Lessons from a Bowl Game

With the abundance of football bowl games the past few weeks, there have been some exciting games, especially if your team won.  While some games were very close in score, others seemed to have been won easily.  One of the more exciting games was between TCU and Oregon.  With Oregon leading 31-0 at the half, it didn’t look too promising for the TCU Horned Frogs.  That was Coach Gary Patterson’s worst first half of his 15-season head coaching career.  Losing his starting quarterback, due to a team infraction, was definitely having an effect on his team.

At halftime, Patterson reminded his team to go back to their roots.  They listened, took to heart what he said, settled down, and played to win.  Senior backup quarterback Bram Kohlhausen, a walk on at TCU, made his first career start in the game.  How fitting that, after all the practices and teamwork leading up to the bowl game, he was given the opportunity to start in the biggest game of the season.  The Horned Frogs overcame the 31 point deficit and tied the game with a field goal with 19 seconds left in the regulation period.  At the conclusion of 3 overtimes, TCU defeated Oregon 47 – 41.

Lessons from the Bowl Games:

* Any team can win on any given day.

* Never ever give up.

* It takes team effort to win a game.

* When something is important to you, don’t make and follow through on choices that will jeopardize it.

* Rules are made to be followed.

* There are difficult consequences when one chooses to disobey the rules.

* Actions and choices influence more than just you.

* It is important to always be ready and prepared, since you don’t always know when your big opportunity will come.

* Cheering fans are an encouragement to the team.

* The game isn’t over until the final whistle is blown.
* Finish strong.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

I Corinthians 9:24

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2