Part II: They Ask, We Answer:
Kris Wright (KW), Editor of TheSabre.com Asks: The
ante has been upped for both teams since their last meeting in 2009.
In TCU's case, that's because of the move to the Big Ea ... um, Big
(sorta) 12. Are fans happy about the move? Do you think it will hurt the
football program's winning percentage?
SnK (SnK), Lord Of Hate, SpitbloodTCU: Of course the fans are happy about the move to the Big (10) 12.
This gives us the opportunity to do something we've been waiting for
since the Southwest Conference disbanded- compete at the highest level with
teams that our program has been playing for decades. As much as DeLoss
Dodds and UT didn't want to let us in at first, even they realized it makes the
most sense and we were the best possible fit for the conference. We've
got the Aggies to thank as well since they got tired of being UT and OU's whipping
boy/little brother nobody listened to. Without them jumping ship and
heading to the SEC to be New Mississippi State we wouldn't have had this
opportunity, so thanks Aggy, and keep blowing those 2nd half leads.
I do think this will hurt the football team's winning
percentage, but it's hard to maintain a .787 winning percentage anywhere (which
is what TCU has under Gary Patterson). However, an 11-1 or 10-2 season in
the MWC meant the Poinsettia Bowl. 11-1 or 10-2 in the Big 12 will have you
in a BCS game, if not the national championship game. It's also very
refreshing to know that Boise State and BYU play tonight and I don't have to
give a shit about the outcome.
KW: Your
neighbors in Austin are in the headlines a lot. Any frustrations from TCU's standpoint
about the lack of love from a football standpoint?
SnK: They can
have all the headlines they want, but the product they've put on the field the
past couple of years has been laughable. It's arguably the most high
profile university in the country, so they'll always grab the top recruits and
be at the forefront of the media. Also, having the Longhorn Network as
ESPN's baby doesn't hurt either. I think this is how Coach Patterson
would like it though- we can keep being an afterthought with Texas at the center
of attention and fly under the radar and put a better product out on the field.
I'm glad to see that people outside of Texas think that they are grabbing
all the headlines. That means everyone must have forgotten about our
football team's offseason dru...nevermind.
Also, aren't
the 2 most recent University of Texas related headlines Vince Young's inability
to manage $26 million and bomb threats that shut down their entire campus?
Yeah, I think we are okay without the headlines.
KW: Who
are 3 TCU players UVA fans should get familiar with prior to Saturday?
SnK: Josh
Boyce is a star at WR, coming up just shy of 1000 yards last year (998) and has
been the center of attention for opposing defenses so far this year and will
continue to be, but his counterpart, Sophomore Brandon Carter, has emerged as
quite a playmaker. He went off last game against Kansas with 8 catches
for 141 yards and 2 TD's while the majority of the attention was being paid to
Boyce, so don't sleep on Carter. True Freshman RB B.J. Catalon moves up
to #2 on the depth chart with the loss of starter Waymon James, and everyone is
anxious to see what he can do with a heavier work load. He enrolled early
so he's familiar with the offense, and we all hope he can be the lightning to
Matthew Tucker's thunder. Defensively, watch for DE Stansly Maponga to be
a playmaker. He's definitely the best player on our defense but was held
in check last week against Kansas due to a ton of double teams. Even if
he's not making plays, the double teams and extra attention he receives should
provide more opportunities for the rest of the D-Line to make plays. Well
KW: We'd
ask you how to game plan for Virginia's offense, but the offensive line has
struggled so much so far that seems pretty pointless. What does TCU do well on
defense that keeps the program at the top of the defensive rankings every year?
Is your quarterback as accurate as he seems in the stats?
SnK: Last year we didn't do much of anything well which is why we
took a step back defensively, but this year we seem to be back on the right
track (knock on wood). For quite a few years in a row now we've had an
elite pass rusher and put at least 1 LB in the NFL for about 5 years straight,
so it all starts in up front. With all of that being said, I think the
majority of the credit has to go to Coach Patterson and his 4-2-5 scheme which
he's perfected over the years in Fort Worth. I'm no defensive guru, but I
can tell you that we've always thrived off of speed on defense, not so much
size but we are by no means undersized. It will be interesting to see how
that philosophy holds up with the grind of a Big 12 schedule.
Casey Pachall is incredibly accurate and has been since he took
over for Andy Dalton last year. I wouldn't put too much stock into his
flawless passing performance against Grambling though, since that was probably
about like playing against our scout team. His numbers against Kansas are
more reasonable and even those were pretty gaudy with just 6 incompletions.
He has an NFL caliber arm for sure, and he can and will fit some throws
into really tight windows. If only we could get him to stop trying to
keep it on the zone read...
KW: We
told you what a Hoo is, so why in the world did TCU pick a Horned Frog as a
mascot?
SnK: Apparently it won a student vote in 1897 when the campus was
still in Waco (gross). It beat the Cactus. The Horned Frog is the
state reptile of Texas as well. I'm learning all of this on the Internet
as I type this, by the way. Maybe I should have paid more attention
during Orientation instead of eyeballing all of the beautiful tail that I'd be
spending the next few years of my life drunkenly chasing around local bars.
I miss college. Anyways, did you know a Horned Frog is actually a
lizard? Okay, enough with the fun Horned Frog facts, but you have to
admit that it's pretty bad ass that they spit blood out of their eyes to deter
predators, hence the name spitbloodtcu.com.
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