TCU (7-5) vs. Houston (8-4)
Dec. 28, 8:00 p.m. ET, NFL Network
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2007 Texas Bowl History, Each Team's Best Bowl Moments, & More
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
TCU |
Houston |
|
Total Offense |
|
64th 388.42 ypg |
4th 513.17 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
16th 320 ypg |
49th 365.67 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
66th 26.58 ppg |
17th 36.33 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
16th 19.17 ppg |
82nd 29.92 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
40th 169.08 ypg |
10th 239.92 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
18th 109.42 ypg |
51st 141.83 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
61st 219.33 ypg |
27th 273.25 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
34th 210.58 ypg |
53rd 223.83 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
92nd -0.50 |
101st -0.67 |
|
TCU
Baylor
W 27-0
at
Texas L 34-13
at A Force
L 20-17 OT
SMU
W 21-7
Col State
W 24-12
at Wyoming
L 24-21
at Stanford
W 38-36
Utah
L 27-20
New Mexico
W 37-0
at BYU
L 27-22
UNLV
W 34-10
at SDSU
W 45-33 |
Houston
at Oregon L 48-27
at Tulane
W 34-10
Colorado St W 35-24
East Carolina L 37-35
at Alabama L 30-24
Rice
W 56-48
at UAB
W 49-10
at UTEP W 34-31
SMU
W 38-28
at Tulsa L 56-7
Marshall
W 35-28
Texas South W 59-6 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
TCU |
5
highest
1 lowest |
H |
|
3 |
Quarterbacks |
4 |
|
3 |
RBs |
4 |
|
2.5 |
Receivers |
3.5 |
|
3.5 |
O
Line |
3 |
|
5 |
D
Line |
3 |
|
4 |
Linebackers |
3 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
3 |
|
4.5 |
Spec
Teams |
3.5 |
|
4.5 |
Coaching |
2 |
|
There’ll no doubt be a Lone Star
flavor in the air when TCU meets
Houston in Reliant Stadium in a
game between former Southwest
Conference rivals and two of the
better non-BCS conference teams
over the last couple of seasons.
There’ll also be an air of
uncertainty surrounding the
Houston program, which lost the
architect of its recent success,
head coach Art Briles, to
Baylor. Joining Briles in Waco
will be co-offensive
coordinators Philip Montgomery
and Randy Clements, leaving the
Cougars with massive voids on a
unit that can ill-afford to be
out of synch against a nasty
Horned Frog D. While AD Dave
Maggard has brought in Kevin
Sumlin to take over, assistant
coach and recruiting coordinator
Chris Thurmond will be on the
sidelines on an interim basis to
handle the main workload for the
bowl.
Houston’s designs of repeating
as Conference USA champs crashed
and burned in a hideous, 56-7
loss to Tulsa on Nov. 10. That
the D would disappear was no
surprise, but seven points
against a weak Hurricane defense
was hard to explain when
everything was on the line. All
can be forgiven with a win here.
The Cougars utilize a
two-quarterback system,
featuring dual-threat Case
Keenum and strong-armed Blake
Joseph, and harbor some of the
fastest skill position players
in the country. RB Anthony
Alridge and WR Donnie Avery, a
couple of legitimate 4.2
sprinters, are gamebreakers that
will challenge the always stingy
TCU defense throughout, while
showing off for the NFL
scouts.
While Houston may have missed
the mark during the regular
season, but TCU didn’t even come
close to expectations. Pegged
as a heavy favorite in the
Mountain West and a possible
contender for a BCS bowl berth,
the Horned Frogs struggled badly
in close games, barely copping a
ninth bowl invitation over the
last 10 years.
As if breaking in a freshman quarterback to replace steady veteran
Jeff Ballard wasn’t trying enough, TCU spent long chunks of the
regular season without two of the league’s premier players, RB Aaron
Brown and DE Tommy Blake. Injuries limited Brown to just 106
carries, the lowest production of his career, which also hampered
Dalton’s development under center. He is not expected to
participate in the team’s bowl game.
Blake, however, will be suited up after returning from a tough saga
that had him MIA most of the season as he sorted through personal
problems. When he’s at his peak, there are few scarier edge rushers
in the country, turning a solid Horned Frog defense into a unit that
can be among the best in college football when all the parts are
humming.
What happens when a high-octane offense meets a brick wall of a
defense? Texas Bowl director doesn’t have the answer. He’s just
thrilled to have a couple of in-state teams on the docket to attract
the interest of local fans.
Players to watch: Although Blake will be one of the main
storylines of the game, he’s not the only NFL-ready defensive end
playing for TCU. Senior Chase Ortiz will be capping an
outstanding career that didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved,
except by the next-level types. The star of the defense during the
regular season, he led the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and eight
sacks, despite seeing plenty of double teams. With Blake focused on
finishing an odd year on a high note, the Horned Frogs will once
again have bookends on the defensive line that are capable of
disrupting the Houston gameplan.
The Cougars’ answer to a TCU defense that ranks 16th
nationally in scoring and total defense is Alridge and Avery, a
couple of future pros that can change the momentum of a game with
just a hint of space to run through. Alridge is No. 7 in the
country in rushing, jetting for a career-high 1,568 yards and 14
touchdowns, adding 41 catches for 424 yards and five more scores.
Not only did Avery lead the offense with 81 catches for 1,336 yards
and seven touchdowns, but also averaged 28 yards on kickoff
returns. Jason Phillips and Robert Henson are a
couple of the Mountain West’s better linebackers, but if they get
caught too often in one-on-one situations with Alridge, the Frogs
will be in big trouble.
TCU will win if... RB Chris Turner picks up where he left off
in November when he ran for 434 yards and five scores. Without a
reliable passing game or any receivers that can take advantage of a
suspect Houston pass defense, the Horned Frogs
must be able to lean on a running attack that rolled toward the end
of the season. With Brown likely to be in street clothes the onus
falls on Turner, and to a lesser extent, Ryan Christian. Healthy
again after missing all or part of six games, Turner gave a glimpse
of his upside in the regular season finale with San Diego State,
rushing for a career-high 226 yards and four touchdowns on 33
carries. At 6-1 and 226 pounds, he’s a powerful runner that can
wear down the Cougar defense in the second half.
Houston will win if...it’s balanced on offense. While
the Cougars conjure up images of Andre Ware and David Klingler, this
team is at its best when it’s mixing in the run with the pass.
Achieving balance will be especially important against a TCU defense
that feasts on opponents that become predictable in their
play-calling. In fact, when the Horned Frogs have held teams under
100 yards rushing in 2007, they’re 5-0 by an average score of
33-11. To win, Houston must have Alridge snapping off long runs,
Avery and Jeron Harvey stretching the secondary, and both Keenum and
Joseph directing scoring drives.
What will happen: Who’s really going to be calling
plays for Houston? The Cougars lost a lot when Briles, Montgomery,
and Clements bolted for the Big 12, giving Gary Patterson and TCU a
considerable edge in preparation. In a competitive game, the Horned
Frogs will prevail, getting more than 100 yards on the ground from
Turner and an inspired effort from a defense that’s far more
formidable now that Blake has had time to get his feet wet.
Line: TCU -3.5 ... CFN Prediction: TCU 31
... Houston 26
2007 Texas Bowl History, Each Team's Best Bowl Moments, & More