The expectations of 2007 in the rear-view mirror, TCU is hoping to again sneak up on the competition and quietly put up a double-digit win total like it did in four of the previous five years. The Frogs "slumped" to an 8-5 finish last season.

The medical saga of defensive end Tommy Blake and the inexperience at the quarterback position saddled the Horned Frogs with a 4-4 record before they finally began to resemble the team picked to win the Mountain West Conference championship in 2007. They won four of their last five games.

"We had a lot of distractions last year," coach Gary Patterson says. "We probably have more team chemistry right now than we've had the past two seasons. We went 8-5 one year, 11-2 the other. We're not as flashy a team this year, as far as big names, but it's the kind of team I'd like to have, anyway."

TCU, however, still has speedy tailback Aaron Brown, who's healthy after knee and ankle injuries, and one of the league's offensive coordinators calls linebacker Jason Phillips the best defensive player in the MWC. So it isn't exactly devoid of name talent.

Still, the Frogs teams that won 10 and 11 games were the ones that created turnovers on defense and held on to the football on offense. The maturation of quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Marcus Jackson should facilitate the latter. The return of defensive tackle James Vess after a year out because of what Patterson says was a violation of school policy could help the defense create more takeaways.

TCU will rely on inexperienced players at punter and kicker, which could define the difference between a good season and a great season in 2008.

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