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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- LaDainian Tomlinson executed the game
plan to perfection for No. 14 Texas Christian.
The more Tomlinson ran, the less Hawaii and its young arm would
have the ball.
|  | | TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson already gained 974 yards on 168 carries this season. |
Tomlinson had 294 yards -- the highest total in the country this
season -- and four touchdowns on a school-record 49 carries as the
Horned Frogs extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 41-21
victory over Hawaii on Saturday.
"He happens to be the guy we pitch to on the option and the guy
we hand it to when we run inside," TCU coach Dennis Franchione
said. "If it wasn't him, it would be somebody else standing there
getting those opportunities. We just did what we needed to do."
As Tomlinson kept running, the Horned Frogs (5-0, 2-0 WAC) kept
possession of the ball for nearly 41 minutes. TCU got 393 of its
484 total yards on the ground.
Hawaii freshman Timmy Chang, who threw for 313 yards in his
starting debut a week earlier in a loss to Tulsa, still managed 266
yards and three touchdowns -- two of them in the first quarter --
while completing 18 of 44 passes.
Tomlinson had 196 yards and three touchdowns by halftime, when
he had 30 carries -- just four short of an NCAA record for a half.
"When he had 30 carries at halftime, I was thinking, `Boy, I'm
running my horse.' I didn't want him to get him too tired, but he
can handle it. He's used to doing those things," Franchione said.
Tomlinson went on to break his own school record for carries and
increase his career rushing total to 4,079 yards.
"At the end of the first half, my body told me I was carrying
the ball a lot," Tomlinson said. "Man, I'm going to feel it in
the morning."
The last time TCU (5-0, 2-0 WAC) won 10 straight games was
during a school-record 14-game winning streak in 1937-38. The
Horned Frogs are 5-0 for the first time since 1942.
Even though its 384 total yards and 21 points were the most
against this year against TCU, which allowed just 6.75 points and
199 yards per game its first four, Hawaii (0-4, 0-3) remains
winless after a breakthrough 9-4 record last season.
"We played hard, but we missed some assignments on defense that
gave them big plays," said Hawaii coach June Jones. "They're a
good football team and you almost have to play a perfect game to
beat them. And we didn't do that."
The 294 yards -- the highest total in the country this season --
ranked as just the third-best rushing game in Tomlinson's career.
He ran for 300 yards against San Jose State last Oct. 9, and then
followed that six games later with an NCAA I-A-record 406 yards
against Texas-El Paso.
Tomlinson broke the season high of 293 set by Wisconsin's
Michael Bennett in the Badgers' overtime loss to Northwestern two
weeks ago.
Tomlinson touched the ball on 14 of the first 16 TCU plays as
the Horned Frogs went ahead 14-7 on his first two touchdown runs.
After Hawaii needed just two passes to go 80 yards on the
opening drive of the play, Tomlinson carried six times for 41 yards
and caught a pass for 6 more as TCU went 49 yards on eight plays on
its first drive. Tomlinson scored on a 19-yard run, bouncing around
the left end untouched after getting a block along the line.
Tomlinson's 1-yard TD four minutes later ended an eight-play, 54
yard drive on which he ran for 53 yards on seven carries.
The Horned Frogs went ahead to stay when Chris Kaylakie kicked a
42-yard field goal with 12:12 left in the second quarter to make it
17-14. Tomlinson added a 6-yard TD, going virtually untouched off
left tackle, with 1:17 before halftime.
On the final scoring drive of the first half, Tomlinson
converted a third-and-8 with a 45-yard run. He took an option pitch
left broke into the open, carrying defensive back Feiamma Armstrong
on his back for 15 yards after he first was hit.
Chang threw a 22-yard TD pass to Channon Harris on the second
play of the game as Hawaii took a quick 7-0 lead.
That was set up by some trickery on the opening play when Chang,
after handing off, took a pitchback and found Harris wide open for
a 58-yard gain. Harris would have scored then if not for the
underthrown pass that forced him to stand and wait for the ball as
defenders caught on to what was happening.
After Tomlinson's second TD run, Chang took Hawaii right back
down the field with a five-play, 75-yard drive to tie it at 14.
Chang completed all three of his passes on that drive, capped by
his 33-yard TD strike to Ashley Lelie.
Lelie caught a 15-yard TD pass from Chang with 4:20 left in the
game.
George Layne scored on a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter,
ending an 11-play, 88-yard drive that gave TCU a 31-14 lead.
Tomlinson added a 2-yard TD run in the opening minute of the fourth
quarter.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Hawaii Clubhouse
TCU Clubhouse
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