TCU to face Iowa State in EV1.net Houston Bowl
12/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 4, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Iowa State has been selected to play TCU in the Dec. 31 EV1.net Houston Bowl at Reliant Stadium.The Cyclones (7-4) will be the second Big 12 opponent of the season for the Mountain West Conference champion Horned Frogs (10-1), who opened the 2005 campaign with a 17-10 win at Oklahoma.
TCU and Iowa State had one common opponent this season - Army. The Frogs posted a 38-17 home win (Oct. 15) over the Black Knights, while the Cyclones took a 28-21 decision (Sept. 23) in West Point, N.Y.
Iowa State was the first opponent TCU coach Gary Patterson faced in his eight-year tenure on campus. The Frogs and Cyclones last met in the 1998 season opener for both teams with Patterson in his first year as the TCU defensive coordinator. The Frogs used a 17-point fourth quarter to rally for a 31-21 victory.
TCU holds a 2-0 series lead over Iowa State. The lone other contest between the teams was a 27-10 Frog victory in the 1995 season opener in Fort Worth.
"We understand how good Iowa State is," Patterson said. "They beat Colorado who played in the Big 12 championship game.
"They're talented and don't make many mistakes. They're a lot like us in causing a lot of takeaways on defense. We've got to be able to control the ball and make plays. You have to run the ball and they've been very good against the run.
"We've got a lot of work to do."
Three of Iowa State's four losses came in overtime. The Cyclones rank fifth nationally in turnover margin at 1.36 (+15). The Frogs are second (1.82, +20), narrowly trailing USC (1.83, +22).
The Cyclones are 14th nationally in run defense, allowing just 99.7 yards a game on a 3.0 per carry average. TCU is 23rd, surrendering 114.6 on the ground with a 2.9 mark each attempt.
Ticket information for the EV1.net Houston Bowl is available on the Frogs' web site (www.gofrogs.com) or by calling (817) 257-FROG.
