Hello Celebritys

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.

Star-Telegram.com

"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.

Star-Telegram.com

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.

Star-Telegram.com

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!!!

Not sure if this shirt is being sold by the University or a separate company, but I found this Boise State t-shirt rather amusing.

Boise State has won the game and when you have scoreboard, you can do these types of things. I still think it’s a little amateur though. Oh well, just wanted to post this up on a slow Sunday afternoon.

At least we don’t live in Idaho…

Not sure if this shirt is being sold by the University or a separate company, but I found this Boise State t-shirt rather amusing.

Boise State has won the game and when you have scoreboard, you can do these types of things. I still think it’s a little amateur though. Oh well, just wanted to post this up on a slow Sunday afternoon.

At least we don’t live in Idaho…

I am home from the disappointment that was the Fiesta Bowl and after a fifteen hour drive that included going through the toilet of Texas that is known as West Texas, I have a few thoughts on the TCU loss.

- What happened to TCU’s running game? Why did the Frogs only run the ball twenty times? TCU’s two best running backs combined for 8 carries TOTAL! The Frogs had success on the ground in last year’s Poinsettia Bowl against Boise State but completely abandoned it in this game.

- Another problem with the lack of a running game was… where was the wildcat? Boise State did a great job of getting the ball into their playmakers hands. You have to at least get Jeremy Kerley a few snaps from the backfield. He has the greatest big play potential of all players on this team.

- To go along with the lack of a running game, TCU tried to turn Andy Dalton into Kellen Moore. There was absolutely NO reason to have Dalton throwing the ball 44 times.

- The play calling was atrocious. TCU ran way too many screens and draws. There was one series inside Boise State territory where the Frogs ran two straight QB draws and a bubble screen on third down. Seriously?

- It is hard to win a game when you lose the turnover battle. TCU turned the ball over way too often, and also had a lot of untimely penalties.

- What happened to the Frogs receivers hands? It looked as if we had a team full of Roy Williams’.

- I should have seen this coming. TCU has a heart breaking loss every season, and this one wasn’t the exception. If it’s not Southern Miss its SMU, if it’s not SMU, its Utah. It goes on and on. Every time we get close to accomplishing something, we fall apart.

- I really don’t want to hear any more of this TCU can’t travel crap you BCS homers like to throw around. TCU sold out their allotment of tickets and traveled deep to Glendale. There were 20,000+ TCU fans in attendance and the Frogs section was just as packed as the Boise State designated sections. The TV numbers were also good. The Fiesta Bowl drew a 8.2 and the Orange Bowl between Georgia Tech and Iowa drew a 7.1.

- In N Out Burger was delicious!

Overall, I had a great time in Arizona until the game ended. I am still embarrassed and disgusted from what I saw on the field Monday night. My biggest problem is I know TCU is better than that. They played better than that all season long. This was the Frogs opportunity to show the country on National TV that they could play quality football, and we laid an egg. I am also sickened that TCU let a Boise State fake punt change the game. Everyone knows they run those types of plays and the team should have been prepared for those things.

To put a positive spin on it, as bad as TCU played, and as many turnovers as we had, the Frogs were still in the game until the final minute. The defense played good. They were able to hold the high powered Boise State offense to 10 points. Unfortunately, the Frogs offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. In my opinion, three plays changed this game… the pick six thrown by Dalton, the fake punt by Boise State, and the dropped touchdown by Antoine Hicks. If one of those plays goes the other way, it could have been a different game.

I am now trying to recover from this loss, but it is not easy. A great thing to think about though, is that this team is young and returning a lot of starters. TCU will be right back in the mix next year and I expect nothing less. This season has been one of the most fun to follow since I have been a Frog fan and I appreciate the ride this team took me on.

Go Frogs!

I am home from the disappointment that was the Fiesta Bowl and after a fifteen hour drive that included going through the toilet of Texas that is known as West Texas, I have a few thoughts on the TCU loss.

- What happened to TCU’s running game? Why did the Frogs only run the ball twenty times? TCU’s two best running backs combined for 8 carries TOTAL! The Frogs had success on the ground in last year’s Poinsettia Bowl against Boise State but completely abandoned it in this game.

- Another problem with the lack of a running game was… where was the wildcat? Boise State did a great job of getting the ball into their playmakers hands. You have to at least get Jeremy Kerley a few snaps from the backfield. He has the greatest big play potential of all players on this team.

- To go along with the lack of a running game, TCU tried to turn Andy Dalton into Kellen Moore. There was absolutely NO reason to have Dalton throwing the ball 44 times.

- The play calling was atrocious. TCU ran way too many screens and draws. There was one series inside Boise State territory where the Frogs ran two straight QB draws and a bubble screen on third down. Seriously?

- It is hard to win a game when you lose the turnover battle. TCU turned the ball over way too often, and also had a lot of untimely penalties.

- What happened to the Frogs receivers hands? It looked as if we had a team full of Roy Williams’.

- I should have seen this coming. TCU has a heart breaking loss every season, and this one wasn’t the exception. If it’s not Southern Miss its SMU, if it’s not SMU, its Utah. It goes on and on. Every time we get close to accomplishing something, we fall apart.

- I really don’t want to hear any more of this TCU can’t travel crap you BCS homers like to throw around. TCU sold out their allotment of tickets and traveled deep to Glendale. There were 20,000+ TCU fans in attendance and the Frogs section was just as packed as the Boise State designated sections. The TV numbers were also good. The Fiesta Bowl drew a 8.2 and the Orange Bowl between Georgia Tech and Iowa drew a 7.1.

- In N Out Burger was delicious!

Overall, I had a great time in Arizona until the game ended. I am still embarrassed and disgusted from what I saw on the field Monday night. My biggest problem is I know TCU is better than that. They played better than that all season long. This was the Frogs opportunity to show the country on National TV that they could play quality football, and we laid an egg. I am also sickened that TCU let a Boise State fake punt change the game. Everyone knows they run those types of plays and the team should have been prepared for those things.

To put a positive spin on it, as bad as TCU played, and as many turnovers as we had, the Frogs were still in the game until the final minute. The defense played good. They were able to hold the high powered Boise State offense to 10 points. Unfortunately, the Frogs offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. In my opinion, three plays changed this game… the pick six thrown by Dalton, the fake punt by Boise State, and the dropped touchdown by Antoine Hicks. If one of those plays goes the other way, it could have been a different game.

I am now trying to recover from this loss, but it is not easy. A great thing to think about though, is that this team is young and returning a lot of starters. TCU will be right back in the mix next year and I expect nothing less. This season has been one of the most fun to follow since I have been a Frog fan and I appreciate the ride this team took me on.

Go Frogs!