Frog QB on Last Year's Loss To SMU

[50's PONY]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted on Tue, Aug. 01, 2006



Wake-up call still fresh for Frogs

By JEFF WILSON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

SMU isn't on TCU's schedule this season, and many in Fort Worth wish the Mustangs hadn't been on the 2005 schedule, either.

A 21-10 loss in Dallas last September was the only blemish on the Horned Frogs' 11-1 record. But TCU players and coaches believe that slip enabled the Frogs to roll to their best season in almost 70 years.

The Frogs, who had upset Oklahoma the previous weekend, learned the following Saturday in Dallas that there's no such thing as an automatic win.

As worn out as the cliché "one game at a time" has become, that's the approach that sustains TCU and the one the Frogs will take with them as they defend their Mountain West Conference title this season.

"If we don't lose to SMU, I think we lose to Utah or BYU," coach Gary Patterson said. "The kids realized if you don't come to play every week, you're going to have a hard time winning."

TCU won its last 10 games, including a 27-24 victory over Iowa State in the EV1.net Houston Bowl, and finished No. 9 in the final USA Today Top 25 poll.

The 2005 success is one reason high expectations have been lumped on the Frogs this preseason, from winning the MWC to cracking the BCS under its mid-major-friendly revisions.

The Frogs have lofty goals, too, so an SMU-like slip could dash some of the team's ambitions.

Beat Baylor, and the Frogs better not lose to UC Davis. Sweep BYU and Utah to open conference play, and TCU better not lose at Army or to Wyoming.

"If you look at Wyoming as a weaker opponent, they're going to jump up and beat you," senior quarterback Jeff Ballard said. "That's what happened with SMU last year. We looked down upon them, and they beat us."

The Mustangs forced four turnovers and held their Metroplex rivals to 253 yards of offense a week after the Frogs had forced four turnovers and held No. 5 Oklahoma to 225 yards in a 17-10 win in Norman.

Even though Ballard watched the SMU fiasco from the sidelines, he didn't miss the moral of the story.

"Beating Oklahoma, one of the best teams in the nation at the time, and then turning around and losing to one of the worst teams in the nation, it humbled us, for sure," Ballard said. "It proved to us that we can't take anyone lightly."

And the Frogs, the preseason favorites to repeat as MWC champs, vow they won't overlook anyone this year.

"To be honest, everyone in our league is pretty good," junior defensive end Tommy Blake said. "We can't just pick one team out and say, 'Hey, that team's going to be the best team we're going to play.'

"Every team that's at the top can get knocked off at any time. We have to make sure we handle our business."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Wilson, 817-390-7953 [email protected]





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2006 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.dfw.com

[RGV Pony]

Two points.

OU was far from one of the best teams in the nation last year.

SMU played far from its potential vs. TCU. The score should have been much more lopsided.

What the frogs should be asking is what the hell happened to their team between 44-0 in 04 and 10-21 in 05. IMO losing a 21-0 lead and giving up 70 at TxTech haunted them for a long, long time.

[PonyPride]

Hadn't thought about it in terms of 2004 to 2005 -- a 55-point turnaround!

[mr. pony]

"Beating Oklahoma, one of the best teams in the nation at the time, and then turning around and losing to one of the worst teams in the nation, it humbled us, for sure," Ballard said.

You're welcome.

[MrMustang1965]

Hey, Ballard! Kiss my a**!

[EastStang]

I loved watching their bowl game. "If not for that loss to SMU they'd have been undefeated", the announcers said over and over and over again. Now, we have to have to go to bowl, and I would love to play the Frogs this year in a bowl and serve them a big stinking dish of humble.

[DallasFrog]

What's not true about his statement?

OU, at that time, was ranked in the top 5 in all polls and was coming off a National Runner-Up campaign. The rest of the season didn't pan out as the polls had predicted, but on that day they were 4 td favorites...

SMU, by all accounts, wasn't predicted to a damn thing last year and was ranked in the 100's... You definitely caught us at a moment of weakness and whooped our butt's.

It was a valuable lesson, not disrespect to you guys.

[Phi Delt]

What's not true about his statement?

OU, at that time, was ranked in the top 5 in all polls and was coming off a National Runner-Up campaign. The rest of the season didn't pan out as the polls had predicted, but on that day they were 4 td favorites...

SMU, by all accounts, wasn't predicted to a damn thing last year and was ranked in the 100's... You definitely caught us at a moment of weakness and whooped our butt's.

It was a valuable lesson, not disrespect to you guys.

Yes, but if I'm reading this correctly, he made these statements after the season, and after going 5-6 and being a few crappy calls by the Zebras at Tulsa away from the C-USA title game (not to mention beating two other bowl teams, Houston and UTEP) I think its a pretty big stretch to call us one of the worst teams in the nation.

[DallasFrog]

"Beating Oklahoma, one of the best teams in the nation at the time, and then turning around and losing to one of the worst teams in the nation, it humbled us, for sure," Ballard said. "It proved to us that we can't take anyone lightly."

Not sure, but it sounds like he was referring to a moment in time last September. Not a reflection of SMU after the season...

[Big10Ponyfan]

One thing is for sure. SMU followers can disagree about where we are headed in basketball and football. But one thing unites us all = beating TCU.

I've lived over here for the last 14 years and work with several TCU alums. The hell I caught leading up to last year's game was intense. Then on Monday, morning, Sept. 12, you could have heard a pin drop. Later, the whining got to the point where I was embarrassed for them.

The great thing about last year (and it appears to be the case this year), they still can't get that game out of their system. They'll be loaded for bear in 2007 in Outdated Carter Stadium. And we'll be ready.

I wish nothing but failure for TCU!!! Don't like them. Never have. Never will.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Two points.

OU was far from one of the best teams in the nation last year.

SMU played far from its potential vs. TCU. The score should have been much more lopsided.

What the frogs should be asking is what the hell happened to their team between 44-0 in 04 and 10-21 in 05. IMO losing a 21-0 lead and giving up 70 at TxTech haunted them for a long, long time.

44-0 in 04
SMU lost all of its LBs in that game, and played with new QBs, with a new OC

[Mustangs35SMU]

I loved watching their bowl game. "If not for that loss to SMU they'd have been undefeated", the announcers said over and over and over again. Now, we have to have to go to bowl, and I would love to play the Frogs this year in a bowl and serve them a big stinking dish of humble.

Ahhh my dream! SMU vs TCU in the Fort Worth Bowl...Man that would be awesome.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

My Tech friends have promised they are going to hang 70 points again on those igits.

[MrMustang1965]

My Tech friends have promised they are going to hang 70 points again on those igits.

Damn. I hate Tech more than I hate TCU...but only by a fraction. Frankly, I hope TCU beats the crap out of the Red Raiders. I know I'm dreamin' but...how sweet would it be for both SMU and TCU to beat TT?

[mr. pony]

[quote="MrMustang1965"] I know I'm dreamin' but...how sweet would it be for both SMU and TCU to beat TT? [/quote]

It could happen.