NCAA Football FanHouse

Texas Bowl Dreams Big, Goes Local

Charles Rich — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Houston Football, TCU Football

The Texas Bowl has aspirations. They want to see the Cotton Bowl move into the BCS rotation and then the Houston-based bowl can grab the Cotton Bowl's prestige. They want the not even 3-year old bowl to be a New Years Day game. Heck, they've moved the 2008 bowl game to December 30.

Of course to get that spot takes more than just throwing money -- well, that helps a lot -- they have to make sure they fill the stands for the bowl games. That's the problem.

For all their dreams, the Texas Bowl is a regional draw. It isn't a destination location like the bowls in Florida and California. To get people to attend, they need to feature teams that are geographically relevant (read: have strong alumni affiliations in the Houston area and/or local). Last year they featured TCU and Houston and drew over 62,000. The year before with K-State and Rutgers, they got a bit over 52,000.

Now the Big 12 has that, and that's why they are happy to take the 8th team from that conference. The problem was they also had affiliated with the Big East -- which just seemed ill-fitting for a bowl that proclaims itself as "a celebration of the culture, heritage and football tradition of the Lone Star State." Yes, UConn and Cinci would be perfect representatives

The Big East also recognized the problem and decided to disengage from the Texas Bowl. Instead Conference USA will be the contributing conference this year along with the Big 12. The Mountain West and occasionally Navy will be in the rotation. Between the MWC and C-USA they have shots at getting schools in Texas: TCU, Houston, Rice (okay, a longshot), UTEP and SMU. Not to mention a lot more schools within the region.

Texas Bowl Dreams Big, Goes Local originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memo to This Year's Eventual National Champion: Savor It

Brian Grummell — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:00 EST

Filed under: LSU Football, Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Ohio State Football, USC Football, The Word, TCU Football

Interesting find in Olin Buchanan's Mailbag this week at Rivals.com: a trend has emerged in college football whereby teams winning a title ending in any year ending in an 8 experience a long, painful championship drought.

Recent victims: Notre Dame has not won a title since 1988. USC waited until 2003 after claiming the 1978 crown. Ohio State endured a more than 30-year wait between their 1968 and 2002 crowns. Scary stuff here.

Everyone wants a championship, but maybe it's a devil's bargain in reaching for this year's title?

Other victims of years ending in "8":

TCU was named the Associated Press national champion in 1938 - the third year of the poll - and even though players such as Bob Lilly and LaDainian Tomlinson have since come through Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs have not won another crown.

Michigan won in 1948 and did not win another national title until 1997, and that one was split with Nebraska. The '58 champion was LSU, which waited 45 years before celebrating another national championship.

Ok so maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing for TCU to win a championship this year. They've waited long enough, maybe another drought is worth the price of ending the current agony.

Memo to This Year's Eventual National Champion: Savor It originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wait, The Texas Bowl Was Tonight?

Charles Rich — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Houston Football, TCU Football

Last year at this time, there were threats of Congressional hearings, and all sorts of complaints over the NFL Network airing the Texas Bowl. Freezing out the fans of Rutgers and Kansas State lacking the channel (read: most cable subscribers), leading to last minute deals to show the game.

This year, nothing. No noise. No national outrage.

That of course may have had something to do with the retro-Southwest Conference feel of a Houston-TCU match-up. It probably helped ticket sales at Reliant Stadium in Houston, but outside of Texas very little interest.

The NFL Network, however, couldn't have been too happy. The lack of any broader appeal outside of Texas and teams from Conference USA and the Mountain West combined with the limited reach of the NFL Network; made this the bowl game of little consequence and completely forgotten.

TCU won the game 20-13. Houston hasn't won a bowl game since the unlamented Garden State Bowl victory over Navy in 1980. All of which, was little more than a footnote in this bowl season.

Wait, The Texas Bowl Was Tonight? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And TCU Fades From the 2007 National Scene

Charles Rich — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:33:00 EST

Filed under: Mountain West, Air Force Football, TCU Football

TCU came into this season with visions of being this year's Boise State. They had non-conference games with three BCS conference schools (sure that includes Stanford and Baylor, but they still count, sort of) to bolster their resume. They were ranked in the preseason top-25.

Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, the dream died this past Saturday when the Longhorns took them apart in the second half. The hangover apparently didn't dissipate in time for a Thursday night road game.

TCU lost on the road at Air Force 20-17 in Overtime. A sloppy and painful in-conference loss as TCU blew a 17-3 lead in the 4th quarter. TCU found itslef unable to kill time with an ineffective running game that couldn't even crack 100 yards on 34 attempts. It marks the first time TCU has lost to Air Force or any of the service academies under head coach Gary Patterson.

Sure Michigan and Notre Dame each starting out 0-2 has been the big story. A huge dosage of schadenfreude to start the college football season as the respected fanbases are humbled. TCU, by contrast, will be largely overlooked and at most dismissed as another non-BCS team that couldn't live up to their hype.

And TCU Fades From the 2007 National Scene originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tommy Blake Is Back - Woe Prevails Across the Mountain West

Brian Grummell — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:50:00 EST

Filed under: Mountain West, TCU Football

It's the year of the Houdini act for college football stars. Our most recent "now you see him, now you don't" star is TCU's defensive terror, Tommy Blake. We're happy to report Blake is back in camp.

"This was a lot of different things," [TCU coach Gary] Patterson said. "I gave him a little time to work things out and now we'll have to play it by ear. He had good practices up to the point he left, and we'll go from here."

It sounds like Blake is still a flight threat as TCU plays it by ear. He joins Oregon State receiver Sammie Stroughter and Nebraska tailback Marlon Lucky (hospitalized in the summer) as mysterious departures from their teams. All appear to be returning to form. I appear to be returning to scratching my head.

Previously at FanHouse:
Tommy Blake Goes MIA at TCU

Tommy Blake Is Back - Woe Prevails Across the Mountain West originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tommy Blake Goes MIA at TCU

Brian Grummell — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:13:00 EST

Filed under: Mountain West, TCU Football

Just ... weird. If the odd disappearance of Sammi "Where's Sammie?" Stroughter at Oregon State wasn't enough, pay attention to this one.

Preseason All America defensive end Tommy Blake has left TCU.

Officially, preseason All-American Blake was absent from the Frogs' two practices Thursday because of "personal reasons." He also missed the afternoon workout Tuesday and a single practice Wednesday.
"Is he still on the team?"" [TCU coach Gary] Patterson asked Thursday, repeating the rumor of the day. "Yes, he is."

Instead of being on the practice field, however, as the Frogs prepare for their Sept. 1 season opener against Baylor, Blake was back in his hometown of Aransas Pass, reportedly trying to sort things out.

"Up to practice No. 11, he was perfect," Patterson said. "Unbelievable."

And the next day, it seems, an NFL scout from the Jets showed up to watch Blake practice. And a scout from the Titans. And from the Saints, the Broncos, the Giants and the Bills.
The attention, witnesses say, appeared to bother Tommy.

Apparently! Hopefully Blake can work through all of this, but yikes. NFL millions await him, although this has to send a major red flag to higher-ups in the pressure-packed league.

(H/T: Burnt Orange Nation)

Tommy Blake Goes MIA at TCU originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Major College Athletic Departments Issued Subpoenas in Loan Probe

Brian Grummell — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:49:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Georgia Tech Football, Kansas Football, Louisville Football, Oregon Football, Pittsburgh Football, UCLA Football, UCF Football, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB Scandal, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Texas, Arkansas State Football, Bowling Green Football, Central Michigan Football, Colorado State Football, East Carolina Football, Florida Atlantic Football, Houston Football, Ohio Football, Oregon State Football, South Florida Football, TCU Football, Tulane Football, UAB Football, UTEP Football

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued subpoenas for 39 collegiate athletic departments in a probe of their relationships with student loan providers. At its most basic, this investigation is asking whether or not cash, kickbacks, gifts and other bribes or misleading measures were communicated between various student loan providers and the cited athletic departments.

Cuomo is investigating whether athletic departments at these universities agreed to promote SFS loans to students in exchange for kickbacks.

"Students trust their University's athletic departments because so much of campus life at Division I schools centers around supporting the home team," said Cuomo. "To betray this trust by promoting loans in exchange for money is a serious issue, especially when Division I schools already generate tremendous revenue from their student athletes. Today's action is an important new step as we continue to examine the unethical conflicts that pervade the student loan industry.

"The Attorney General's office is specifically investigating whether athletic departments evaluated UFS interest rates before recommending their federal loans, or if their endorsement of UFS was based purely on payments from the lender. Such an arrangement would constitute revenue sharing, which is a violation New York state consumer protection laws, as well as a violation of federal law.

D-IA football schools named (prominent schools in bold): Arkansas State, Auburn, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Colorado State, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, Ohio, Oregon State, Rutgers, TCU, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham, UCLA, UCF, Houston, Kansas, Louisville, Oregon, Pittsburgh, USF, UTEP. See link for complete list.

Of note: USC and Texas have also been scrutinized in a similar probe, but to my knowledge it has not been linked to their athletic departments but rather the university-wide financial aid offices of the schools.

It's good that athletic departments have an awareness of and working relationship with loan providers, but obviously there's a problem when that relationship gets too cozy and bad loan options are pressed upon students and student-athletes.

(Via: Yahoo!)

Major College Athletic Departments Issued Subpoenas in Loan Probe originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fourth Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl

Brian Grummell — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: MAC, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Northern Illinois Football, TCU Football

Previous: First Quarter II Second Quarter II Third Quarter

TCU is firmly in control of this game with a 30-0 lead so we'll just add anecdotes and observations from here on out instead of noting the various possessions.

Six the hard way... NIU just blocked a TCU punt and returned it for a touchdown to make this game 30-7 early in the fourth quarter. Methinks TCU misses their snapper who got himself ejected just a few minutes ago. That punt snap was poor and the punter had to chase it to his right.

Touchdown TCU, pass to tight end Brett Hecht to put them up 37-7.

Again, this seven win rule is silly. Any of a handful of six win teams could have made this a more compelling game than NIU.

They're stitching up the back of Lonta Hobbs' uniform. You don't see that everyday.

If you're looking for an early star to this bowl season, it's TCU defensive end Tommy Blake who has been all over the TCU backfield today. He has two sacks and half a million TFL's.

Three rushing touchdowns and now... a punt downed inside the five yard line. Not a bad evening for TCU senior quarterback Jeff Ballard.

And there's the Gatorade bath. This one's all but official now.

I think NIU finished with less than 100 total yards. What a sad effort tonight. TCU wins this one 37-7.

Fourth Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Third Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl

Brian Grummell — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:27:00 EST

Filed under: MAC, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Northern Illinois Football, TCU Football

Previous: First Quarter II Second Quarter

TCU leads NIU 16-0 after the first half. This game is a dud so far but I'm hoping and praying for a more interesting second half.

Observation: TCU coach Gary Patterson sounds like (in voice) fired North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato.

ESPN's already filled some gaps with the required bowl sponsor interview and sideline interview with San Diego Charger tailbacks LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner, alums of TCU and NIU.

Heh. My brother is at tonight's game and just sent me this message: "It's official: the 2006 Boredom Bowl". He was all excited about being there, too. Humbug.Ninth TCU Possession

The announcers are killing NIU's "All America" left tackle who has been woeful against TCU's defensive ends tonight.

Nice little drive here, two first downs to get things going into NIU territory. Make that three on a badly underthrown fade pass completed thanks more to the oblivious corner.

Strange play. Lonta Hobbs had a nice run that appeared to be a touchdown but he fumbled the ball. It's marked down inside the one yard line by TCU. Lucky recovery there.

Touchdown, Jeff Ballard on the one yard option keeper. This game's dangerously close to being out of hand. Remind me again why NIU was taken as the at-large for this game? I know the rules say seven win teams over six, but I think Arizona might've made this a more compelling game.

TCU leads NIU 23-0 with 12:00 left in the third quarter.

Ninth NIU Possession

This is just NOT NIU's day. On the kickoff return, the returnman fumbled the ball as he ran forward, picked it up at the one wand was tackled at the one. What a mess.

Garrett Wolfe's line so far: 10 carries, 8 yards. Wow.

Three and out... AGAIN. Punt time from deep in their own zone.

Tenth TCU Possession

More NIU futility! This time TCU returnman Brian Bonner took the ball back about 20 yards to the NIU 20. That punt netted less than 20 yards.

Finally a reverse, and TCU takes it inside the NIU 10. That could have been a touchdown. Lou Holtz agrees. "Three blockers, one defender, and lo and behold he makes the play" Haha dramatic irony from Lou Holtz.

Touchdown again by Jeff Ballard, his third TD run tonight.

Rece Davis just caught himself from getting fired. "TCU is opening up a can . . . on NIU tonight" Stay employed Rece.

TCU leads NIU 30-0 with 9:00 left in the third quarter.

Tenth NIU Possession

Garrett Wolfe is helpless tonight. But NIU's so afraid of what their quarterback might do they won't go to the air much, either.

NIU got bailed out by an iffy pass interference call there.

And they respond to the gift by getting into a third and eight situation.

Ok so maybe that second pass interference is a little more legit. TCU's defensive backs have gotten so little work tonight they're making mistakes on easy plays. Football's a funny game, considering NIU's been completely afraid to challenge them all night.

Punt time, nothing new here.

Err no, a TCU player was ejected. Yet another freebie to NIU. This is bizarre.

NIU fails to convert on fourth down from the TCU 20 yard line. Turnover.

Eleventh TCU Possession

Yup.

See you at the Fourth Quarter LIVE Blog.

Third Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl

Brian Grummell — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 21:20:00 EST

Filed under: MAC, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Northern Illinois Football, TCU Football

Previous: First Quarter

TCU leads NIU 6-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a four yard touchdown run by tailback Lonta Hobbs.

Boring game so far as these teams trade quarterback sacks and punts. But TCU's threatening to score again as we start the second quarter.Fourth TCU Possession (Cont'd)

Total Yards: YCU 86, NIU -8.

TOUCHDOWN! What an amazing run for quarterback Jeff Ballard. He broke several tackles and then was flipped into the end zone. That's nice! That went ten yards on third and nine. Look for that on SportsCenter later tonight.

TCU 13, NIU 0 with 14:49 left in the second quarter.

Fifth NIU Possession

HAHA the sideline reporter said the training staff called one of TCU's injured players a "dramatic guy". He certainly was, wanting to throw his helmet after getting hurt earlier and falling limp for a while. Now he's ready to play. Ohhhh kayyyy. Oh, and he sports a mini mohawk.

NIU finally tries a downfield throw and connects on the long out, but it's just out of bounds. This quarterback must not be very good.

Yep, third and seven, pocket rolls right, pressure comes, Nicholson nearly throws an INT as he gets hit.

Fifth TCU Possession

Injury report: NIU WR Greg Turner broke his ankle earlier in the game. Obviously he's done for tonight and the forseeable future.

Strange series there. After a first down, TCU took to the air and Jeff Ballard had all day to throw. He didn't do much with that opportunity other than nearly throw an interception on third down. Punt time.

Sixth NIU Possession

Garrett Wolfe finally showing some life on a nice five yard run. That counts for nice the way TCU's playing against the run right now.

SACK on third down and five.

Three and out. Noticing a pattern? Punt time.

Sixth TCU Possession

Their punt returnman Bonner is a nice little special teamer, making yet another fine return tonight to the NIU 49.

Ballard just looks awkward back there when he is in on pass plays. The protection has been outstanding these last two drives. Mark May is heartened. Pass incomplete on third and four, Jeff Ballard is not throwing the ball well.

The quarterback play tonight has been awful as both coaches are doing their best to protect these passers.

Seventh NIU Possession

Ball from their own thirteen.

Holy crap! On third and 12 NIU hits the long pass. That is NIU's first first down of the night! Poor tackling there after the catch, ball to the TCU 27 yard line.

HAHA next play Nicholson gets sacked. Long day for NIU so far. Mark May's disappointed in that left tackle who the defensive end just ran through.

This gets worse for NIU... injury to the quarterback! He's a second stringer to begin with... so we'll see the third stringer after the commercial break.

Ryan Morris is the new QB from Carol Stream, Illinois. Heh, I grew up not far from there. One play and he already has a grass stain on his shoulder. TCU's coming to play tonight.

TCU has nine tackles for loss tonight, sayeth ESPN.

Ok, Nicholson's back. First pass incomplete into heavy coverage.

Field goal attempt juuuust short from 51 yards out. That's disappointing.

Seventh TCU Possession

TCU's done well with its outside runs. They should hammer away a little more at that and then try another downfield pass.

Interesting... TCU's had four tight ends score touchdowns this year. Their third stringer just made a first down. It's his 13th catch and also his 13th first down. ESPN's research staff is on their game tonight.

Nice stop by NIU on third and three there. TCU's going for it on fourth down... and it's stopped! NIU's going to have nice field position and some momentum here.

Eigth NIU Possession

So much for that... the flea flicker results in an interception just after that nice stop. What an ugly game tonight.

Eigth TCU Possession

Interesting. On third and one in their own zone TCU went to emptybackfield and four wide. It worked with a little wide screen.

Here we go. Aaron Brown's starting to find some running room.

Nice sideline find by Rob Stone. LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU, San Diego Chargers) and Michael Turner (NIU, San Diego Chargers). That's an awesome chin hair thing you got going Michael.

*not awesome

The players' bet: Turner wears No. 5 TCU uniform next week if TCU wins.

Field goal time here as TCU got inside the NIU red zone before this drive stalled with under 0:30 left.

The 25-yarder is...good!

TCU leads NIU 16-0 with 0:00 left.

MERCIFULLY, that field goal ends this sad first half. Here's to a better second half. See you at the Third Quarter LIVE Blog!

Second Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 21:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl

Brian Grummell — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: MAC, Mountain West, Bowl Games, Northern Illinois Football, TCU Football

Vitals

Northern Illinois (7-5, 5-3 MAC) vs. TCU (10-2, 6-2 Mountain West)
8 PM Eastern, ESPN2
Spread: TCU by 11.5 to 13

FanHouse Poinsettia Bowl Preview

Pregame

-I'll check in a little later to get this thing started, but be sure and peruse the preview and leave comments here if you'd like.

-Lou Holtz already bringing the funnies. During the ESPN bowl show before the broadcast, it was mentioned that TCU coach Gary Patterson has 9,200 songs on his iPod Nano. Holtz then said something to the effect of "if I tried listening to 9,200 songs I'd die before I finished"First NIU Possession

That's a bad start... less than ten yards on the kickoff return?

These starting lineup intros are fun, a player gets to single out a few teammates (South Side's own so and so Nicholson at quarterback).

Three and out. This will be good field position for TCU.

First TCU Possession

Yep. The punt return goes to the NIU 25 yard line. They got away with a clip there, and Lou Holtz is unhappy.

First down pass goes for about 13. That's a nice TCU backfield with Lonta Hobbs and Aaron Brown.

Touchdown. That was easy, Lonta Hobbs with the four yard run.

TCU leads 6-0 with 12:03 left in the first quarter, stupid blocked extra point there.

Second NIU Possession

Not much better with the return this time, only to the 15 yard line. TCU is playing way too fast for NIU right now.

Four plays so far, three Garrett Wolfe touches. Five plays, four touches now, this time for a significant loss. This game is checkmate right now unless NIU does something to adjust because TCU's defense has their number early on.

Three and out again, punt time.

Second TCU Possession

Sloppy play there as NIU interfered with NIU's punt return. They came all the way to California for this? Er, no penalty. Nice catch by Lou Holtz.

Nice defensive series by NIU there, recording two sacks and bringing heavy pressure. Punt time.

Third NIU Possession

Blocked punt! That's the second blocked kick in this game. NIU gets the ball on TCU's 42 yard line. That's a nice break there.

Third and six... that's the best opportunity so far for NIU. Eh, pass incomplete. Quarterback got dropped after throwing the ball. Punt time.

Third TCU Possession

NIU just downed the ball at the one. It's becoming a field position game, yuck.

They're interviewing the CEO of the San Diego County Credit Union, the group responsible for the horrible name of this bowl. It's all for charity, still boo.

Ok somebody fumbled and we have no idea what's going on because they're doing this interview. I guess TCU got the ball back? Oki doki. Rece Davis rescues us and says officials ruled the ball down... aaaand a replay. You JUST saved your hide there, ESPN but next time cut away from the big money interview for just a moment to see what's going on.

D'oh. Aaron Brown was open on second down and nearly one-handed a sailing pass. If he catches that it's probably a touchdown.

Pressure again from NIU up the middle on third and five, incomplete pass. Punt time.

STARSKY'S BORED.

Fourth NIU Possession

Great field position here, just past midfield.

First play, run left by Wolfe AGAIN stopped for a significant loss. This is ugly. Don't you have any other plays, NIU? Great field position and nothing to do with it.

SACK on third down, call that a coverage sack. Punt time.

Fourth TCU Possession

Shank. TCU ball from their own 45. Do something, guys.

Yay. Lonta Hobbs hauls in the pass on the wheel route, getting down to the NIU 24 yard line. That first down pass play is working well for TCU.

Rece Davis nailed that one... calls option, TCU calls the option on third down for the first down run.

Great tackle there as Aaron Brown bounced right and had daylight with one man to beat. That man swallowed him whole.

End of the first quarter.

See you at the Second Quarter LIVE Blog!

First Quarter LIVE Blog: Poinsettia Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poinsettia Bowl Preview: NIU vs. TCU

Brian Grummell — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 21:13:00 EST

Filed under: MAC, Mountain West, Bowl Games, NCAA FB Video, Northern Illinois Football, TCU Football

Vitals: Northern Illinois (7-5, 5-3 MAC) vs. TCU (10-2, 6-2 Mountain West)
December 19, San Diego, ESPN2
Spread: TCU by 11.5-12.5

How NIU Got Here:
By winning just enough games (7) to earn an at-large bid over bowl eligible teams like Arizona that had six wins. The team star is senior tailback Garrett Wolfe who was on pace to obliterate Barry Sanders' single-season rushing mark before being shut down in a four game stretch at midseason. Handed Central Michigan their only conference loss but otherwise ineffective against legitimate foes.

How TCU Got Here:
The Horned Frogs were in line for a better bowl game, but fumbled two conference games. They still won ten games, but finished behind BYU in conference play and lost the head-to-head 31-17. After losing 20-7 the next weekend at Utah, TCU won its final seven games by an average score of 35 to 11.

What You Absolutely Have to Know About NIU:
They have Garrett Wolfe! They're one of the most consistent MAC teams around, consistently contending for bowl games and knocking off the occasional ranked foe.

What You Absolutely Have to Know About TCU:
See above. Coach Gary Patterson has ably taken over for Dennis Franchione and put together his fourth 10+ win season in seven tries. Quarterback Jeff Ballard is 20-2 as a starter. Has one of the nation's best run defenses (67.6 yards/game).

Score Prediction: TCU 24, NIU 10

Miscellaneous:
YouTube montage of Garrett Wolfe against No. 1 Ohio State

Poinsettia Bowl Preview: NIU vs. TCU originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 17 Dec 2006 21:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYU versus TCU... on Versus

Brian Grummell — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:25:00 EST

Filed under: Mountain West, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Rumors, Brigham Young Football, TCU Football

I'm a little TV ignorant, so color me confused that tonight's game between BYU and TCU is being aired on a network called Versus.

The name sounds like a sports channel, but apparently it's the cobbled-together remains of the Outdoor Life Network. However, the OLN still survives... in Canada. Yay Maple Leaf Power. Perhaps this is a stopgap until the new Mountain West TV deal put together in the offseason begins next year? Feel free to fill me in here.

Anyway, consider this a public service announcement if you had no clue 1)this channel existed and/or 2)this channel is broadcasting college football games.

So far the announcers and production value are sound, with one of the announcers talking with the energized, hoarse cadence of a former coach.

Update:

FanHouse's very own Adam Nettina adds the following:

Vs airs one MWC "Game of the Week" from what I understand (In a deal with The MTN.) Actually, Utah and Boise will play at 3 EST on Saturday on the network. That's what I know, although Jazzy Ute from blocku.com is the resident know-it-all on anything Mountain West.

Thanks, Adam!

BYU versus TCU... on Versus originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Horned Frogs Jump Ahead of Baylor in Second Half

Scott Olin Schmidt — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:02:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12, Mountain West, Baylor Football, TCU Football

Put away the disco ball. There will be no dancing in Waco tonight. After taking an early lead over the Mountain West Conference's TCU Horned Frogs, the Baylor Bears could not hold on past the midway point of the third quarter.

After looking efficient on offense in the first half, the Bears were not able to get the ball rolling after the half. When TCU went from trailing 7-3 to leading 10-7 on a 84-yard pass from Marcus Jackson to Aaron Brown (not of CNN fame), the Bears were unable to get back in the game. Texas Christian added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to win 17-7 in Waco, TX.

One year ago, TCU defeated another Big XII team to start what became a magical season in Fort Worth. However, beating Baylor probably won't go as far as beating Oklahoma in getting the national media's attention for the boys in purple.

Horned Frogs Jump Ahead of Baylor in Second Half originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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