No. 8 TCU gets first shutout of season
October 31, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)—Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes, Ed Wesleyscored running and catching the ball and the TCU defense smothered UNLV to getits first shutout of the season, 41-0 on Saturday.
It was another dominating performance for the eighth-ranked Horned Frogs(8-0, 4-0 Mountain West), who for now are in position to be this season’s BCSbuster.
TCU won its 10th consecutive game overall, and 12th in a row at home—aspan at Amon Carter Stadium in which the Frogs have outscored their opponents byan average margin of 43-9 since a loss to Utah two years ago. The 19th-rankedUtes will be in Fort Worth in two weeks.
UNLV (3-6, 1-4) never challenged the Horned Frogs, a week after a 38-7victory at BYU boosted them to sixth in the Bowl Championship Series standingsand past Boise State, the only other undefeated team from a non-BCS conference.
Boise State (8-0) beat San Jose State 45-7 on Saturday, the Broncos’ eighthconsecutive victory since losing to TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl last December.
UNLV managed only 160 yards, 40 of it coming on a run by backup quarterbackMike Clausen, and was shut out for the first time in 69 games—since losing 7-0to San Diego State on Nov. 8, 2003. A week ago, the Rebels ended a 20-gameMountain West road losing streak that dated to 2005 with a 34-17 win at NewMexico.
It was TCU’s sixth shutout victory at home since 2003.
Despite two lost fumbles, TCU led 17-0 early in the second quarter whenWesley took a handoff to the left, ran into a defender and reversed all the wayto the other side of the field, where he found an open lane and sprinted for a59-yard touchdown.
Wesley caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, that comingfive plays after Ryan Wolfe muffed a punt, to make it 34-0.
Wolfe, the NCAA’s active career leading receiver, was held to a season-lowfive catches for 25 yards.
Ross Evans kicked the first of his two field goals, a 29-yarder, on TCU’sopening drive.
It was 10-0 when Dalton hit Antoine Hicks for a 75-yard TD late in the firstquarter. It was the seventh TD (four receiving, three rushing) in 17 touchesthis season for Hicks, who caught the ball near the UNLV 45 and broke a tackle.
Jeremy Kerley, who returned punts for touchdowns in the previous two homegames, caught a 14-yard TD pass to cap the opening drive of the second halfafter he had a 43-yard kickoff return.
That made up for Kerley’s fumble in the first quarter, when he initially wasruled down before UNLV coach Mike Sanford challenged the call. Officialsoverturned it after a review.
Dalton lost the ball when he was stripped trying to pick up more yards aftera 17-yard pickup later in the first quarter. But UNLV went three-and-out.
Dalton finished 12-of-21 passing for 178 yards, and ran eight times for 53yards. That made him the team’s fourth-leading rusher, behind Wesley (sevencarries, 86 yards), Joseph Turner (10-64) and Matthew Tucker (9-59)
The Rebels punted 11 times, including their first nine possessions, beforean interception ended a drive.