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TCU Horned Frogs go from bust to BCS-bowl buster in 12 seasons
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TCU senior Ryan Christian (18), an Aledo grad, played his final regular-season game Saturday against New Mexicao State. COURTESY IMAGE/DERIK MOORE
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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU has gone from nearly a total bust to becoming a BCS buster — after 12 seasons and some near-misses.
Now, finally, purple perfection with a 12-0 regular season that will send the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs into the Bowl Championship Series.
“Real cool. For me, this is 12 years,” coach Gary Patterson said. “It’s been a process. We haven’t tried to do it fast, we tried to do it the right way ... so we could build it for a long time.”
The Horned Frogs had just finished 1-10 in 1997 when Patterson arrived as the defensive coordinator with a new staff. They capped their first season with a win over Southern California in the Sun Bowl and had already had their first flirtation with the BCS by time he replaced departed head coach Dennis Franchione three years later.
There was a 10-0 start in 2003 and the one-loss team two years later, when the Frogs were left to wonder what might have been had they not lost at SMU the week after upsetting Oklahoma in the season opener. They won 11 games four of the past six seasons.
“We’ve been close three or four times,” Patterson said. “We finally were able to do the things that we needed to do.”
While leaving no questions about whether they belong in one of the big-money bowl games.
“Just our record, see how we won games, really should prove it,” quarterback Andy Dalton said.
The Horned Frogs (12-0, 8-0) wrapped up their first undefeated regular season since 1938, their only AP national championship, with a 51-10 victory Saturday over New Mexico that clinched the outright Mountain West title.
Their 14th consecutive victory matched the seven decade-old school record, with the last seven wins all by at least 27 points — a stretch including BYU and Utah, last year’s BCS buster. The Horned Frogs scored more than 50 points three of the last four games, and four times overall this season.
“It’s overwhelming,” running back Joseph Turner said. “Think about everything we’ve done, it’s just mind-blowing.”
Dalton matched a career high against New Mexico with four touchdown passes, three in a 2½-minute span early in the second quarter that made it 30-0, after he had already run for a score. His 29th victory as TCU’s starter matched the school record set by “Slingin’ Sammy” Baugh from 1934-36.
“Everybody wants flash. That guy is 23-2 in the last two years, won a lot of football games. He’s been to some tough places. I’m sure glad he’s only a junior,” Patterson said. “A lot of this team comes back, so I’m very excited about that point too.”
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Parker County Sports Schedule - Week of Feb. 8
Tuesday, February 9
Boys Basketball
Weatherford at Richland, 7:30 p.m.
Springtown at Aledo, 7:30 pm.
Peaster vs. Millsap, 7:30 p.m.
Brock vs. Chico, 8 p.m.
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Local briefs - Feb. 7, 2010
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Staff Report
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WHS wrestlers place second in district meet, nine headed to regional tourney
