BYU football: Frogs lose shutout, but turn in another stellar defensive effort

FORT WORTH — After blanking Colorado State and Wyoming in the previous two weeks, TCU's defense had a shot at its third consecutive shutout Saturday against BYU.

It didn't happen, but the No. 4 Horned Frogs were dominant once again in their 31-3 rout of the Cougars at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

TCU kept BYU out of the end zone and limited the Cougars to only 147 yards of total offense.

Coach Gary Patterson has said shutouts don't matter so much to him. He was pleased with his team's defensive performance.

"They're paying attention and obviously, there is some accountability," Patterson said. "There is some pride about what we've done."

Last year, Patterson said, he had four or five former Frog players who are in the National Football League talk to his team going into the BYU game. This week, former TCU linebacker Daryl Washington, who plays for the Arizona Cardinals, addressed the current Frog players.

"There is a lot of pride in coming to watch our guys play and how we do things," Patterson said.

Offensively, TCU started slowly until it erupted for two touchdowns late in the first half.

"It was big. We needed to get some points on the board," Patterson said. "I kind of got the feeling they could keep in there. To be able to get those two scores and go up 17-0, I thought was really big for us. ... I think you've got to give a lot of credit to BYU in the first half. With four or five minutes left, there were only three points. We were looking for a win, that's it ... We got some breaks. I thought we played a lot better in special teams today. We're glad to come out with a win."

The Frogs rushed for only 108 yards against the Cougars. But quarterback Andy Dalton was impressive, completing 24-of-36 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns.

TCU was content to throw the ball against BYU.

"If that's what works, that's what works," Patterson said. "In ball games, you take what people give you. If they're going to stack the line of scrimmage, then you throw the ball. If they're going to play back, then you run it. It's kind of the way the game works."

With the win, TCU extended its school-record regular-season winning streak to 20 games. The Horned Frogs have won 21 of their last 22 games and are 33-3 in their last 36 contests. TCU has now won 18 straight home games.

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