Ringing in the New Year -- as champions

Liberty Bowl Champions. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? With a dominating performance, the Horned Frogs upset No. 23 Colorado State 17-3 on New Year's Eve at the 44th AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The win marked the 500th victory in TCU history and a school-record fifth consecutive bowl game. The team finished 10-2 and ranked No. 22, and its suffocating defense was statistically the nation's best. "I'm very proud of what this team has accomplished," Coach Gary Patterson said. "To be one of only six TCU teams ever to finish with 10 wins says a lot about how good the team was." But the football team wasn't the only group representing TCU in fine fashion in the land of Elvis and barbecue. At the pregame Beale Street parade, the TCU Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Showgirls yelled louder and marched straighter than any other troupe. And about 11,000 purple-clad fans made the trip to the Bluff City, while thousands more watched the game with a national television audience on ESPN.