|
|---|
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The trip to the Fiesta Bowl was fun. That fun ended as soon as the final seconds ticked off the clock and the scoreboard read Boise State- 17 TCU-10. The TCU players and fans remember what that felt like, and nobody wants that feeling again. That is why the Rose Bowl will be different.
A lot of factors led to that Fiesta Bowl loss for TCU. One, they were simply out played, and two, the matchup with Boise wasn’t great, but there is more to it than that. I think the Frogs were just happy to be there mixed in with some players being a little shell shocked. They treated the opportunity as a vacation, but it is different this time. This senior class isn’t going to Pasadena for a vacation, this is a business trip. This is about finishing what they started at TCU 4 and 5 years ago.
This team is focused and you can tell from the things being said that they mean business. The original plan was for the team to practice on Christmas Eve morning, then spend the day with their families before leaving. Those plans changed quickly.
"They asked me, 'If it's OK with you, coach, we'd like to go out there on the 22nd. We can get a chance to be home with our parents for Christmas anytime.'
"They said they wanted the practice. They wanted a tighter curfew. They're going there for one reason. They know they only get one chance."
Even Coach Patterson has said the team’s mind-set is already different than what it was for the Fiesta Bowl last season.
Patterson said the Frogs, especially the seniors, are already treating this trip to a BCS bowl differently than last season’s trip to the Fiesta Bowl, where TCU lost to Boise State.
“You only get one chance,” he said. “You’re on uncharted grounds to get to play in such a ballgame and represent and lay it all on the line. They came to TCU to play against these kinds of teams. I don’t know if we’re going to win it, but as far as the team’s mind-set it’s definitely in the right place.”
Another advantage the Frogs have this go around is BCS experience. As I said above, I believe the Frogs were nervous during the Fiesta Bowl and it showed on the field. Hell, they showed Joseph Turner throwing up as he came to the sideline. The leaders of this team now know what to anticipate from this type of game and I expect to see the Horned Frogs we have seen all season long.
Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year Tank Carder said last year's BCS experience at the Fiesta Bowl will help the Frogs focus better. The Frogs lost to Boise State 17-10 and finished 12-1.
"Last year we saw it more as a BCS game instead of just another game," Carder said. "This year we'll know how a BCS game works, so we'll be a little bit more prepared for it and go take care of business."
The breadth of history surrounding the Rose Bowl, which began in 1902, was not lost on Dalton, who will finish his record-setting career in the "Granddaddy of Them All."
"There's a lot of motivation," said Dalton, who threw three interceptions in last January's Fiesta Bowl. "To show people I can play in a game like this. [Last season] didn't end how I wanted it to, personally. This will be a great place to end it."
It is time to get this bad taste out of our mouths.
Go Frogs!!!
0 Comments:
