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Bearcats stand in Frogs' path to BCS berth
From Associated Press and Staff Reports
Texas Christian barely held on to remain unbeaten in its last outing,
keeping alive what has become an unlikely — but serious — push for a Bowl
Championship Series bid. Today, the Frogs will try to hope over another
obstacle.
TCU will be bent on staying in position for a spot in one of the four most
lucrative bowls when it hosts Cincinnati in a 3:00 p.m. (ET) Conference USA
matchup at Amon Carter Stadium.
Ranked 10th in the AP Top 25, TCU (9-0, 6-0) jumped to sixth place in the
BCS standings this week — the highest ranking ever for an outsider to the
system — after holding off Louisville 31-28 on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
TCU needs to remain in the top six to guarantee a bid to one of the four BCS
bowls.
``We understand those things are in the hands of other people,'' Frogs coach
Gary Patterson said. ``We feel privileged to be where we're at. We really
appreciate the respect around the country.''
TCU's dreams nearly disappeared in the final minutes last week against the
Cardinals, who were driving as time ran down. But Louisville's Nate Smith
missed his third field goal of the game, a 44-yard attempt that bounced off
the crossbar on the last play to give the Frogs a fortunate victory.
``The bottom line is that not everything went our way, but we still found a
way to win,'' Patterson said. ``It's about wins. We have to find a way to
win three more games.''
That might happen if junior quarterback Brandon Hassell continues to come
through for TCU. Hassell, who had never thrown a pass in college before this
season, went 17-of-27 for 251 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 61 yards
and another score against Louisville. He has won all five of his starts in
two stints filling in for the injured Tye Gunn.
``I'm seeing the field a lot better and my mind is working a lot faster,''
Hassell said.
Reggie Harrell had eight catches for 128 yards for TCU.
The Frogs, who along with top-ranked Oklahoma represent the only remaining
undefeated Division I-A teams, take on a Cincinnati squad coming off a 31-24
victory over Rhode Island last week.
The Bearcats (5-4, 2-3) got 332 passing yards and three touchdowns from Gino
Guidugli to rally for their second win in three games despite allowing 371
yards rushing.
The Bearcats ran for 228 yards, including 187 by Carl Jones on 27 attempts.
Cincinnati will be trying to end TCU's 11-game winning streak, the
second-longest in the nation, as well as the Frogs' 12-game home win streak.
The Bearcats are one of only two teams to defeat the Frogs in the past two
seasons. Cincinnati edged TCU 36-29 in overtime in last year's season
opener.
TCU has won 19 of 20 games since. Its only blemish during that span was a
31-28 loss at East Carolina last Nov. 23.
After Saturday's contest, the Frogs face Southern Mississippi next Thursday
night and Southern Methodist on Nov. 29. Southern Miss is 6-3 overall and
5-0 in Conference USA, but SMU is 0-10 on the season.
©2003 The Associated Press. Bonesville.net contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
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02.23.07 10:48 AM
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