Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Frogs Report Card
The Skiff reviews Saturday's 27-24 Horned Frogs' loss.

Passing offense - B+

Junior receiver LaTarence Dunbar finally had his break-out game. The athletic receiver caught five passes for 112 yards and scored two big touchdowns. With the running game struggling, the Frogs needed a big game from Dunbar and junior quarterback Casey Printers, and got it. Printers threw for a 263 yards and three touchdowns, both season highs.

Rushing offense - D+

A week after the Frogs ground game had its best game of the season, the Frogs followed it up with arguably its worst. The Frogs averaged a mere 2.4 yards a carry and were unable to eat up the clock. The Frogs lost the time of possession battle, 34:03 to 25:57. In a game in which the opposing offense is having no trouble moving the ball, it is key for the running game take over to keep the defense off the field. It didn’t happen, and the Frogs lost as a result.

Passing defense - F

Giving up 326 passing yards — to a Division I-AA team — isn’t going to win a lot of games. Demons’ quarterback Craig Nall, a transfer from LSU, had his way with the Frogs’ defense. Even when the Frogs put him under pressure, Nall was able to find open receivers. When the Frogs needed to shut down Nall in the fourth quarter to secure a victory, they couldn’t do it.

Rushing defense - C-

Allowing 121 rushing yards didn’t help the Frogs’ cause either. To TCU’s credit, it took the Demons 43 carries to do it, a 2.8 yards a carry average. The Frogs needed tough run defense in the fourth quarter, and didn’t get it. On the Demons’ first drive of the fourth quarter, running back Jeremy Lofton ran for 31 yards on six carries to get Northwestern State in the red zone. If the Frogs had stopped Lofton on that drive, there is a chance they could have won the game.

Special teams - C-

A blocked punt and field goal can be deadly in a close ball game. Had sophomore place-kicker Nick Browne’s field goal attempt not been blocked, the Frogs would have had a chance to win the game. Otherwise, the Frogs had a solid game in special teams, highlighted by a 40-yard kick return from Dunbar.