Horned Frogs Visit the Astrodome
12/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 23, 2001
The TCU Horned Frogs took their first look at the Astrodome today, as they visited the "Eighth Wonder of the World" for about a half hour this morning, leading off a full day of activities in Houston. The Frogs are in Houston for a December 28 date with Texas A&M in the galleryfurniture.com Bowl. The game, which is billed as the final collegiate football game in the Astrodome, is set for 12:30 p.m. and can be seen nationally on ESPN.
"We don't want any surprises," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson following the team's visit to the dome. "Basically we came in here for the visual effect and to get used to seeing the ball against the roof. We won't be back in here until later in the week, so we wanted to get a feel for it."
Following their stop at the Astrodome, the Frogs toured the University of Houston facilities, where they will conduct practices over the next three days. From there, it was off to the NASA space center, then on to the Kemah Boardwalk, where offensive tackle Matt Orlovsky took top honors in a pie-eating contest.
TCU gets back to more serious business on Monday. After a midday trip to the rodeo, the Horned Frogs will go through their first workout since their arrival in Houston. Practice is set for 4:15 p.m. at the University of Houston. A Christmas Eve dinner is planned for the entire team later in the evening.
"When the kids decided to be Division I players, they decided to be different," said Patterson. "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and practicing through Christmas is one of those sacrifices we have to make. Many of the players' families will be here, while others will have to put off the holidays for another week."
Friday's game marks the first matchup between these two former Southwest Conference rivals since the 1995 season. Texas A&M has won the last 23 meetings between the two schools. The Horned Frogs from Conference USA enter the game with a 6-5 record, while the Aggies from the Big 12 Conference come in with a 7-4 ledger.
"A win would be a great way to top off the season," admitted Patterson. "Plus, with losing only 10 seniors off this year's squad, it would be a great springboard as we continue to build towards next year."
