Horned Frog Football, Y'all Part 2

So, where were we?

I believe we were looking at the top 5 all time TCU games I have attended since the resurgence of the program.

Game 5 was a week ago (which included remembrances of a TCU/ECU game that included David Garrard who then promptly got cut after my post), Game 4 over a decade ago.

The Top 3 are all more recent.

Number 3: November 14, 2009
TCU 55 Utah 28
The Gameday Game

Although I was at a JYF (4th and 5th graders) lock-in the entire night before the day, I was on campus for the entirety of College Gameday and was one of the record breaking crowd at Amon G. Carter that evening.

Number 4 TCU took on Number 14 Utah and flat demolished them.

It wasn't even close.

The feel of that game, the excitement of Gameday on campus, was a game, nay, a College Experience, that I wondered if I would ever feel again, much less equal.

Thankfully the end of that season would answer that question, although with less exciting results on the field.

Number 2: January 4, 2010
TCU 10 Boise St 17
The Fiesta Bowl

Sure, the game didn't end the way we wanted it to, and both our team and fans and Boise's team and fans were disappointed that we didn't get a chance against a so-called BCS power but instead played against our non-AQ cousins, but all that aside, it was a big time bowl and it was an awesome experience.

It was a great game that honestly could have gone either way.

As disappointed as I was at the time, looking back, losing that game might have been the best thing that could have happened for the Frogs.

As I mentioned in the previous post on my thoughts on the recent loss to Baylor, I was reminded of a couple of previous Horned Frog games.  One was the ECU game I have already written about.

This is the other game that came to mind.

Losing this game is what powered the TCU run last season that culminated in winning the Rose Bowl.

Sometimes failing is what pushes you to even greater successes.  That was certainly the case with the disappointment that followed this Fiesta Bowl loss, and the heart and determination shown in the loss to Baylor coupled with the heartbreaking way that it ended might be what the current young team needed to force them into growing up.

We might look back at the Baylor loss at the end of this season and point to it as the reason for a successful finish to the year.

Is there any doubt what number one will be?

Number 1: January 1st, 2011
TCU 21 Wisconsin 19
The Rose Bowl

I will never forget the moment when Tank Carder knocked down that 2 point conversion pass and the game was sealed.

Tears ran unabashedly down my face.

We deserved a shot at the National Championship, but there was no shame in finishing #2 (behind the under suspicion Auburn Tigers and their probably payed for QB Cam Newton) and winning the Grandaddy of Them All.

By far the most amazing college football experience I have ever had, hearing the Horned Frog fans take over that stadium despite being outnumbered by the Wisconsin fans will stay with me forever.

although the fan split looks a lot closer in the photographs

Whatever ends up happening this year, it is hard to feel bad, because at the (very) beginning of this year, we couldn't have flown any higher.

GO FROGS!