TCU, Georgia to meet in Memphis
Both programs started season among top 25 before hitting bumps
Georgia vs. TCU
Gary Patterson is returning to the site of his first bowl game victory as TCU coach.
Patterson’s Horned Frogs will play Georgia in the Dec. 30 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. It will mark the first meeting between the programs since 1988, when Georgia posted a 38-10 win over TCU in Athens.
For Patterson, a 14-year absence has made his heart grow fonder. At least, he recalls that 2002 game against Colorado State with pleasant memories on the field (a 17-3 victory) and off the field (the traditional Liberty Bowl hospitality).
“What I remember about that (2002) game was we had a had a really good defense (yet) Colorado State started the game off with a really long run,” Patterson said. “They were a 9-2 football team, but our defense was able to get after them.
“But what I remember is the hospitality, from the motorcycle (escorts) to practices to the (overall) hospitality of the bowl game itself.”
Georgia, under first-year coach Kirby Smart, went 7-5 and won three of its final four regular-season games, including an upset of No. 17 Auburn. In playing TCU, the Bulldogs will meet a program it beat in the 1942 Orange Bowl for its first bowl victory.
In TCU, Smart is aware of the brand Patterson has created at the school in nearly two decades as coach. The Horned Frogs have had 10 seasons with 10 or more wins since 2002 — Patterson’s second season as coach — including going 13-0 in 2010 and winning the Rose Bowl.
From 2008 to ’11 the Horned Frogs went 47-5. TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012 and gained a share of the league title in 2014 by finishing 8-1 in conference play.
“All you’ve got to do is turn on the tape to see what those guy have done over the past three years,” Smart said. “They play a brand of football that is really fast, really physical. And they’ve always had great defensive units.”
Smart, a former Georgia assistant, took over the Georgia program after eight seasons as defensive coordinator at Alabama. His defensive background came into play during the victory over Auburn. The Bulldogs held the Tigers to 10 first downs and only 37 passing yards in a 13-7 win.
Both programs started the season ranked in the preseason Top 25 polls. TCU was ranked 13th and Georgia was 18th, but neither was able to maintain those lofty projections.
TCU went 6-6, including 4-5 in the Big 12, and lost two of its last three games, including a 30-6 decision Saturday to Kansas State. The Horned Frogs were led by quarterback Kenny Hill, the Texas A&M transfer, and running back Kyle Hicks. Hill is averaging 255.2 yards passing, but has been intercepted 13 times. Hicks has rushed for 954 yards and 12 touchdowns, which ranks second in the Big 12.
“We believe in winning championships like the University of Georgia does,” Patterson said. “That’s where Kirby is trying to get to right now.”