TCU has been one of the hottest teams in the nation over the past seven weeks, and it has put the Horned Frogs into the Poinsettia Bowl against Northern Illinois on December 19th. The seven game winning streak that they will bring into the game is the sixth-longest active streak in the nation.
It's somewhat fitting that TCU will travel to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and play where its most famed alum currently calls home. It was back in 2000 that LaDainian Tomlinson, current San Diego Charger, won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation playing for the Horned Frogs. With a victory against the Huskies, TCU will win its 11 th game of the season, marking the third time in four years they have reached that plateau.
The offense has been the key to TCU's winning streak, posting the 17 th best total offense in the nation—second best in the Mountain West Conference (404.5 ypg). The Frogs average 28.6 points per game on the season, but in their last three contests they have put up 45 points per game and an average of 535.7 yards. The number includes a 624 yard outburst against San Diego State and a 606 yard performance against Colorado State. The offense was clicking so well that the Horned Frogs didn't attempt a punt in eight quarters.
The rushing attack is led by a variety of guys, with sophomore Aaron Brown leading the team with 749 yards and nine touchdowns. Quarterback Jeff Ballard is third on the team in rushing, averaging 33.7 yards per game on the ground, while scoring five times on a quarterback keeper. Passing-wise, Ballard has been efficient. He has completed 61.5-percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns, while picking up 178 yards per game through the air. Quentil Harmon has been the most productive receiver, catching 46 balls for 697 yards and three touchdowns on the year.
Defensively, the TCU attack has only yielded 12.8 points per contest. Recently named Freshman All-American Nick Sanders, is second on the team with three interceptions at his cornerback position, including taking one back for a touchdown.
For Northern Illinois, it all starts and ends with running back Garrett Wolfe. There were calls at the beginning of the season for a Heisman for the short and quick running back, but although he had a good regular season, the numbers don't cry out for the Heisman. Wolfe gained 1900 yards (an average of 158.3 per game) and scored 18 touchdowns on the ground. Maybe most impressively is his average of 6.6 yards per carry.
Senior QB Phil Horvath has also had a decent year. He averaged 175 yards through the air while throwing 11 TDs and nine interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Britt Davis was the favorite target, making 57 receptions and averaging over 60 yards per game.
It should be fun to watch two polished offenses go head-to-head, but if TCU's defense shows up it may be a long night in San Diego for the Huskies.
Las Vegas Bowl
As a coach, if you aren't going to make a BCS bowl game, what's better than a trip to Vegas? This year, the question can be asked to Oregon and BYU, as they will meet in the Pioneer Purevision Las Vegas Bowl on December 21st. It will be the second straight trip for the Cougars to the West's version of the City that Never Sleeps. BYU fell to Cal, 35-28 a year ago and are looking to break a four bowl game losing streak. The Cougars are in a stretch that has seen them go 3-11-1 in their last 15 bowl games.
BYU will see a familiar face on the Ducks' sideline, as former head coach Gary Crowton is the offensive coordinator in Eugene. Crowton resigned from BYU after catching criticism from many about not believing in the principles that BYU stands for. Don't think that Cougars fans forget the scandals that led to Crowton's departure.
Aside from that storyline, it should be quite a battle. BYU finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation, going 10-2 overall. One of those losses was a tough 23-20 loss at Boston College in the third week of the year, in a game that was controlled by the Cougars. But since then, they have reeled off eight straight wins, and current head coach Bronco Mendenhall is a finalist for National Coach of the Year.
BYU puts up over 35 points per game and has an offense that averages 458.6 yards. Quarterback John Beck has been superb this season, throwing for over 319 yards per game and 30 touchdowns. Beck has only thrown six interceptions. If those numbers don't knock you out of your chair, how about his completion percentage sitting at 70.4-percent. Johnny Harline has been his go-to guy when it comes to touchdowns, bringing in 11 on the season, while running back Curtis Brown leads the team with 55 receptions.
Oregon was a national title contender this season, including picking up a win over Oklahoma in a while finish earlier in the year. But things cooled off, including a loss to in-state rival Oregon State. One of the most interesting things to watch for on the Ducks' side will be which uniform they come out in. With hundreds of different combinations of the Yellow and Green, it will certainly be interesting to see which Nike uniform they come out in.
When it comes to stats, Dennis Dixon has stepped in at QB and has struggled at times, throwing 13 INT's and 11 TDs, not the ratio one wants in their quarterback. Dixon has completed 61 percent of his passes, and thrown for over 2,000 yards. Jaison Williams has been by far the best receiver, averaging 89.5 yards per game and making six TD catches.
It will be a Pac-10-MWC battle in Vegas, and we'll see if Oregon is truly happy to be there after having much higher aspirations heading into this season. If BYU puts up its normal offensive output, Oregon may not have the same type of guns to keep up.
Douglas Kroll can be reached at dckroll@hotmail.com
