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TCU keeps hope alive with rout over Air Force

Nov 23, 2008 - 2:37 AM FORT WORTH, Texas (Ticker) -- Its conference title aspirations may be over, but 17th-ranked TCU ended its season in strong fashion.

The Horned Frogs came out hot in their regular-season finale, jumping out to an early lead en route to a 44-10 triumph over Air Force on Saturday.

With the victory, TCU closed the season with just one loss in conference play.

The Horned Frogs had a chance to pull into a three-way tie for the Mountain West Conference crown, but needed Brigham Young to upset unbeaten Utah later Saturday evening. The Utes' 48-24 rout of the Cougars put those hopes to rest.

"We had two weeks to prepare and got ourselves going early," TCU head coach Gary Patterson said. "We played like we wanted to win 10 ballgames."

Still, the Horned Frogs (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West) finished ahead of two-time reigning league champion BYU for second place.

TCU picked up its biggest victory of the year against the Cougars on October 16, imposing its well on the defensive side of the ball en route to a surprisingly easy 32-7 triumph.

That win put them right alongside Utah in the driver's seat, but the Utes got the upper hand with a 13-10 victory in Salt Lake City on November 6.

"We found out a lot about the character of this group after a tough loss," Patterson said. "They could have hung their pads up and quit early. That proves the senior leadership of this team."

TCU was looking for its first league title since 2005, its first season as a member of the Mountain West.

"I wish we could have won one more ballgame, but if you spend your time wondering 'what if,' you take away from their accomplishments," Patterson said. "It's a good group."

TCU established the tone from the opening snap and never looked back. Sophomore quarterback Andy Dalton got the Horned Frogs into the end zone in less than three minutes, completing his first three passes before Luke Shivers plowed in for a score and an early lead.

From there, it was smooth sailing for TCU.

Dalton completed 21-of-27 passes for 321 yards with a pair of touchdowns and added a pair of rushing scores to pace an offense that piled up 504 yards of total offense.

"It just shows the potential that this team has on offense," Dalton said. "We had two weeks to prepare and we were focused heading into this game. With the extra time, I saw a lot of stuff out there today that we were able to pick up on film. It's nice to come off of a tough loss and execute well."

TCU's defense - the top-ranked unit in the nation - was up to the task once again, limiting the Falcons to just 162 yards.

"Any time you get a tough running team like Air Force against a defense like ours, you knew this game was going to be won or lost on the ground," TCU linebacker Jason Phillips said. "We had two weeks to prepare and get healthy, helping us to play faster."

Six different players scored touchdowns for the Horned Frogs, nine different players caught passes and four players had seven carries or more.

After the Falcons got on the board in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10-3, TCU answered with a pair of scores to close out the half.

Dalton manufactured an 11-play, 83-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock, finishing it off with an 8-yard dash to push the lead to 17-3. Dalton later connected with Bart Johnson on a 22-yard scoring strike - and the rout was on.

"You have to play so darn well on the road, especially to beat a top-15 team, and we did not do that today," Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun said. "I think it's obvious when you play a top-15 team just how good they are. Offensively, I think they were really good."

Jimmy Young hauled in five passes for 100 yards for TCU, while Joseph Turner led the rushing attack with 51 yards on nine carries.