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Frogs'
Upset of Louisville Propelled Bowl Run
 By
MICHAEL A. LUTZ
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON (AP) � Former Southwest Conference
rivals Texas A&M and Texas Christian are putting the best face they can on
the galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
The Aggies (7-4) expected to contend for the
Big 12 title before late losses soured their season. TCU (6-5) needed upsets
in its final two games just to qualify for a bowl.
``We've had some great highs and we've had some
very, very low points in our season,'' TCU coach Gary Patterson said. ``I
think it's the incredible part of our kids, the chemistry and the kind of
makeup that they have, that they fought back and gave themselves a chance.''
The Horned Frogs were going nowhere with a 4-5
record when they upset Conference USA champion Louisville and followed that
with a 14-12 victory over Southern Mississippi.
It was the conclusion of a 16-week season that
started with a 21-7 loss to Nebraska on Aug. 25 in the Pigskin Classic and
included six open dates.
``I think in the last four weeks of the season,
the two weeks we had off for Louisville and Southern Miss really helped us
because I think we matured and we started to grow,'' Patterson said.
The Aggies have a 55-29-7 advantage in the
series, and they've won 23 in a row since the Horned Frogs' last victory in
1972.
The Aggies were poised to be a major postseason
player with a 7-1 record before they lost their last three games to Texas
Tech, Oklahoma and Texas. Their offense has struggled most of the season
under quarterback Mark Farris. The Aggies scored only 17 points in their
final three games.
``I'm impressed with what Coach Patterson has
done with his team,'' A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. ``He picked a better
course than I did, winning your last two games instead of losing your last
three.''
The Aggies' Wrecking Crew defense overcame a
slow start this season following a verbal challenge from Slocum. The Aggies
rank No. 10 nationally in total defense, allowing 294 yards per game.
A&M's offense has been stalled by injuries to
its running back and tight end corps. Derek Farmer, Keith Joseph and Oschlor
Flemming have shared running back duties. Former defensive lineman Thomas
Carriger is starting at tight end and is backed up by walk-on Haven Massey.
The Aggies expect a tough time running against
TCU's eight-man front.
``Any time there's extra people in the box, it
always makes it difficult to run,'' A&M running backs coach Ken Rucker said.
``We're going to win some and lose some in that situation. But as a team,
you've got to do what is you. Running is part of our deal.''
TCU junior quarterback Casey Printers helped
the Horned Frogs' late-season surge. Printers threw eight touchdown passes
in the last four games and became the third quarterback in school history to
surpass 4,000 career yards.
``I've got to do something to slow that
quarterback down,'' Slocum said. ``He's a great player and I know that
they've got a defense that puts a whole lot of pressure on you.''
The Aggies expect to have a big crowd advantage
at the Astrodome.
``A&M is only about an hour and a half away,
and Houston is probably where our biggest alumni base is at, so we're going
to have a lot of Aggies here,'' linebacker Christian Rodriguez said. ``It's
going to be like a home game for us, and if it's as loud as it is at Kyle
Field, being in this dome, I bet you it's going to be 20 times louder.''
AP-NY-12-27-01 0141EST
Copyright 2001
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:47:48 AM
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