Dec. 9—There’s always a local connection.
And in the case of this year’s Isleta New Mexico Bowl, there’s a couple to choose from.
With TCU and Louisiana-Lafayette set to square off in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 28, the Horned Frogs in particular will be rekindling a few local connections on their visit to Albuquerque.
For instance, those of TCU head coach Sonny Dykes. The son of former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, the 55-year-old lived spent part of his childhood in Albuquerque while his dad was coaching at New Mexico in the late 1970s.
“Bill Mondt was the head coach, Rocky Long was (on staff) and I was a third-grader at Comanche Elementary School,” TCU’s third-year head coach chuckled during a press conference Monday. “That’s my deal. And my brother and sister both graduated from Sandia High School, so we have some strong ties to the area.
“Weren’t there for a long couple of years, but we’ve had some family that’s lived there through the years. And have obviously gotten back to Albuquerque several times … It’s a great city.”
Of course, a few of those return trips took Dykes back to University Stadium. While he was on staff at Texas Tech from 2000-06, the Lobos and Red Raiders played twice in Albuquerque — including a 27-24 UNM win on Sept. 11, 2004.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Dykes said of University Stadium. “Rocky did a tremendous job with that program and it was never much fun coming to Albuquerque and having to play against those New Mexico teams.
” … We’re looking forward to spending some time in the city and doing some things with our players that are a little bit unique and different, some things they’ve probably never done before.”
While TCU has no players from New Mexico on its roster, Dykes isn’t the only coach on staff with connections: Albuquerque native and La Cueva High School graduate Mark Cala is a second-year quarterbacks assistant for the Horned Frogs.
Cala won a state title with the Bears in 2009 before playing defensive back at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington; he coached at Arkansas and Houston prior to joining the Horned Frogs. Dykes said he hasn’t been able to talk to Cala since the matchup was announced on Sunday, but heard he was “pretty fired up” about the chance to coach in his hometown.
“Mark’s a really smart guy,” Dykes continued. “He’s been around a little bit, he’s been with Kendal Briles a number of years, (he’s) our offensive coordinator. And Mark is one of the guys that Kendal really leans on — he’s really, really smart, really does a great job of game planning and breaking down opponents.
“Really good football coach, and one of those guys that’s got a really bright future.”
Player updates
Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Michael Desormeaux said Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Ben Wooldridge could possibly return to play in the New Mexico Bowl.
The 6-foot-3, 216-pound quarterback completed 185 of 271 passes for 2,392 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions this season before suffering an injury against South Alabama on Nov. 16. Quarterback Chandler Fields has started all three games in his absence, including a 31-3 loss to Marshall in the Sun Belt Conference Championship on Saturday.
“Certainly we got to make sure that he’s ready for all that, but it’s definitely possible and I know he wants to get back,” Desormeaux said of Wooldridge in a press conference Monday. “So we’re gonna work towards that for sure.”
As for TCU, Dykes said conversations about potential bowl opt-outs are ongoing, but added he would be surprised if any players did. However, a couple of key players — like wide receivers Jack Bech and Savion Williams — have recently been dealing with injuries of their own.
“And we’ll kind of see how those injuries progress and how they come along,” Dykes added. “We’re hopeful that they’ll both be available.”
Bech led the Horned Frogs this season with 62 receptions for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, while Williams made 60 catches for 660 yards and six touchdowns.
