upended and nearly losing a fumble (he was called down by the official). He injured himself on the play and did not return.

Ryan Smith made a good play on the speedy Kerley when he closed in quickly and made a great open field tackle on TCU’s first series. He came over to make an important interception with TCU trying to score before halftime. He ran into his own defender, but managed to hold onto the ball.

Marcus Hunt used a solid speed move to make his way to Dalton and get his hand on his arm to force a bad pass, causing TCU to punt. He didn’t need to use any flashy moves on the play, just pure strength and speed.

Jerry Hughes’ replacement, Wayne Daniels, made a noteworthy play by getting into the backfield as soon as Padron handed the ball off and making the tackle immediately. He later made Pardon get rid of the ball early and overthrow his receiver on a third and seven. He may not stuff the stat sheet like Hughes, but he is proving to be just as effective.