Poinsettia Bowl Wrapup- Kellen Moore's Legacy

The Mountain West Conference Champion TCU Horned Frogs played in their bowl game today against the WAC champion Louisiana Tech Bulldogs today, and managed to pull out a win, but if ESPN's coverage of the game is anything to go on, then you loyal reader are much more concerned with what the legacy of Kellen Moore is. Obviously TV viewers who are watching the champions of two leagues are much more interested in hearing about the legacy of a player who finished second in one of those same leagues, and for that matter finished second in the other league the year before. So let's analyze it, shall we?

*Disclaimer for Boise State fans: You probably want to stop reading here.*

Kellen Moore's legacy is being one of only two Quarterbacks from non-AQ conferences to play in a BCS bowl game, but never throw a touchdown pass in one (the other being Hawaii's Colt Brennan). Kellen Moore's legacy is of winning an outright conference championship two times (both in the WAC). Kellen Moore's legacy is being the first Boise State QB to lose a conference game on his home field in a decade. Kellen Moore's legacy is that of being close to pulling off great things, but never actually being the player who pulls off (or doesn't pull off) those things himself- In the Poinsettia Bowl it was Moore who threw the backbreaking pick that let TCU run off all but six seconds and seal the win. In the Fiesta Bowl it was Brotzman who made Boise State's best throw of the night that set up the Bronco win. The next year it was Brotzman who missed the kick that cost the Broncos the win, and the year after it was Brotzman who missed the field goal that cost Boise against Nevada. The next year it was Moore again who misfired on four consecutive downs and would have ended the game there if not for possibly the most phantom of pass interference penalties ever. The world as a whole will likely remember Kellen Moore as the guy who won a lot of games, and but for field goal kicking might have had a chance to win bigger ones. TCU fans will remember Kellen Moore as the quarterback who wasn't a good enough player to win the games himself. As the player who was only in position to have his freshman kicker miss a field goal because this was called.

TCU pass interference vs Boise State - 11.12.2011 (via brandonmitchellorg)

Even Ohio State says that flag came in suspiciously late.

So there's Kellen Moore's legacy. He beat a lot of teams he was supposed to beat, against team where it was close, he didn't win the game. Maybe his teammates won it for him, maybe they lost it for him, but Kellen Moore didn't win the game for them in the end. And you can be the most accurate QB in history (and he's certainly up there), but if you don't win the game for your team at the end, you're not the greatest QB ever.

Next on Frogs O' War: Actual Poinsettia Bowl analysis, I just had a bug up my butt about half a quarter of a TCU football game turning into a lickfest for a player who wasn't even in the game.