This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
BYU vs. TCU Brigham Young's defense played host to Jeff Ballard's coming-out party 366 days ago, allowing the Texas Christian quarterback to engineer a stunning rally that ended successfully in overtime.
Since coming off the bench in the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Ballard has never lost. With an 11-0 record as a starter, he trails only Sam Baugh (12) for most consecutive wins by a TCU quarterback.
Overall, going into Thursday night's conference game against Brigham Young, the Horned Frogs own the nation's longest consecutive winning streak at 13 games.
With his team behind 34-17, Ballard relieved the injured Ty Gunn in the third quarter. He engineered touchdowns on all five possessions.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing them again," said BYU cornerback Justin Robinson. "We had them last year and kind of had a letdown. This year they're a good team again, but we're a good team as well."
The Cougars pointed to injuries for last year's demise. In the second half of the game more than half of the starters on defense were sidelined.
Aside from Robinson (knee) and safety Dustin Gabriel (shoulder), BYU's defense is expected to be healthy this week. Combined with personnel moves, BYU has changed from a 3-3-5 defense to a 3-4.
"When we played them we were just ravaged with injuries," said safety Quinn Gooch. "They're going to get a different team. They're going to see a different style, different scheme, different players."
Without question, TCU will see an improved defense. Through four games, BYU's starting defense has allowed seven touchdowns this season.
The Cougars allowed at least five touchdowns in five games last season. BYU, which didn't allow a point Saturday to Utah State, is coming off its first shutout in seven years.
"It's always awesome when a team shuts somebody out," said linebacker Kelly Poppinga. "How often does that happen? It's great to get a zero up on the scoreboard."
Considering the inept offense, it happens almost weekly to the Aggies. But after frustrating losses to Arizona and Boston College, the Cougars have regained confidence.
Playing TCU, which is ranked No. 17, provides BYU another chance to make a national splash. The Cougars haven't beat a ranked team since 1999.
"We're starting our conference play," said linebacker Aaron Wagner. "This is when it's really, really going to count."
With a short week, BYU's coaches began preparing for TCU shortly after the Utah State game ended. Following BYU rules by not practicing Sunday, the Cougars will have three days to ready for the game.
They will practice in Provo on Wednesday and then travel to Forth Worth. The Horned Frogs haven't played since beating Texas Tech on Sept. 16.
"It's changed quite dramatically," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said of this week's practice schedule. "It's shortened. It's mostly team work, very little individual."
BYU will welcome back starting center Sete Aulai, who was suspended one game for violating team rules. Jake Kuresa moved from guard to center against USU, but he suffered a sprained knee early in the game.
The injury is similar to one he had against Arizona four weeks ago. Kuresa sat out most of practice the next week but played against Tulsa.
Quarterback John Beck and fullback Manase Tonga, who both missed the last game for injury reasons, are expected to be back this week.