This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Senior quarterback Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes and TCU dominated its battle for positioning near the top of the Bowl Championship Series rankings Saturday with a 47-7 victory over Utah on Saturday at Rice Eccles Stadium.
The Horned Frogs improved to 10-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Mountain West Conference by scoring the game's first 40 points against Utah, which slipped to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in league play.
On a gloriously warm and sunny autumn afternoon, the Horned Frogs began the scoring by taking the opening kickoff and driving 80 yards in nine plays.
On third-and-six at the Utah 26, Dalton beat a blitz and hit redshirt freshman Josh Boyce for a touchdown with 10:14 left in the first quarter.
TCU made it 14-0 late when the Frogs took over at their own seven and, on first down, Dalton hit Boyce for a stunning 93-yard touchdown late in the opening quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Frogs recovered a fumble by Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn.
Then, on first down, receiver Jeremy Kerley took a direct snap and hit Bart Johnson over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown.
Kicker Ross Evans missed the extra point, but the Frogs still owned 20-0 lead with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.
It got worse for the Utes, whose defense entered the game allowing only 14.1 points per game.
With 7:55 left in the half, Evans made amends for his missed conversion when he drilled a 24-yard field goal, giving TCU a 23-0 lead.
At halftime, the Frogs had already gained 328 yards of offense against a Utah defense that allowed an average of 267.8 yards in the first eight games of the season.
Dalton completed 12 of 14 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. By comparison, Wynn was 10 of 21 for 70 yards.
Needing a quick start in the second half, Utah got just the opposite. Only 40 seconds into the third quarter, TCU extended its lead to 30-0.
On the first play after a Wynn pass was intercepted and returned to the Utah four, Horned Frog running back Ed Wesley raced around the left side for a touchdown.
TCU bumped its lead to 40-0 on Dalton's 16-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Young with 5:33 left in the third quarter and a 24-yard field goal by Evans two plays into the fourth quarter.
On the possession after Evans' field goal, Utah finally scored on Wynn's 19-yard touchdown pass to Matt Asiata, which allowed the Utes to avoid their first home shutout since 1967.
For the boxscore from the game, click here: http://bit.ly/afP6Yk