Hello Celebritys

I have finally returned from my trip of a lifetime to the Rose Bowl, and after settling down a little bit, I figured it’s time to share my thoughts on the whole experience.

The Rose Bowl exceeded all my expectations. Everyone I had talked to told me it was amazing, but it is something you have to experience for yourself to fully grasp. The setting is breathtaking, the crowd was electric, and the entire game experience was terrific. I thought going to the Fiesta Bowl last year was fun, but it doesn’t come close to how awesome the Rose Bowl is.

In the days and hours leading up to the game I was outnumbered by Wisconsin fans wherever I went. I couldn’t go to a restaurant, walk down the street, or get on an elevator without being outnumbered by at least 3-to-1. There were a few decent Badger fans, but most I encountered were arrogant, cocky, and smug. Their fan base was so confident that they were going to win the game, but I just sat back and smiled. It’s funny though, they didn’t seem to have much to say after the game was over. I couldn’t find anyone to teach me how to Bucky…

- The TCU uniforms looked outstanding. The black jersey with the purple pants was great, and the addition of the rose to the Frogs mouth on the purple helmet set everything off. The purple spat worn by the TCU players around their ankles was a nice touch also. The only negative was the cleats which caused major slipping for the Frogs. I know the field was slick, but I am not sure why longer studs weren’t tried or why a backup pair was not brought to the game. Either way, it was not good publicity for the new Nike Alpha Talons.

- The TCU fans held their own. It’s debatable whether it was 60/40 or 70/30 split in favor of the Badgers, but the Frog fans were loud! Outside of the first quarter, the Wisconsin side of the stadium was pretty quiet.

- Andy Dalton got his redemption from last year’s Fiesta Bowl. Dalton controlled the offense and played a magnificent game. Dalton won his third career bowl game Most Valuable Player award, also earning the honor in the 2007 Texas Bowl and 2008 Poinsettia Bowl. He finishes his TCU career with a 42-7 record and I don’t think you can say enough good things about the guy. Dalton finishes his career as the all-time leader in career completion percentage. Dalton also shattered the single-season completion mark, posting a 66.1 completion percentage this season. Jeff Ballard held the previous record with 61.9 in 2006. Any player who breaks records held by Sammy Baugh gets respect in my book.

- How amazing was Tank Carder? He was in the zone and laying wood all game long! Obviously no play was bigger than his deflection of Scott Tolzien’s pass on the two point conversion try. TCU fans have tabbed that play as the “Immaculate Deflection.” As great as Tank played, Tanner Brock along side of him played a very good game also.

- I can’t say enough about Jimmy Young. His catch total went down this year, but he never sulked or pouted. He just went about his business as a senior leader for this team. His hard work paid off in the Rose Bowl coming up with 5 catches for 57 yards and converting on multiple key 3^rd downs.

- Did the TCU band really choose to play “Boot Scootin Boogie” for half time? I mean come on….

- Although Jeremy Kerley didn’t have a huge impact on special teams, I am going to miss seeing him return kicks for this team. He is one of my all-time favorite Frogs and he will be missed. Kerley did have 6 catches for 58 yards though.

- The adjustments made throughout the game by the TCU coaching staff were a huge factor in this game. Wisconsin was moving the ball fairly easily in the first quarter, but it started slowing down after that. Once everyone was settled in and Patterson got a read on what the Badgers were trying to do, the Frog defense started making big plays. The use of their team speed on defense was also a key factor which enabled the TCU players to run behind blocks and catch the ball carriers from behind.

- I was very impressed with Badgers defensive end J.J. Watt. He is a great player and I see him having a lot of success at the next level.

- How many more successful fake punts do I have to see ran against TCU before Patterson does something about it? How is it that this still hasn’t been fixed? That is this team’s only issue and I don’t feel like it is that hard of a problem to solve.

- I think there are two players for the Frogs who aren’t being talked about enough, Bart Johnson and Anson Kelton. Bart had the Frogs first touchdown on a very well designed play, and also recovered the Badgers onside kick attempt. TCU punter Anson Kelton had one of his best games as a Frog. Kelton kept Wisconsin pinned deep the entire second half which gave TCU a huge advantage in the field possession battle.

- I knew it was a good sign when the paratroopers that dropped into the stadium were called the “Navy Leap Frogs”

- TCU is 16-3 in its last 19 games versus teams from conferences with automatic BCS bids and improved to 3-0 all-time against the Big Ten under head coach Gary Patterson.

- 94,118 was the largest crowd to ever see a TCU football game. The previous record was 87,439 for a 37-3 loss at Ohio State on Sept. 29, 1973

- I have to toot my own horn for a minute. Although my score prediction was wrong, I did say Andy Dalton and Tank Carder would be the players of the game. Dalton and Carder were named the Offensive and Defensive MVP's of the game.

Sights/Food/Everything else….

- Venice Beach is one of my all-time favorite places in the world. I had been there once before and it was just as cool this time around.

- As I said above, the Rose Bowl is amazing. Even though my seats were high up, I had a great view. The atmosphere and everything surrounding the game is great.

- Marina Del Rey was really nice. We have found a spot with a great view that was very cool.

- The houses in Bel Air were incredible.

- We had breakfast burritos at a place called The Corner Cottage. We had to wait 30 minutes, but it was totally worth it. Probably the best breakfast burrito I have ever had.

- In-N-Out was as delectable as ever.

- Had Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles for the first time and it totally exceeded my expectations. The chicken was delicious!

The Frogs finish 13-0 overall to cap off its second undefeated season in program history and became the first non-automatic qualifying school to play in and win the Rose Bowl. This TCU senior class finishes with 44 wins in the last four years which makes them the winningest class in school history. They deserve so much credit for where this program has gone and what it will become in the future. I have enjoyed watching Andy Dalton, Jeremy Kerley, Jake Kirkpatrick, and every other senior play for this team and it will be sad not to see them in purple next season.

I will never forget the feeling I had when the final second ticked off the Rose Bowl clock. The team running onto the field and the confetti flying into the air will be an image burned into my brain for as long as I live. It was like everyone inside the stadium wearing purple all became best friends for that moment in time. It was a great game, in an awesome stadium, with an amazing feeling that just cannot be described.

From being left for dead when the Southwest Conference broke up to Rose Bowl Champions in 2011, there hasn’t been a better time to be a Horned Frog. It feels so good to say TCU won the Rose Bowl!