TCU football is excited to return to Houston, an area that has produced plenty of Frogs
The TCU football program couldn’t have asked for a better bowl landing spot than the Texas Bowl in Houston.
As athletic director Jeremiah Donati told the Star-Telegram, “Playing in Houston is a huge benefit for us. We have a large alumni base there and it’s a recruiting hotbed in football where we are constantly in the trenches with other schools.
“The exposure we’ll get as a program playing there is significant. I’ve already heard from quite a few folks that are excited TCU is coming to town.”
TCU (6-4) will take on Arkansas (3-7) in a prime-time game on New Year’s Eve at NRG Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with ESPN televising it.
TCU viewed the Texas Bowl as one of its desired bowl destinations once it closed the regular season by winning five of its final six games. As Donati alluded to and coach Gary Patterson said, the Houston area has produced a number of players who have turned into stars with the Frogs.
The big names range from players who have become NFL veterans such as Andy Dalton (Katy) and Jerry Hughes (Sugar Land Stephen F. Austin) to promising pro players such as Ross Blacklock (Missouri City Elkins) to budding college stars on the current roster such as Zach Evans (Houston North Shore).
Others may not be household names but had productive college careers. Chase Ortiz (League City Clear Creek) ranks fifth in all-time sacks during the Patterson era, compiling 20.5 sacks between 2003-07. Darius Anderson (Richmond George Ranch) left as TCU’s eighth-leading rusher in the Patterson era with 2,418 yards (2016-19).
And the list goes on.
Cordel Iwuagwu (Houston Westfield) was a staple on TCU’s offensive line during his career and is now with the Houston Texans. Sewo Olonilua (Kingwood) was the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl MVP and is now with the Dallas Cowboys.
The 2014 Peach Bowl team featured a couple play-makers from Houston Westside in running back B.J. Catalon and wide receiver Deante’ Gray.
TCU has found players on the outskirts of the Houston area too. Former linebacker Jason Phillips (Waller) ranks third for most tackles in the Patterson era with 315.
“We love the town,” Patterson said. “A lot of Frogs are in Houston. We have a lot of alumni, we do a lot of recruiting down there. We’ve played some good games in that stadium, so I don’t expect this one to be that much different.”
Ironically, TCU is returning to Houston for a bowl game for the first time since Dalton’s redshirt freshman season in 2007. TCU defeated Houston 20-13 that year to cap off an 8-5 season. Dalton was 21 of 31 passing for 249 yards with one interception and one rushing TD that day.
Two years later the Frogs were playing in the Fiesta Bowl and then had the memorable 13-0 season and Rose Bowl victory during the 2010 season. Dalton was the poster boy during those glory years.
At the time, Dalton left as TCU’s all-time leader in passing yards (10,314) and passing touchdowns (71).
Who knows? Maybe this year’s game will mark the start of another memorable run for the Frogs. At the very least, there’s worse places to be playing than Houston.
“Most of our kids are very excited, even the Louisiana kids because this is going to be an opportunity for their families to come watch them play,” Patterson said. “If it would have been somewhere out of state, going west or really further east, it would have been harder for them to do that. But Houston is, even for Louisiana, is going to be a great place for the kids’ families to come and watch them. That’s a big deal.”
