FORT WORTH, TX - Spring football practice is here and for quarterback Andy Dalton, it'll be his last.
"It's definitely a good feeling," says Dalton. "I feel like I’ve been here forever. Everybody I talk to is surprised that I’m not graduating yet."
Dalton has the experience of a BCS game under his belt and now is ready to attack his next goal of getting the horned frogs into a national championship game.
The graduation of the top quarterbacks around the country has left Dalton at the top of the list of active quarterbacks with 29-wins. He would like to improve on that, and it all starts by laying the ground work for his final season at TCU.
One more win will put Dalton ahead of the legendary Sammy Baugh in wins at TCU. "It's a great honor, hopefully I can come out early on and I can get that win and put that behind me. It's not something I focus on," Dalton says.
Leading active quarterbacks in wins is good for the stat column but does little toward the team goal of reaching another BCS bowl game and even playing for a national championship.
"It's great for him," says head coach Gary Patterson. "I think he understands that for him to be successful, he has to understand that we have to go to a high level. The team has to do great for him to have the season and the accolades that he wants to have.
Dalton has had three offensive coordinators in his first three seasons. This year, there are no changes. "I think it helps him. We'll finally have the continuity of a carryover season."
No matter how successful his final season is, he'll be hard pressed to have an indoor practice facility named in his honor. After all, Sammy Baugh has his name on the current facility. "I don't know if it goes anywhere near his name," Dalton says. "He's done a lot for this school and a lot for football in general."
But win a national championship, who knows.
