TCU showed a new vulnerability in its otherwise dominating win over UNLV on Saturday night (and Sunday morning)—Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley each fumbled the ball, each deep in Rebel territory. (Tucker’s fumble at the UNLV 1 was a questionable call, but given the litany of disparities in the matchup, it would be ungentlemanly to press the issue.) Otherwise, there just isn’t much to say about this win, other than that this effort won't cut it in Salt Lake City.
TCU played well, even if distracted by the monstrous matchup ahead this weekend. The Frogs did not punt once, for the second week in a row. TCU converted nine of 13 third- and fourth-downs. Had Tucker and Wesley held on the ball, the final score certainly would have been at least a touchdown more lopsided.
UNLV is a bad team, and was worse than usual on Saturday—it’s offensive line had been shuffled minutes before kickoff due to an injury. TCU’s defensive front included lots of minutes for Braylon Broughton and D.J. Yendrey at tackle, in Kelly Griffin’s absence. Big B and "Little" D.J. Yendrey played well enough, but will need to improve with Utah upcoming. (About which, see more in a day or two).
UNLV receiver Michael Johnson was effective against TCU’s otherwise-number-one passing defense. But nothing else worked for the Rebels, who even missed the extra point on their only score. The rebuild in Las Vegas is a work; whether or not it is a work in progress remains to be seen.