For now, eight coaches couldn’t be happier with Texas Christian as the ninth and newest member of the Mountain West Conference.
All TCU did was knock off two-time defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma in front of 84,332 fans in Norman, most of whom probably couldn’t name the Horned Frogs’ latest conference affiliation.
“Instant credibility for the Mountain West,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, as if the Utes didn’t earn some last season by going undefeated and winning the Fiesta Bowl.
Check back in a few weeks when conference play begins to see if the charter MWC members are still thrilled with the new kid on the block. The preseason pick for sixth place just became an instant contender.
“I’m very superstitious, and I don’t look at any opponent until the next one is done,” Whittingham said. The Utes open their two-time MWC title defense Sept. 15 at TCU.
Both schools have rivalry games this weekend, with the Utes hosting Utah State and TCU traveling across the Metroplex to play SMU in Dallas.
“A lot of people think there will be a letdown, but from our standpoint we have to try not to let that happen,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday during the league’s media teleconference. “We have a maturity level with how we handled going in to play in front of 80,000. Even our younger players understand one game doesn’t make a season.”
Patterson’s goal coming into the season was to restore his defense after 2004’s 5-6 collapse.
The Horned Frogs forced a quarterback change at Oklahoma and limited All-America running back Adrian Peterson to 2.9 yards per carry and 63 yards in the 17-10 stunner.
“We tried to do a good job with our personnel,” said Patterson, who rotated 12 players on the defensive line and used 63 players overall. “I don’t think anyone in the country thought we’d be 1-0 right now.”
Katrina hits home
The televised images of the impact of Hurricane Katrina left a personal impression on MWC commissioner Craig Thompson. As chief of the Sun Belt Conference before moving to Colorado Springs in 1998, Thompson lived and worked in New Orleans.
He told of a close friend getting to see his home for the first time in a week.
“He’s president of the Triple-A baseball team (the New Orleans Zephyrs), and the field is being used as a morgue,” Thompson said. “Living in Colorado, it’s frustrating not to have contact with a lot of good friends and ex-neighbors.”
He said the windows blew out of the 21-story building where he used to work. The Sun Belt had since moved its offices. Thompson has asked all MWC schools to help with fundraising relief efforts.
Instant replay
The MWC is the only conference that allows coaches to request instant replay by throwing a challenge flag. In games last weekend, non-MWC coaches made three challenges. Only one MWC coach, UNLV’s Mike Sanford, made a challenge – and he did so twice.
Sanford was upheld on his first call. Of nine combined requests for review by coaches and instant replay officials, three calls were overturned.
“I love it; it helped us,” Sanford said.
On one series, an out-of- bounds call on a reception was overturned and the Rebels went on to score.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
