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Thursday, October 22, 1998
TCU's rebirth surprises even their coach
By ANGEL HERNANDEZ
Scripps Howard News Service
Boulder and the University of Colorado had Camp Rick. Fort
Worth and Texas Christian now has Camp Fran.
TCU coach Dennis Franchione didn't have many nearby spots to
take his team skiing last winter upon taking the Horned Frogs'
job.
And the tubing possibilities remained miles away.
He did take his players bowling, however.
And to a campus basketball game.
And to a tailgate party at another TCU event.
The new camaraderie instilled by Franchione has paid immediate
dividends this fall.
TCU has compiled a 4-2 overall record, and the Horned Frogs'
2-1 mark in the Western Athletic Conference has them in the hunt
for the Mountain Division title.
"I think we've played very hard," Franchione said.
"We're a solid club in a lot of ways. We've played our
games with a great deal of effort. We've found a way to make plays
- although we're not pretty at times."
The Horned Frogs' losses have been close - by one point to
Oklahoma (10-9) and four points to archenemy Southern Methodist
(10-6) last Saturday. TCU has had two fortunate victories - by
one point over then-ranked Air Force (35-34) and three points
over dreadful Vanderbilt (19-16 in two overtimes) - and comfortable
victories against Iowa State (31-21) and Fresno State (21-10).
TCU's early success might not evoke memories of Sammy Baugh,
but it does hearken to the occasional 1980s success enjoyed by
former coach Jim Wacker.
And it's a far cry from the Horned Frogs' 24-42-1 run in five
years under Pat Sullivan, whose tenure included off-field discipline
problems.
Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel had a more appointed cupboard
when he started his bonding campaign in Boulder.
Franchione's was bare in comparison.
"I think you have to be a little bit surprised at how
we've responded," said Franchione, a 47-year-old Kansas native.
"I didn't have any timetable on how quickly it could happen.
"It's my first year in the program. I've only coached
these kids six games. You need time to develop the things that
need to be in place."
So instead of merely plying the Frogs with films and play charts,
Franchione appointed team ambassadors to keep open the lines of
communication - and to help preach his gospel of hard work and
perseverance.
"This team had a history of not handling adversity very
well," Franchione said. "They would kind of fold in
the second half when something bad happened. We had to deal with
that.
"That has to do with self-confidence and self-esteem.
We had to get back to playing hard. We put out the word that the
most important play was the next play."
It has worked before.
Franchione has forged a history of coaching turnarounds (New
Mexico, Southwest Texas State, Pittsburg (Kan.) State) with an
option-oriented offense that has quarterbacks throwing, pitching
and running with abandon.
Franchione's game plan helped New Mexico quarterback Graham
Leigh lead the Lobos to a WAC divisional title (and subsequent
loss to CSU in the league championship game).
And it helped the Pittsburg State Gorillas go 53-6 in NCAA
Division II play in the mid-1980s.
CSU coach Sonny Lubick says TCU has the best defensive line
in the WAC, but the Rams (6-2, 3-1) should be just as concerned
about the unpredictability of TCU's option.
It is steered by junior quarterback Patrick Batteaux (307 rushing
yards) and supplemented by senior tailback Basil Mitchell (541
rushing yards).
Batteaux has struggled to catch on, but Franchione isn't worried.
"He's certainly played well enough to be 6-0," the coach
said. "You have to give him credit for those kinds of things."
(Angel Hernandez writes for Rocky Mountain News in Denver.)
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