Andy Dalton threw for 178 yards and three
touchdowns to lead No. 8 TCU in a 41-0 rout of UNLV in a Mountain West
Conference showdown at Carter Stadium.
Dalton finished 12-for-21 passing and also gained 53 yards on the ground for
the Horned Frogs (8-0, 4-0 MWC), who won their 12th straight home game and
10th straight overall. Ed Wesley tallied 86 yards and a score on seven carries
and also had a 21-yard TD catch in the win. Antoine Hicks had a 75-yard TD
catch, while Jeremy Kerley and Billy Pizor also caught a touchdown pass each.
Omar Clayton was a meager 8-of-21 for 38 yards and ran for another 16 yards
for the Rebels (3-6, 1-4), who have dropped five games in six tries. Mike
Clausen was the leading rusher with 65 yards on seven touches, and Ryan Wolfe
had a season-low five catches for 25 yards in defeat.
TCU outgained UNLV 578-160, including a 390-118 differential on the ground.
"This is by far the best defense we've faced all season," said UNLV head coach
Mike Sanford. "We were obviously not productive on offense, and we've got to
be able to score points and move the ball."
After holding the Rebels to a three-and-out on the game's first possession,
TCU got on the board. Skye Dawson's 16-yard run highlighted the nine-play, 57-
yard drive that culminated with Ross Evans' 29-yard field goal.
Two possessions later, the Horned Frogs tacked on to their lead. Starting at
his own 20, Dalton rushed for five yards on first down before hitting Hicks
for a 75-yard TD strike down the middle of the field. The huge play gave the
home team a 10-0 advantage with a little over four minutes left in the first.
"Every time I touch the ball, I try to do the best that I can whether it's
breaking tackles and out-running somebody," said Hicks. "We are taking things
one-by-one. Our main focus is to get a Mountain West Conference championship.
We are playing as a team, focusing and playing hard."
TCU then got the ball back early in the second stanza and again capitalized.
With the ball at their own 25, the Horned Frogs gained 16 yards on the first
two plays via a pair of Dalton scrambles. Wesley then ran to his left before
cutting across the field and dashing down the right sideline unscathed into
the end zone to make it 17-0.
Evans added a 42-yard field goal later in the second to make it 20-0 at the
break.
The Horned Frogs started the second half with a drive from their own 43. Nine
plays later, Kerley hauled in a 14-yard TD pass to balloon the difference to
27-0, which held up through the third.
Wesley caught a 21-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth to give the Horned
Frogs 34 points of breathing room.
Marcus Jackson took over behind center for TCU late in the fourth quarter and
ran for 40 yards on a 61-yard drive before hitting Pizor for a 10-yard score
that accounted for the final margin.
Game Notes
TCU is off to its best start since 2003, when it won its opening 10
games...The Horned Frogs are 54-6 over their last 60 home games...It was the
first shutout for TCU since a 37-0 win over New Mexico on November 3,
2007...It was Pizor's first career TD...It was TCU's sixth shutout victory at
home since 2003...The Rebels punted 11 times...UNLV had 69 rushing yards and
32 passing yards in the first half. Whereas TCU had 222 rushing yards and 117
passing yards over the first two frames...The win gave the Frogs their seventh
win in eight tries in the all-time series.
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