Related Articles:
Brave heart | Score one for the home team | Net gain | Terrific Terry | Speed demon

Stilley the one

Quarterback Sean Stilley admits he hasn't been "the man" in a while.

In four seasons at TCU, he has gone from being a redshirt freshman to a backup to the backup to emergency starter. Now, Stilley enters his fifth year and he's the undisputed No. 1 signal-caller and leader of the team.

At the end of last season, he figured to compete again with three-season incumbent Casey Printers, even give the starter a run for his money in spring drills after getting in some game action in 2001. Then he would settle into the No. 2 role for his final year in Fort Worth.

But Frog fans know what happened instead: Printers bolted for pass-happy Florida A&M, and as quick as you can say "hut-hut," Stilley became the top Frog overnight.

"When Casey dropped out, it was a shock. I hadn't been the top guy in years, and all of a sudden, I'm the guy and somebody is battling me," Stilley said after his last round of golf before summer two-a-days. "But now it feels like this is how it's always been, like this is how it was supposed to be. I like having the leadership role on this team. I like being the senior, 'the man.' "

All signs point to the Frogs being in good hands. Stilley, a favorite among his teammates, passed for 273 yards and three touchdowns against Army in his first start last season. He started the following game against East Carolina before going down with an ankle injury and didn't play the rest of the season.

In 2002, Stilley will have plenty of weapons to get TCU's offense rolling. Senior receivers LaTarence Dunbar and Adrian Madise return, as do running backs Corey Connally, Ricky Madison and Reggie Holts. He also has four-fifths of his offensive line back.

"It's weird how it has worked out," Stilley said. "It's gone by real fast in four years, but it's been a long road. I put in my time and stayed with it. I could have easily not stayed with it, slacked off, but I didn't. And now it's my time."

Time to be "the man."