After a perfect regular season record, another Mountain West title and a #3 BCS ranking, the team was selected by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses to play Wisconsin of the Big Ten Conference in the 97th edition of the Rose Bowl. They defeated the Badgers 21–19, capping off their first undefeated and untied season since 1938, and only the second overall in the school's 115-year football history. The Congrove Computer Rankings, an NCAA-designated major selector, selected TCU as national champion.[1]
TCU finished the regular season as the conference leader in scoring offense (520 points, 43.3 average) and scoring defense (137 points, 11.4 average). The Frogs were led by senior quarterback Andy Dalton, who completed 194 of 293 passes for 2638 yards for 26 touchdowns, and tailback Ed Wesley, who carried for 162 times for 1065 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
Game summaries[]
Oregon State[]
#24 Oregon State vs. #6 TCU
1
2
3
4
Total
Oregon State
7
7
7
0
21
• TCU
7
14
7
2
30
Date: September 4
Location:Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Game start: 7:45 p.m. EST
TV announcers (ESPN):Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
Scoring summary
1
11:48
OSU
James Rodgers 30 yard pass from Ryan Katz (Justin Kahut kick)
OSU 7-0
1
7:19
TCU
Andy Dalton 6 yard run (Ross Evans kick)
Tied 7-7
2
11:57
OSU
Jordan Bishop 34 yard pass from Ryan Katz (Justin Kahut kick)
OSU 14-7
2
8:39
TCU
Jeremy Kerley 1 yard pass from Andy Dalton (Ross Evans kick)
The Horned Frogs made their way to Pasadena as the first team from a BCS non-AQ conference school to play in the Rose Bowl in the BCS era. The team has recorded two consecutive perfect regular seasons and has appeared in six straight bowl games. The Rose Bowl was their second consecutive BCS bowl game.
Both teams scored double digit points in the first quarter, a Rose Bowl record. The game was close throughout, and was not decided until Wisconsin failed to convert a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter to tie the game. The game marks second time that the Rose Bowl was decided by two points, joining the 1966 game (UCLA 14, Michigan State 12).