Final
TCU faces Northern Illinois in Poinsettia Bowl
Dec 19, 2006 - 3:28 PM Northn Illinois (7-5) at No. 25 Tcu (10-2) December 19 Poinsettia Bowl 8:00 pm ESTSAN DIEGO (Ticker) - TCU has been stingy against the run all season. The Horned Frogs will have to remain so if they want to cap their campaign with a victory.
With one of the country's top run defenses, 25th-ranked TCU takes on Northern Illinois on Tuesday as the teams kick off the postseason in the Poinsettia Bowl.
TCU (10-2) ranked fourth in the nation against the run, allowing only 67.6 yards per game. The Horned Frogs finished the regular season with the country's ninth-ranked defense, allowing 249.5 yards.
Garrett Wolfe will present TCU's defense with one of its toughest tests of the season. The nation's leading rusher, Wolfe racked up 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Huskies (7-5).
Wolfe was mentioned as a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate early in this season but was held under 100 yards in four straight games as the Huskies lost three of four.
He arrives here having rushed for 367 yards and four TDs in his last two games, both victories. The Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Wolfe has run for a school-record 5,136 yards and 52 TDs in his career.
"Great running backs have outstanding patience and vision, and he has both," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "He waits on his blocking schemes, has great feet and cutting ability. You have to be very accountable defensively."
The Huskies' defense will have to account for Horned Frogs quarterback Jeff Ballard, who is 19-2 as TCU's starter.
Ballard's season started roughly as he threw five interceptions and completed 54 percent of his passes in the season's first nine games. He got hot late, throwing for 746 yards and seven TDs in TCU's final three games.
Under Ballard's direction, the offense finished the season ranked 17th in the nation at 404.5 yards.
"(Ballard) He has shown that a quarterback within our system can be highly successful," Patterson said. "It reflects well on the coaches, the kind of players around him and the program we have here. The two games he wasn't healthy were the ones we lost.
"Jeff Ballard is very important to TCU, and it will be a challenge to replace him. He has set a benchmark for the guys who follow him."
- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0 0 0 7 7
TCU (25) 6 10 14 7 37 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: TCU - TD, LONTA HOBBS 4 YD RUN (PAT
BLOCKED), 2:57. TCU 6-0
2ND QUARTER: TCU - TD, JEFF BALLARD 10 YD RUN (CHRIS
MANFREDINI KICK), 0:11.
Dec 19 11:14 PM
TD TCU BRENT HECHT 6 YD PASS FROM JEFF BALLARD (PETER LOCOCO KICK)
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:50 PM
TD TCU BRENT HECHT 6 YD PASS FROM JEFF BALLARD (PETER LOCOCO KICK)
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:50 PM
TD TCU BRENT HECHT 6 YD PASS FROM JEFF BALLARD (PETER LOCOCO KICK)
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:50 PM- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD TCU
BRENT HECHT 6 YD PASS FROM JEFF BALLARD
(PETER LOCOCO KICK)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7
TCU (25) 37 10:55 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:50 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS TOMMY OBRIEN 33 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED PUNT (CHRIS NENDICK KICK)
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:42 PM
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS TOMMY OBRIEN 33 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED PUNT (CHRIS NENDICK KICK)
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:42 PM- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD NORTHN ILLINOIS
TOMMY OBRIEN 33 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED PUNT
(CHRIS NENDICK KICK)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 7
TCU (25) 30 14:14 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:41 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF END, 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0 0 0 0
TCU (25) 6 10 14 30 END, 3RD QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: TCU - TD, LONTA HOBBS 4 YD RUN (PAT
BLOCKED), 2:57. TCU 6-0
2ND QUARTER: TCU - TD, JEFF BALLARD 10 YD RUN (CHRIS
MANFREDINI KIC
Dec 19 10:36 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD TCU
JEFF BALLARD 6 YD RUN
(CHRIS MANFREDINI KICK)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 30 9:08 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:11 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD TCU
JEFF BALLARD 1 YD RUN
(CHRIS MANFREDINI KICK)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 23 12:06 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 10:03 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
FG TCU
CHRIS MANFREDINI 25 YD
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 16 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 19 9:31 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
FG TCU
CHRIS MANFREDINI 25 YD
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 16 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 9:31 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD TCU
JEFF BALLARD 10 YD RUN
(CHRIS MANFREDINI KICK)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 13 14:49 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 8:43 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF END, 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0 0
TCU (25) 6 6 END, 1ST QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: TCU - TD, LONTA HOBBS 4 YD RUN (PAT
BLOCKED), 2:57. TCU 6-0
Dec 19 8:38 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO CA
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD TCU
LONTA HOBBS 4 YD RUN
(PAT BLOCKED)
NORTHN ILLINOIS 0
TCU (25) 6 12:03 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Northern Illinois vs. TCUDec 19 8:08 PM
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