Kyle Dooley was at the Big 12 championship game, cheering for Nebraska, sitting with the family of Mike Hays, a former teammate at Papillion-La Vista High School.
But Dooley wasn't dressed in red. The third-year sophomore starts at left guard for TCU, so he and his buddies wore purple.
A Nebraska win might have put TCU in the national championship game. Congratulations were offered when the clock ran out. Then one second was put back.
“It was like a shot through the heart,” Dooley said of Texas' game-winning field goal on the last play.
Dooley was like a lot of people a few years ago, just vaguely aware of TCU's rise to prominence in college football.
But now the Horned Frogs have an undefeated team that some feel could be the equal of Texas and Alabama, the teams that will play for the national title.
TCU faces Boise State in a matchup of undefeated non-Bowl Championship Series conference teams in tonight's Fiesta Bowl.
TCU, 13-3 against BCS teams since 2002, including 5-2 against Big 12 teams, doesn't get to add to those marks against Boise State. But if the national championship game is out of the picture, then this pairing is OK with Dooley.
“I'd rather play an undefeated team instead of a one-loss team like a Florida,” he said. “At first I was a little upset because we just played them last year (a 17-16 win in the Poinsettia Bowl). But it's a chance to settle who the best non-BCS team is.
“Obviously people are starting to notice us. We made a run last year. We're getting the respect we deserve. There was just nothing we could really control since Texas and Alabama were ranked ahead of us the entire year and continued to win.”
Dooley's father, Rick, grew up a Nebraska fan and followed through with his vow to be there when Tom Osborne won his first national championship. He hoped that one day his son would play for the Huskers, but both father and son said the relationship with NU's coaching staff under Bill Callahan never clicked.
Meanwhile, a highlight tape was sent out to about 20 programs, including TCU.
“I got a call from them the next day and I visited the next week,” Kyle Dooley said. “I didn't really know anything about them before that.”
That was Dooley's junior year, when he was an All-Nebraska player and just before he was named to The World-Herald's preseason Super Six. TCU, Arizona State and Iowa State were among those who offered scholarships. Dooley chose Arizona State.
But Dooley was unable to play most of his senior season with an ankle injury and, by season's end, the Sun Devils' coaching staff was fired. The new staff went a different direction in recruiting. Suddenly, with few scholarships available and not much senior-year tape to show, Dooley's options were dwindling.
Dooley's father got back in touch with TCU, which asked him to walk-on. He was offered a scholarship after his redshirt season, then moved into the starting lineup midway through his redshirt freshman year.
“It's been a fabulous ride for him,” Rick Dooley said. “The coaching staff and his teammates have been wonderful. There's only a handful of players from outside the state, but they've really embraced him like he's part of the family.”
What TCU saw on Dooley's highlight tape is what the guard says is the key to the Horned Frogs' success.
Coach Gary Patterson can't offer recruits an automatic berth to a BCS game as Mountain West Conference champion.
So the Horned Frogs staff finds players that others don't.
“We don't pay attention to that recruiting stuff,” Dooley said. “When we get our recruits in, we see the highlight tape of each player and sometimes you just ask, ‘How come these guys aren't ranked higher?' And then they get here and it's amazing to watch them grow up and progress.”
For the most part, those players are high school kids from Texas.
“It's almost one of those things where our coaches find talent in players who are good, but maybe not the greatest at their high school, but they are talented and athletic,” Dooley said. “They aren't five-star players in high school, but by the time they are done here, it looks like they were.”
Dooley, 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, says he's progressed in his three years in Fort Worth, too.
“I've definitely gotten a lot stronger, and I've gotten a heck of a lot better,” he said. “You try to get stronger every year, but once you get to a certain strength, your technique has to keep getting as close to perfect as you can get it.”
Dooley moved into the starting lineup at midseason last year before a knee injury knocked him out for the final three games of the regular season. He was set to play in the bowl game, but the coaching staff elected to hold him out just before game time.
He has started every game this season on an offensive line that includes All-Mountain West tackles Marcus Cannon and Marshall Newhouse and standout center Jake Kirkpatrick. The Horned Frogs rank fourth nationally in total offense (469.1 yards per game), including fifth in rushing at 256.5 yards per game.
“Our biggest goals are to be more prepared mentally and to be the toughest team out there by far,” Dooley said.
Contact the writer:
444-1027, rob.white@owh.com
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