Grading the Frogs - Defensive Line
So I don’t want to brag, but I get asked a lot about TCU football. Even in the offseason. As each offseason tends to wind down and the regular season nears, I start to get more popular. One question I always get is, “what’s the strength of TCU this year?” Before last season I told everybody to watch the defensive line. Getting James McFarland back from injury plus senior years for Aaron Curry and Josh Carraway led me to believe this would be the strength of this team. Overall, It was definitely a strength. The Frogs led the Big 12 in sacks and were tied for eighth nationally in the category with 43. There were definitely games where opposing offensive lines handled this unit with ease, but on the whole, this phase of the game was a strength.
Grade: A
Josh Carraway
Carraway had better stats in 2015, but still led the team in sacks with eight in 2016. He added 49 tackles, 11 for loss, five quarterback hurries and forced a fumble. He was looked at as one of the leaders of this team and served the role dutifully. It’s going to be hard to replace his energy. He made plenty of big plays this season and definitely reduced the really unfortunate penalties from his previous seasons.
Grade: A
James McFarland
McFarland missed all of 2015 with an injury and it may have seemed like he wasn’t as active this year as he was in 2014. His numbers were considerably down, but I don’t know if that’s as much an effect of the injury or the fact that players around him may have passed him. Like Carraway, McFarland was a senior leader and you can’t measure all of that effect on the box score. He had 35 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two sacks and six hurries this season. In 2014 he had a pick-six in the Peach Bowl, 41 tackles, 12 for a loss, seven sacks and three forced fumbles.
Grade: B-
Aaron Curry
For the step back that McFarland appeared to take, Curry took a leap forward his senior year. He led the defensive lineman in tackles and that’s a bit harder to do deep in the trenches at defensive tackle. Curry saw most of his production early in the season, but still compiled 50 tackles, nine for loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble, all career highs.
Grade: A
Chris Bradley
Bradley’s numbers didn’t increase as drastically as Curry’s, but he did improve in every facet. He’s going to have to be the senior leader at the defensive tackle position next year and he seems poised for an even bigger year in 2017. Two-thirds of his tackles came in seven Big 12 games. He finished with 31 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, all career highs.
Grade: B
Mat Boesen
Allow me to toot my horn again, I pegged Boesen as the incoming player to have the biggest impact on the Frogs this season. I nailed that one I think. He was touted as a high-energy guy and that was the case. When he was on the field, he appeared to always be around the ball carrier, especially around the quarterback. He finished with 29 tackles, eight for loss, six sacks and two forced fumbles. And he missed the first two games. He’s going to be a senior this year and expects to step into a starting role.
Grade: A
Tipa Galeai
After being the scrawny local kid that got a surprising about of playing time as a true freshman, Galeai blossomed into a solid defensive end option. He suffered a scary looking injury against the Baylor game and missed the rest of the regular season, but returned for the Liberty Bowl where he had a strip sack. He finished with 24 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Fun fact, he may also be the Frogs’ long-snapper next season.
Grade: B+
Joe Broadnax
Probably the quietest of the Horned Frogs, Broadnax really stepped his game up in his sophomore year. He picked up the defense quick as a freshman and forced his way on to the field late last season. This year, it was hard to get him off the field as he played in each regular season game. He finished with 23 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks. He may be starting among the Killer B’s next season with Boesen, Bradley and redshirt freshman Brandon Bowen.
Grade: B+
L.J. Collier
A similar story to Broadnax is Collier, who came on strong as a freshman at defensive end, but moved to tackle this year. He performed well in his new role with 21 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. Collier and Broadnax will be competing for starting spots this season.
Grade: B+
Brandon Bowen, Semaj Thomas, Gary Overshown, Ross Blacklock, Ben Banogu, Isaiah Chambers
I’m just including all of these guys in one category because next season I’m going to again be raving about the defensive line. Bowen played two games before an injury ended his season. He, Blacklock and Chambers are among the highest rated recruits in TCU history and all took a redshirt this year along with Overshown. Thomas is moving over from linebacker and Banogu is a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe. This group of guys plus the returners next year means TCU should lead the Big 12 in sacks again next year.
Grade: Incomplete