Bear down!!

In a match that had been billed as an offensive shootout, it was Oklahoma State who came out "pistols firing" in a 59-24 rout of the Baylor Bears; a performance that pretty much mirrored last year's "showdown" between these two teams.

Last November, both schools came into the game tied atop the Big 12 South standings.  The Cowboys jumped to 34-0 lead en route to a comfortable 55-28 win.  This time, the Cowboys ended the contest early, leading 35-0 lead at halftime, and were up 42-0 before Baylor got on the scoreboard.

Just like last year, it was the Cowboy's defense shutting down a potent Baylor offense, while the offense just kept rolling.

Let's proceed to The Breakdown, shall we?

Offense

In a match-up between an offense that scores a lot of points, and a defense that gives up a lot of points, the outcome will more than likely be in favor of said offense.  Such was the case as the Bears defense struggled to keep up with the Cowboys.


Justin Blackmon was back to his dominant self, catching 13 passes for 172 yards and 2 TDs, while Joseph Randle followed up last week's performance against Mizzou with yet another 4 TD performance.  Brandon Weeden's numbers may not have been "flashy", but the Pokes had only 2 scoring drives that required 10 or more plays; so it was a case of Weeden being at his efficient best.

Fans also got a preview into the future, when running back Herschel Sims took a hand-off and raced 81 yards for a score.  Sims was a highly touted prospect out of high school, but is having to wait his turn behind Randle and Jeremy Smith; just a little thing called "paying your dues".  From the looks of it, the tradition of good tailbacks in Stillwater will continue.


Defense

An 8-0 start is surely a cause for celebration for both
Markelle Martin and the Cowboy Nation.

Baylor's opening drive stalled at the 1 yard line when the Cowboys mounted a goal-line stand, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon.  By the time the Bears finally crossed the line, the game was no longer a contest.


The Bears controlled the clock, ran more offensive plays and even racked up more yardage than their opponents, but just couldn't score.  Maybe it was me, but the Bears seemed to be allergic towards Oklahoma State's end zone; turning over the ball three times (on downs, an interception and a lost fumble).

The Cowboys defense has a little "Jekyll and Hyde" theme going on this season.  They rank very low in terms of yards given up, yet they lead the nation in turnover margin; bend but don't break.  They might bend, but they snap back with a vengeance.


They forced 5 turnovers (2 INTS and 3 fumble recoveries) along with 2 "4th down" stops, resulting in change of possession; that might as well bring up the tally to 7 turnovers.  They also sacked Bears QB Robert Griffith III twice, severely limiting his ability to impact the game with his feet (RG3 could only muster 27 yards on 16 carries).


Overall


Once again, Oklahoma State managed to turn a "potential shootout" into a blowout thanks to yet another solid defensive effort.  Not that Baylor is a bad team; in fact the Bears are in the midst of some of the best seasons in years, but the Cowboys were just too much to handle.


Next up


Oklahoma State will be at home at against Kansas State in a prime time match up.  The Wildcats unbeaten run came to a cruel halt against Oklahoma, who exposed their inability to defend the pass; something that should bode well for the Cowboys.

Wisconsin "Ball" over Nebraska in Big Ten opener.

Nebraska finally got a taste of some Big Ten action, but it will be one that they would rather forget after getting whipped 48-17 by Wisconsin.  Hard to believe that Nebraska actually led at one point in this game (14-7), but had nothing in the bag as they were out scored 41-3 the rest of the way.

With Wilson leading the way, the Badgers could very
well find themselves contending for a national title.

Also making his Big Ten debut was Badger QB Russell Wilson, who threw for 255 yards and 2 TDs while running for another.  Coming into the season, Wisconsin's ability to contend for the conference title received a major boost when Wilson came aboard after a record setting career at NC State.


There were some questions regarding Wisconsin's defense, but they went a long way toward answering some of them, picking off Huskers' QB Taylor Martinez 3 times, all of which resulted in touchdowns.  2 of those touchdowns were just part of a 20 point effort in the 2nd quarter, as the Badgers put their foot on the pedal and never looked back.


Not to be left behind, RB Montee Ball had himself quite the evening, rushing for 151 yards and 4TDs on 30 carries; moving this tally to 13 TDs this season.  At Wisconsin, the running back position has never lacked any depth.  Ball is just the latest to star in a position that has featured names like John Clay, PJ Hill, Anthony Davis, Michael Bennett and Ron Dayne, the NCAA's all-time rushing leader (in Division 1, at least).

Madison, WI is a long ways from Lawrence or Ames.

Bo Pellini's reign at Nebraska started in 2008 and over that time, he has used his reputation as a defensive guru to restore some pride to a tradition that was famously hailed as the black shirts.  Over the last two years, Nebraska had one of the nation's best pass defenses, which played a big part in their consecutive Big 12 title appearances.  If they had an offense to match, they might have been playing for bigger things.


When Nebraska switched to the Big Ten, the revival of the black shirts was a key reason why most pundits felt the Cornhuskers would be able to contend for the conference title right away.  However, given Saturday's performance, they clearly have ways to go.


Looking at the remainder of Wisconsin's schedule, their biggest game will probably be the matchup against Illinois, who are off to a surprising 5-0 start.  Other than that, there's some decent teams, but none that could seriously challenge them for the division crown.


At this point, it wouldn't be a bad bet to pencil in Wisconsin as participants in the inaugural Big Ten title game.

Tigers on the prowl.

If anybody hasn't been paying attention to the Clemson Tigers, their body of work over the last 3 weeks should be enough to merit a look.  


First, they started by knocking off defending national champions Auburn 38-24 (in impressive fashion too), ending Auburn's 17 game win streak.  Then, they continued their recent home dominance against Florida State, winning 35-30.  And for their final act, they traveled to Blacksburg, VA, (a very tough place to play) and basically just dominated Virginia Tech, winning 23-3; becoming the first ACC team to beat ranked opponents 3 weeks in a row.

Hokies QB Logan Thomas could not escape the eye
of the Tiger.

Their wins against Auburn and Florida State came within the confines of their vaunted "Death Valley" stadium, and most pundits didn't give them much of a chance against Virginia Tech; being that this was Clemson's first outing away from home.  Like I mentioned earlier, not too many teams come out looking good after a visit to Blacksburg.  However, the Tigers had other plans.


While their offense took most of the most of the plaudits over the last few weeks (and rightfully so), it was Clemson's defensive performance that stole show, holding the Hokies to only a field goal, while forcing 2 turnovers (an interception and fumble recovery), and 4-16 on 3rd downs.  Also of note, Clemson snapped Virginia Tech's 12 game win streak in league play.


With Miami facing NCAA sanctions, and Florida State not quite where they were hoping to be at this point in the season, Clemson has not wasted any time to stake their claim as possibly the best team in the conference.  Of course, they still have that showdown against Georgia Tech on October 29, in what will likely be a preview of the ACC title game.

Tajh Boyd's performances has opened
eyes across the landscape.

Outside of Georgia Tech's "triple option" attack, Clemson has a very potent offense led by sophomore QB Tajh Boyd.  A native of Hampton, VA, Boyd has been nothing short of exciting, passing for over 1400 yards and 14 TDs against 2 INTs.  Should he keep up at this rate, he will most likely be the first Tiger QB to get serious Heisman hype since the days of the recording setting Woody Dantzler.


Also another player worth mentioning is freshman receiver, Sammy Watkins.  Over the last couple of weeks, he emerged as Boyd's favorite target, making big plays in the wins against Auburn and Florida State.  While he had an off day against Virginia Tech, junior Tight End Dwayne Allen picked up the slack.  Also chipping in were running backs Andre Ellington and Mike Bellamy (whose 31 yd TD run sealed Clemson's win over the Hokies).


The ACC has proven to be a very unpredictable "dog eat dog" kind of league.  Today you're hot, tomorrow you're not; you can never really know who's going to win on any given weekend.  While Clemson are sitting pretty at the moment, even they know there's still some work to do if they are to win the league.

Dabo Sweeney has had a lot laugh about over
the last three weeks.

After going through a tricky conference schedule, Clemson close their regular season on the road against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks.  While a loss to the Gamecocks wouldn't ruin the Tigers' shot at a BCS bowl, it would wipe out any shot at a national title should Clemson find themselves in that position.


Whether Clemson emerges as the top team out of the ACC remains to be seen, but what we know is they'll definitely put on quite the show.

Asphyxiation & Meltdown (A&M)

It's been almost 10 years since Texas A&M kicked off with a preseason Top 10 ranking.  All it took was a fortnight for them to drop out of the Top 20, after yet another second half meltdown; this time at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks, a one time South West Conference rival.


One week after watching a 17 point half-time lead disappear against Oklahoma State, the Aggies seemed determined to put that performance behind them with 5 first half touchdowns (all rushing), racing to a 35-17 lead before the interval against their future SEC division foe.  Once again, they came out flat in the second period, getting outscored 25-3.


For a while, the Aggies seemed to be in control of the game, running the ball at will against an Arkansas defense that couldn't stop the run even if they tried.  As a team, A&M totaled 381 yards on the ground; Christine Michael ran for 230 yards and 3 TDs on 32 carries, Cyrus Gray had 95 yards and 2 TDs on 17 carries, while QB Ryan Tannehill pitched in with 56 yards on 5 carries.  On any day, if you passed those stats onto someone, they'd probably tell you that the Aggies won.  However, despite getting gushed for all those yards, Arkansas came up big when it mattered the most, stopping Michael for no gain on a rush attempt on 4th & 2 late in the game.


A&M had been faced with "4th & short" situations during the 3rd quarter.  With the Razorbacks still reeling, A&M opted to punt rather than go for the kill.  The decision to punt on both occasions gave Arkansas some confidence that they could stop the Aggies, which is what they eventually did.  The momentum started to swing in their favor and next thing you know, Arkansas comes out on top.

Weeden (l) and Wilson both combined to torch the
Aggies for 948 yards through the air.

The running theme during these two losses has been the porosity of the Aggies pass defense.  Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden passed for 438 yards, while Arkansas' Tyler Wilson went bananas, passing for 510 yards.  Along with the 900+ yards, both QBs combined for 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.  You'd figure that maybe the Aggies would make the necessary adjustments, seeing that there was nothing unpredictable about what Arkansas or Oklahoma State was doing, but whatever they did probably didn't work.  With a lot of "pass happy" schools on the Aggies remaining schedule, you can be sure that those teams will be taking notes and studying some film.


It has been 16 years since Texas A&M beat a team from the SEC, but with them moving on to that conference, they may not have to wait any longer.

Crimson Tide stain Happy Valley "white-out"

Last season, in just his second start the collegiate level, Robert Bolden was overwhelmed by the defending national champion Alabama during Penn State's visit to Tuscaloosa.  It was just one of many early season showdown of football heavyweights across the nation.  Alabama won that contest by a score of 24-3, as they set on to try and defend their crown.


This time around was no different, as Alabama came away 27-10 winners in a rare visit into Big Ten country.  The Crimson Tide were returning a lot of starters on a defense that frustrated Penn State's offense for much of the afternoon; silencing a usually rabid Nittany Lion crowd.


Just like Penn State, Alabama have yet to "settle" their own quarterback situation.  AJ McCarron had to split time Phillip Sims in their opener against Kent State.  This time around, he played well enough and only left the game when the outcome was no longer in doubt.  


Alabama ran the ball well with Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy, and McCarron made some good throws such as his lone touchdown pass to Tight End Michael Williams; a pass that was rifled through defensive traffic to open the scoring for 'Bama.  It's still early in the season, but I get the feeling that Alabama vs LSU might just be the game that decides how the West will be won; SEC West, that is.

Bolden found the going tough against 'Bama

The Nittany Lions seem to have their work cut out for them.  Over the last few seasons, they have enjoyed stability at the quarterback position.  From Zack Mills, Michael Robinson, Anthony Morelli and Daryll Clark.  With that stability came some success as the Lions were able to win some games and even successfully contend for conference titles.  


However, things seem a little different this time around.  Robert Bolden came onto campus as a highly regarded QB prospect, and beat out veterans Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome for the starting job.  Bolden became just the first freshman QB to start a season opener under Joe Paterno; that's got to be a big deal.  Despite some good performances early in the season, Bolden struggled, and finished the season behind McGloin.  Bolden stayed with the program after plans of transferring out failed to materialize.


Against Alabama, he made some really good plays, but was found guilty of trying to go for the "big play" one time too many.  McGloin wasn't that much of an upgrade either, completing only 1 pass out of 10 attempts.  The Lions running game struggled against a stout 'Bama defense as well.


If Penn State are to really contend for the Big Ten title, they need to decide on who will be their signal caller, then settle on it.  Bolden is a scrambling QB with a strong arm, and if he is "the guy", the coaches should then call plays that are suited to his strengths.  McGloin can make plays with his feet as well, but lacks the "cannon" arm like that of his counterpart; still, he's capable of making things happen.  What we know is that a "QB by committee" isn't working for this team.  


Until they can get that fixed, Penn State may just get by beating the weaker teams, but will most likely struggle against the conference heavyweights.

Different venue, same script.

So it may not have been the Alamo Bowl, but not much seems to have changed between Oklahoma State and Arizona since their last encounter in December.


The Cowboys got off to a fast start, scoring on their first three possessions.   Brandon Weeden looked he was going to complete every pass he attempted, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith looked like they were going to run over, around or through any defender in sight, and Justin Blackmon looked like he was going to catch everything thrown in his direction.  Oklahoma State operated with surgeon-like precision, and machine-like efficiency jumping to a quick 21-0 lead.


Then either Arizona got a little better, or the Cowboys got bored; but somewhere along the way, someone took their foot off the pedal.  Arizona finally got on the scoreboard in the second half, and had enough chances to actually turn a potential blowout into a contest, but credit to the Cowboys defense for hanging tough and making plays when they needed to.

Arizona really had no answer for Justin Blackmon

The Wildcats suffered from the same problems that plagued them in their last encounter against the Cowboys.  They could move the chains, make some plays, but just could not score.  The running game was held in check, and while they gained momentum with their passing game, they faltered at crucial moments; such as turning over the ball on downs despite reaching their opponents goal line.


What left me scratching my head for a few moments was the Wildcats execution on defense. For some reason they opted for a "man-to-man" approach leaving Justin Blackmon free to take their lunch money.  The end result; 12 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.  They probably forgot that he's the current Biletnikoff Award winner.


If this is any indication, it looks like the sun will be setting on Arizona a little faster than they are planning.  Their next two games will be against Oregon and Stanford; two teams that will  feature heavily not only in the conference title race, but also the in the national picture as well.  Luckily, Arizona plays in the Pac-12 South Division, and with USC on probation, might actually get to make something out of whatever's left.


Oklahoma State's next plays Tulsa next; a game that serves as a great warm-up ahead of their showdown against Texas A&M the week after.  I wonder what uniforms they'll break out next.

Off to the races

Coming off the best year in the school history, Oklahoma State showed that they haven't slowed down, and won't be doing so anytime soon; and they have the uniforms to prove it.

Even after Dana Holgorsen's move to West Virginia (eventually ascending to the head coaching job), new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has fit in well as the Cowboys will be looking to settle for nothing less than the 11 wins from last season.  Of course being ranked in the Pre-Season Top 10 - due in part to the return of QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon - helped raise expectations in Stillwater.  After coming oh so close to earning a berth in BCS games the last 3 seasons, not too many people are surprised by the "BCS or Bust" mode.

The Cowboys opened up with a 61-34 win over the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette, and will have a very tricky set of fixtures in their next 3 games.  They play Arizona at home, before taking to the road to face Texas A&M and Tulsa.  None of these games are "gimmes"; they are capable of losing them just as they are of winning them.  That being said, they'll more than likely be favored in all 3.

Outside of Weeden and Blackmon, running back Joseph Randle stepped in to fill the shoes of the departed Kendall Hunter.  During spot appearances last season, Randle showcased his ability as an all-purpose back; he's a very good receiver out of the backfield and can run between the tackles as well as around the corners.  He may not have that "make the first man miss" ability like Hunter, but it's not like there's been a downgrade at the position.

Also making an impact were receivers Tracy Moore, Isaiah Anderson and Michael Harrison. Since Blackmon will more than likely receive a lot of double teams from defenses (not like it'll matter), and Josh Cooper doing a lot of damage underneath, Weeden will need vertical options down the field who are also physical enough to battle for jump balls should the need arise.  Anderson and Harrison did well on the road against Kansas State - a game in which Blackmon was suspended - when they received extended playing time.

There was a some discontent among "Poke Nation" after the Cowboys gave up 34 points to the Ragin' Cajuns.  That would be a concern to anyone, but for what it's worth, this game wasn't much of contest by the time the 4th Quarter came around.  What would the Cajun faithful say about their team which gave up 61?  Just wondering.

Arizona will be the Cowboy's first major test of the season, but they should be fine if they just keep doing what they're doing.  The team has yet to lose a Thursday night game under Mike Gundy, and I doubt that this will change in this fixture.

Miles won't say "adieu" to the Bayou!!

For some who apparently likes to eat grass, the turf in Ann Arbor didn't look that much greener.  For the second time in three years, Les Miles turned down an offer to coach his alma mater.

It was reported that Miles would accept the job if it were offered to him, but as we have now found out, that is not the case.  I'm sure Michigan were willing to break the bank to bring back one of their own.  Miles played for the legendary Bo Schembechler and even worked as an assistant coach for both Bo and Gary Moeller.  That would surely make him Michigan Man, right?

Here's an interesting fact to ponder, maybe some trivia if you may.  Les Miles has recorded as many wins over Ohio State as Michigan since 2001; one!!  This came courtesy of a 38-24 win over the Buckeyes in the 2007 BCS title game.  Consider yourself guidanced (I borrowed that line).

Who's that guy next to Bo?

In my opinion, I think Les Miles made a good decision to stay in Baton Rouge.  Louisiana is a state that is full of talent and unlike states such as Florida, Texas, California and Pennsylvania; LSU doesn't have a "big-time" in-state rival, which means that he will get the best players year in and year out.  The number of top rated recruiting classes he has brought in during his time at the Bayou will serve as evidence.

At Michigan, he would have to fight Ohio State for talent in Ohio, Penn State for talent in Pennsylvania, Michigan State for in-state talent, Illinois for talent in that state, Virginia Tech and Virginia for their talent and so on.  We also know what would happen if losses to Ohio State keep mounting.  Michigan fans might not want to admit it, but Ohio State have OWNED the Wolverines in this decade; that's just real talk.

Michigan are in a "win-now" mode.  They want results right now and there is no doubt that Miles can deliver.  He is in his 10th season as a head coach and he has proven that he can beat the big boys.  In 2001, he led a 3-7 Oklahoma State team to an upset victory over Oklahoma, the defending national champion.  He compiled a 28-21 record during his time in Stillwater, which was highlighted by 3 consecutive winning seasons and 3 straight bowl games.  Oklahoma State had not enjoyed that much success since the 1980's.  And even though Cowboy nation might try and deny, Les Miles kick-started the run of success that has trickled over into the Mike Gundy era.  And that is how, as Les Miles would say, you let 'er rip!!

The Mad Hatter with the mad bling

When Nick Saban left the Bayou for South Beach after the 2004 season, Les Miles took over the program and continued to win.  In six seasons, he's led LSU to: four 10-win seasons, at least 13 wins over ranked teams, 2 SEC title games (including a win in 2007) and a 5-1 record in bowl games; starting with a 40-3 massacre of Miami in the 2005 Peach Bowl (Miami hasn't quite been the same since), through the 2007 national title, and a Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M (LSU's first since 1966).

While you can question his clock management skills (don't even get me started), the one thing you can't questions is his ability to recruit, coach and win.  At LSU, he's in a much better position to contend for and win a national championship, than at Michigan.  No disrespect to Michigan, but the man has a good thing going on at LSU and I don't know that many people who would want to trade in a good situation for a supposedly "better" one.  Actually, I do; Rich Rodriguez (see my article Coach, interrupted, which talks about how in three seasons, he turned Michigan from a storied program into a Big Ten punching bag).

So the next time Les Miles feels like chomping the turf at Tiger Stadium, you can at least be assured he knows that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Tiger Paradise

Auburn and Oregon, while known for the high flying offenses, didn't disappoint in a defensive showdown.  I had the feeling that this is probably how the game would play itself out.  Auburn are national champions because they were more suited to this kind of game.

They had won 6 games this season by 8 points or less (this game would make it 7), three of those wins came against ranked teams.  Another point to note is that all those six teams played in bowl games, finishing with a combined 3-3 record.  This team mirrors the 2002 Ohio State team as well as the 2003 LSU team; both teams won the national championship because they knew how to grind it out in the close games.

What Heisman jinx?

Oregon can hold their head up high even in defeat, because there is no shame in losing to a team that is just as good as you are, if not better.  Auburn seemed to have a little more gas in the tank and were able to make the extra plays needed for the win.  Oregon should be able to make another title run with both LaMichael James and Darron Thomas returning to school for another season.

Cam Newton may not have had his best game, but he surely did enough to get the Tigers over hump for the program's first national title since 1957.  His passing was off at times, but he connected on a couple of long touchdowns and broke off a big run every now and then.  When Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews forced a fumble off Newton, it seemed that Heisman jinx was back at work.  Oregon ended up tying the score, but Newton will be thanking Michael Dyer, the game's Offensive MVP, for saving the day, when he broke off runs of 37 yards and 16 yards to set up Wes Byrum for the game winning field goal.

Wes Byrum putting his foot down on matters.

The play of the game came when Nick Fairley and the Tigers defensive line stuffed Kenjon Barner on a "4th & Goal" play from the 1 yard line.  It was enough to turn the tide in Auburn's favor.  Had Oregon scored the touchdown or a field goal, there is a chance that they might have won the game.  Decisions, decisions; why do they have to be so hard.  Auburn's defensive line worked excellently, constantly pressuring Darron Thomas into throwing the ball early and stuffing LaMichael James at just about every opportunity they could get.  Along with Michael Dyer, they get my vote for the game's MVP.

As far as that Heisman Jinx is concerned (I covered this in an earlier article), we'll have to worry about it next year.  I gotta hand it to Cam Newton; this guy is just a winner.  Forget about all the NCAA investigations and whatnot.  He has won at just about every place he has been.  He won a national championship at Florida (as a backup to Tim Tebow), he led Blinn College to the juco national championship and lifted Auburn to national title.

With the kind of season that he's had, I think he's about ready to cash in on his talents (you can take that in any context that you'd like).  He should most likely go #1 overall, since Andrew Luck opted to return to school for another year (I kind of didn't see that one coming).  Should he leave, it would be wise to say that not only will we be crowning a different champion next season, but it likely won't come from the SEC. 

So in parting, I would like to congratulate Auburn on their great season.  Enjoy and hopefully, it won't be another 53 years before your next title.

Rose Bowl revisited: The curious case of Andy Dalton

TCU's win over Wisconsin saw them become the first non AQ (automatic qualifier) school to win the Rose Bowl, joining Utah who won the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and the 2009 Sugar Bowl.  No redemption could have been greater, especially after Ohio State president Gordon Gee dissed them and compared their schedule to the "Little Sisters of the Poor".

Tank Carder made what proved to be the biggest play in the Horned Frogs season, when he batted down a pass on two point conversion attempt, that would have surely sent the game into overtime.  That was just one of the many plays that he made for TCU.  He was no doubt the man about town that day.

While Carder's efforts could have earned him the game MVP, and rightfully so, that honor deservedly went to Quarterback Andy Dalton.  A four year starter, Dalton seemed nothing like the player from last year's Fiesta Bowl.  In that 17-10 loss to Boise State, he was picked off 3 times in what was agreeably one of the worst games of his career.

Dalton scoring on a quarterback keeper in the first half

In this trip, following another stellar showing in the regular season, he saved his best game for last.  He passed for a touchdown, ran for another and helped TCU control the game long enough to pull off the historic win.

His 42-7 record makes the him the school's career leader for wins by a starting quarterback.  What makes this even more impressive, are the names on that list; Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien.  Should Andy Dalton be considered the best quarterback to have played for TCU?

Slingin' Sammy Baugh was a two time All-American in 1935 and 1936.  He went on to a 16 year career in the NFL, all with the Washington Redskins.  The Sammy Baugh trophy, awarded to the nation's top passer, is named in his honor.  He was enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. 



Baugh & O'Brien were legends at TCU and in college football too.

Davey O'Brien won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and Heisman Trophy; becoming the first player to win all three awards in the same season.  In that same season, 1938, he led TCU to an undefeated season and a national championship.  Some of the records he set still stand to this day.  The Davey O' Brien Award, which is awarded to the nation's best quarterback, is named in his honor.

There has been many a legend that has passed through Forth Worth; Larry Brown (a three time Super Bowl winner with the Dallas Cowboys), LaDainian Tomlinson (Doak Walker Award winner who led the nation in rushing in both 1999 & 2000), Dutch Meyer (played for TCU and coached them to National Championships in both 1935 & 1938)...... this list could go on.

It would not be far fetched to say that Andy Dalton has more than secured his legend at TCU.  By the time the program has its next great quarterback, we might have a college football playoff in place.  Now that might be far fetched.