TCU-California Cheez-It Bowl Game GameDay Information

Game 13 of the 2018 TCU Football Season: TCU (6-6, 4-5 Big 12) vs California (7-5, 4-5 Pac 12): Wednesday, December 26, 2018, at 8 pm (Central); Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona; TV: ESPN; Radio -- WBAP 820 AM, KTCU 88.7, Sirius 105, XM 199  (Radio Talent: Brian Estridge, John Denton, Landry Burdine); Spanish Radio: KFZO 99.1 (Radio Talent: Miguel Cruz, Elvis Gallegos).

Cheez-It Bowl: Information: here

Chase Field in Phoenix: The game will be played at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. This will be TCU’s first game in a stadium used primarily for baseball. Opened on March 31, 1998, Chase Field features a swimming pool and a retractable roof. Information: here 

TCU's Cheez-It Bowl Hype Video: here

California's Cheez-It Bowl Announcement Video: here

The Line for TCU-California: The line opened with TCU as a two-point favorite. At press time, it was a "Pick-Em" game. The over/under was 39.5 points.

Midnite's TCU-California Prediction: TCU 23, California 19

TCU-California Game-Watching Party Locations: here 

TCU's Previous Game: In their regular-season finale and on Senior Night, the Horned Frogs became bowl-eligible by lassoing Oklahoma State, 31-24, in Fort Worth on Saturday, November 24. Highlights: here 

California's Previous Game: In their regular-season finale, California lost to Stanford 23-13. Highlights: here 

Previous TCU-Cailfornia Game: This will be the first time TCU and California have played each other. The two schools have games scheduled against each other in the 2020 (at California) and 2021 (at TCU) seasons.

TCU's Cheez-It Bowl Guide: here and here

TCU's 2018 Football Media Guide: here

2018 TCU Football Video: here

2018 California Football Guide: here

2018 California Bears Football Video: here

TCU-California Rivalry: This will be the first time TCU and California have played each other.
The two schools have games scheduled against each other in the 2020 (at California) and 2021 (at TCU) seasons.

TCU-California Connections:

• During the 2017 football season, Sonny Dykes was an offensive analyst for TCU, before becoming SMU's head coach in 2018. Prior to TCU, Dykes was the head football coach at the University of California, from 2013-2016. Before he relocated to the west coast, Sonny was head football coach at Louisiana Tech, from 2010-2012. After coaching Cal football to its worst season (1–11) in program history in 2013, Dykes improved to 5–7 in 2014 and then to an 8–5 record and a victory in the 2015 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Dykes finished the 2016 season with a 5–7 record, his third losing season in four years at California, culminating in him being fired in January 2017.
• Cal is coached by Justin Wilcox. Wilcox served as the Boise State defensive coordinator from 2006-09, a stretch in which TCU and Boise State met twice in bowl games; the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl, which TCU won 17-16, and the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, which Boise State won 17-10.
• Grayson Muehlstein and Cal’s Chase Forrest entered this season as the only Power 5 senior scholarship quarterbacks who had never started a game and were still at their original school.
• California has five players from Texas on its roster, including one from Dallas and one from Denton.
• TCU has six players from California on its roster.
• California has played in eight Rose Bowl games. TCU has played in one Rose Bowl game
• TCU has played in three Poinsettia Bowl games. California has played in one Poinsettia Bowl game.
• TCU has played in two Alamo Bowl games. California has played in one Alamo Bowl game.
• California has played in two Armed Forces Bowl games in Fort Worth. In 2003, TCU played in the Fort Worth Bowl, which now is the Armed Forces Bowl.
• A trio of Horned Frogs are familiar with the Phoenix area. TCU offensive line coach Chris Thomsen was Arizona State’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach from 2013-16. TCU graduate assistant coaches Nick Kelly and Ilaiu Moeakiola played for Arizona State.

TCU Notables:

• TCU is 114-35 in Saturday contests since 2005 and 20-11 on other days of the week (1-0 on Sundays, 0-1 on Mondays, 2-0 on Tuesdays, 2-0 on Wednesdays, 7-8 on Thursdays and 8-2 on Fridays).
• TCU is playing its third bowl game in Arizona in the last 10 seasons. The Horned Frogs lost the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, 17-10, to Boise State. That game was played in University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.TCU lost the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to Michigan State, 17-16. That game was played in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
• TCU is one of just 18 schools with at least 16 bowl trips in the last 18 seasons: Georgia (18), LSU (18), Oklahoma (18), Virginia Tech (18), Boise State (17), Clemson (17), Florida State (17), Ohio State (17), Wisconsin (17), Alabama (16), Auburn (16), Florida (16), Georgia Tech (16), Iowa (16), Oklahoma State (16), Oregon (16), TCU (16) and West Virginia (16)
• The Horned Frogs also went to a bowl game all three years (1998-00) when Patterson was TCU's defensive coordinator.
• The Horned Frogs are one of only 13 programs in the country to make at least 19 bowl trips in the last 21 seasons: Georgia (21), Virginia Tech (21), Florida State (20), Oklahoma (20), Wisconsin (20), Boise State (19), Clemson (19), Florida (19), Georgia Tech (19), LSU (19), Ohio State (19), Oregon (19) and TCU (19).
• The Cheez-It Bowl will mark the 34th bowl appearance in TCU’s history. TCU is 16-16-1 in bowl games.
• The Horned Frogs are 12-6 in bowls with Gary Patterson on its coaching staff and 10-6 with him as head coach.
• TCU has won nine of its last 12 bowl games.
• TCU is 6-0 against Pac-12 opponents under Patterson.
• TCU is one of 21 schools to have won multiple national championships (1935, 1938) and produce a Heisman Trophy winner (Davey O’Brien, 1938). The other schools are Alabama, Army, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.
• TCU’s 46-21 record (.687) in road and neutral-site games since 2009 is the nation’s fifth-best mark.
• Over the last five seasons, TCU (46-19, 30-15) has the Big 12’s second-best overall and conference records.
• TCU is one of just five programs nationally to finish in the top 10 of the final polls at least three times in the last four seasons. The others are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
• Gary Patterson’s 18 seasons as TCU’s head coach are more than the combined tenures of the 11 other FBS head coaches in Texas.
• Under Patterson, TCU has posted seven top-10 finishes and 11 in the top 25. The Horned Frogs have won at least 11 games in 10 of the last 15 seasons.
• TCU has won at least 10 games 11 times in Patterson’s teure as head coach, including three of the last four years and nine of the past 13.
• TCU has reached the 11-win mark 10 times in the last 15 seasons.
• Prior to Patterson’s arrival on campus in 1998, TCU had just four 10-win seasons in its history.
• Patterson has accounted for 25.5 percent (166 of 650) of TCU’s all-time football victories.
• TCU has had six winning streaks of at least 12 games under Patterson, tied for the most by any college football coach nationally since 1980.
• Since 2005, TCU tops all private schools in victories and winning percentage: 134 wins, 46 losses (.744). USC is second: 119 wins, 50 losses (.704). Notre Dame is fourth: 116 wins, 61 losses (.655).
• TCU’s record since 2005 (134 wins, 46 losses, .744) is No. 8 overall nationally. Ohio State is first: 157-27, .853.
• Since 2001, Patterson’s first full season as TCU’s head coach, the Horned Frogs have been the most successful program in Texas: 166-62 (.728). Texas is second: 163-68 (.706). Texas Tech is third: 134-94 (.588).
• Since 2008, Patterson is third nationally among head coaches in most Associated Press Top-10 finishes: Nick Saban, 10; Urban Meyer, 7; Gary Patteson, 6. Patterson’s top-10 finishes are in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
• Patterson ranks first among active head coaches in most wins (166) at his current school. Kirk Ferentz, at Iowa, is second, with 151.
• Patterson is one of seven active F BS coaches to be the winningest head coach at their current schools.
• Patterson ranks fourth among active FBS coaches in winning percentage (minimum 10 years): Urban Meyer, Ohio State, 189-32 (.855); Chris Petersen, Washington, 139-32 (.813); Nick Saban, Alabama, 231-62-1 (.787); and Patterson, 166- 63 (.725).
• TCU outgained its opponent in eight of 12 regular-season games this season.
• Since 2014, when Sonny Cumbie arrived as co-offensive coordinator, TCU is tied for second nationally in most games with at least 300 yards passing and 200 rushing: Ohio State, 16; TCU and Baylor, 15.
• The Horned Frogs have run the ball on 435 of their 824 snaps this season. The 52.8 percentage is the second-highest since Cumbie arrived with the spread offense in 2014.
• TCU has topped 200 yards in rushing in four games this season, most recently with a season-high 243 in the 31-24 win over Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale.
• TCU’s streak of scoring in 332 consecutive games is fourth on the NCAA’s all-time list, trailing only Florida (384, 1988-present), Michigan (365, 1984-04) and BYU (361, 1975-03).
• TCU tops the Big 12 and is tied for 14th nationally in allowing just 14 sacks (1.2 per game). Four of the 14 sacks allowed were at West Virginia. The Horned Frogs’ other 11 games saw just 10 sacks surrendered
• TCU is No. 1 in the Big 12 and 26th nationally in total defense (344.4 yards per game) despite facing five of the nation’s top-16 teams in total offense.
• Since the NCAA began tracking statistics in 1937, TCU trails only Alabama for the most times leading the nation in total defense. The Crimson Tide have been No. 1 seven times, while all five No. 1 rankings for the Horned Frogs are in the last 18 seasons.
• In 2010, TCU became just the third program in NCAA history to top the nation in total defense in three consecutive seasons (2008-10). The others are Toledo (1969-71) and Oklahoma (1985-87)
• With the exception of one season (2015), TCU has been first or second in the Big 12 in total defense each year since joining the conference in 2012.
• Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is tied for second (with Washington) among Power 5 programs for most times leading its conference in total defense.Alabama is first.
• TCU is first in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert on just 31.8 percent (54-of-170) of its opportunities.
• TCU has forced its opponents into a 3-and-out on 31.1 percent (47-of-151) of possessions this season.
• TCU has the longest streak among Big 12 schools with 22 consecutive seasons with at least 25 sacks
• TCU is third in the Big 12 with 2.5 sacks per game. Eleven players have combined for 30 sacks this season. Defensive end Ben Bangu leads with 7.5 sacks.
• TCU has at least one sack in 66 of its last 69 contests.
• Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU leads the conference in most games (46) with at least three sacks.
• TCU ranks first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally with its average of 17.6 yards per punt return. Its 282 punt return yards are first in the conference and 16th in the country.
• TCU is one of only nine schools in the nation with at least two punt return touchdowns.
• TCU has sold out of football season tickets four times in the last seven campaigns. TCU has set a school record for season ticket sales in five of the past nine years.
• TCU had an average home attendance last season of 44,080. It was 98.0 percent of capacity (45,000).
• Eight TCU players graduated in December: Ben Banogu, L.J. Collier, Adam Nunez, Ridwan Issahaku, Ryan McGee, Alec Dunham, Patrick Zeller and Chris Gaynor. Fourteen TCU players have their degrees.
• Wide receiver Jalen Reagor tops TCU with 72 receptions for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns. The 1,061 yards rank second for a season in TCU history (Josh Doctson, 1,327, 2015).
• Reagor has a touchdown catch in a TCU record seven consecutive games. Reagor broke the TCU record of six held by Doctson
• In TCU's 31-24 win over Oklahoma State, Reagor became the first TCU and Big 12 wide receiver in history to top 100 yards (121) in rushing and 90 (91) in receiving in the same game.
• Reagor has the fourth 1,000-yard season in TCU history and is the third player to reach the mark.
• With 315 career tackles, linebacker/defensive end Ty Summers is tied for second place for most stops in Patterson’s 18 seasons as head coach. Travin Howard is first, with 343 tackes.
• Summers’ 315 career tackles rank 11th nationally among active players in a Power 5 program.
• Over his last eight games, Adam Nunez has put nine of his 33 punts at or inside the 10. He has placed 72 of 167 career punts (43.1 percent) inside the 20.
• Field-goal kicker Jonathan Song has made 15-of-16 career attempts inside 40 yards.
• This year’s Horned Frogs’ senior class is 34-18. The 2018 seniors have posted a pair of top-10 final rankings (2015, 2017) while being part of 2016 and 2017 Valero Alamo Bowl championships. They have six wins against ranked opponents the last four years. They also had two perfect seasons at home.
• In Patterson’s tenure as head coach, TCU has had 45 players drafted with 113 in NFL camps.
• TCU has 18 former players on current NFL rosters: Jonathan Anderson, Arizona; Marcus Cannon, New England; Josh Carraway, Washington; Aviante Collins, Minnesota; Andy Dalton, Cincinnati; Josh Doctson, Washington; Travin Howard, L.A. Rams; Jerry Hughes, Buffalo; Joey Hunt, Seattle; Colin Jones, Carolina; Derrick Kindred, Cleveland; Patrick Morris, Pittsburgh; Marshall Newhouse, Carolina; Joseph Noteboom, L.A. Rams; Matt Pryor, Philadelphia; Austin Schlottmann, Denver; Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Philadelphia; Jason Verrett, L.A. Chargers.
• Twelve of TCU’s NFL players have earned their degree.

TCU's Bowl History: TCU's bowl record is 16-16-1. Here are TCU's bowl game results:

• December 28, 2017; Alamo Bowl: TCU 39, Stanford 3
• December 30, 2016; Liberty Bowl: Georgia 31, TCU 23
• January 2, 2016; Alamo Bowl: TCU 47, Oregon 41 (3OT)
• December 31, 2014; Peach Bowl: TCU 42, Mississippi 3
• December 29, 2012; Insight Bowl: Michigan St. 17, TCU 16
• December 21, 2011; Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 31, Louisiana Tech 24
• January 1, 2011; Rose Bowl: TCU 21, Wisconsin 19
• January 4, 2010; Fiesta Bowl: Boise St. 17, TCU 10
• December 23, 2008; Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 17, Boise St. 16
• December 28, 2007; Texas Bowl: TCU 20, Houston 13
• December 19, 2006; Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 37, Northern Illinois 7
• December 31, 2005; Houston Bowl: TCU 27, Iowa St. 24
• December 23, 2003; Fort Worth Bowl: Boise St. 34, TCU 31
• December 31, 2002; Liberty Bowl: TCU 17, Colorado St. 3
• December 28, 2001; Galleryfurnture.com Bowl: Texas A&M 28, TCU 9
• December 20, 2000; Mobile Alabama Bowl: Southern Miss. 28, TCU 21
• December 22, 1999; Mobile Alabama Bowl: TCU 28, East Carolina 14
• December 31, 1998; Sun Bowl: TCU 28, Southern Cal 19
• December 28, 1994; Independence Bowl: Virginia 20, TCU 10
• December 31, 1984; Bluebonnet Bowl: West Virginia 31, TCU 14
• December 31, 1965; Sun Bowl: UTEP 13, TCU 12
• December 19; 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl: Clemson 23, TCU 7
• January 1, 1959; Cotton Bowl: TCU 0, Air Force 0
• January 1, 1957; Cotton Bowl: TCU 28, Syracuse 27
• January 2, 1956; Cotton Bowl: Mississippi 14, TCU 13
• January 1, 1952; Cotton Bowl: Kentucky 20, TCU 7
• January 1, 1948; Delta Bowl: Mississippi 13, TCU 9
• January 1, 1945; Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma St. 34, TCU 0
• January 1, 1942; Orange Bowl: Georgia 40, TCU 26
• Januar 2, 1939; Sugar Bowl: TCU 15, Carnegie Mellon 7
• January 1, 1937; Cotton Bowl: TCU 16, Marquette 6
• January 1, 1936; Sugar Bowl: TCU 3, LSU 2
• January 1, 1921; Fort Worth Classic: Centre 63, TCU 7

California's Bowl record: California has played in 22 bowl games. California's bowl record is 11-10-1. Here are California's bowl game results:

• Rose Bowl, 1920: California 28, Ohio State 0
• Rose Bowl, 1921: California 0, Washington & Jefferson 0
• Rose Bowl, 1928: Georgia Tech 8, California 7
• Rose Bowl, 1937: California 13, Alabama 0
• Rose Bowl, 1948: Northwestern 20, California 14
• Rose Bowl, 1949: Ohio State 17, California 14
• Rose Bowl, 1950: Michigan 14, California 6
• Rose Bowl, 1958: Iowa 38, California 12
• Garden State Bowl, 1979: Temple 28 California 17
• Copper Bowl, 1990: California 17, Wyoming 15
• Citrus Bowl, 1991: California 37, Clemson 13
• Alamo Bowl, 1993: California 37, Iowa 3
• Aloha Bowl, 1996: Navy 42, California 38
• Insight Bowl, 2003: California 52, Virginia Tech 49
• Holiday Bowl, 2004: Texas Tech 45, California 31
• Las Vegas Bowl, 2005: California 35, BYU 28
• Holiday Bowl, 2006: California 45, Texas A&M 10
• Armed Forces Bowl, 2007: California 42, Air Force 36
• Emerald Bowl, 2008: California 24, Miami 17
• Poinsettia Bowl, 2009: Utah 37, California 27
• Holiday Bowl, 2011: Texas 21, California 10
• Armed Forces Bowl, 2015: California 55, Air Force 36

TCU Injuries: TCU continues to deal with injuries, especially to key players. About 40 Horned Frogs have dealt with significant injuries this season, with about 20 being season-ending injuries. Several recently injured players, including running back Darius Anderson, quarterback Michael Collins and offensive lineman Austin Myers are not expected to play in the bowl game because of their injuries. Offensive guard Cordel Iwuagwu, who has missed games because of an injury, is expected to be able to play in the bowl game. Offensive lineman Linebacker/defensive end Ty Summers may be able to play in the bowl game.

2019 TCU Football Schedule: Here is the 2019 TCU football schedule, which features an away game at Purdue, a home game against cross-town rival SMU, a Thursday night road game against Kansas State, road games at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and a Friday night home game against West Virginia on the Friday after Thanksgiving:

• August 31 (Saturday): versus Arkansas State
• September 14 (Saturday): at Purdue
• September 21 (Saturday): vs SMU
• September 28 (Saturday): vs Kansas
• October 5 (Saturday): at Iowa State
• October 17 (Thursday): at Kansas State
• October 26 (Saturday): vs Texas
• November 2 (Saturday): at Oklahoma State
• November 9 (Saturday): vs Baylor
• November 16 (Saturday): at Texas Tech
• November 23 (Saturday): at Oklahoma
• November 29 (Friday): vs West Virginia

December 7: Big 12 Championship Game

Big 12's 2019 Football Schedule: here