--DT James Vess' return gives TCU a dynamic interior presence. Coach Gary Patterson says his absence last season was a bigger loss than that of Tommy Blake because Vess' replacement was an inexperienced freshman. Vess was up to nearly 900 pounds on squats and 500 on the bench press in offseason workouts.

--QB Andy Dalton continued his learning process in limiting turnovers in the spring. He hooked up on a 20-yard TD pass with TE Shae Reagan during the annual spring game. It was the first time in at least a few years, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that TCU's first-team offense scored a touchdown on the first-team defense.

SPRING MOVERS
LB Daryl Washington has the best session of any player, coach Gary Patterson said, comparing his athletic ability for his position to that of former TCU greats LaDainian Tomlinson and Aaron Schobel. Patterson adds that he's as good or better at coverage skills than any of the Frogs' CBs or safeties.

RB Chris Smith emerged as a ball-carrying threat in spring practice, filling in for Joseph Turner, who was sidelined while he recovers from a knee injury. Smith gives the Frogs another between-the-tackles bruiser to complement Aaron Brown's burst around the edges.

TE Shae Reagan looked impressive after being sidelined for the majority of '07 games with a broken leg against Wyoming. He's listed at 261 pounds but still runs a 4.6 40-yard dash.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"It wouldn't be my pick, but one thing I like is if I'm going to start the season with a conference game, I want it to be a good game because I know our kids will get ready for it and they were excited about seeing that we're going to play a team the level of New Mexico. Anytime we've started with a high-level game, they've worked so hard in the summer time to get ready for those kinds of games." -- Coach Gary Patterson, on facing New Mexico in next season's opener.

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