TCU to Play in Pigskin Classic
3/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Horned Frogs Will Face Nebraska in Lincoln on August 25
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 8, 2001) -- The TCU Horned Frogs will open their 2001 football campaign on Saturday, August 25, when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. in the Pigskin Classic. Game time is set for noon Central time. The game will be nationally televised by ABC Sports and is one of two pre-season football games sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA)."Having the opportunity to participate in the Pigskin Classic is exactly in keeping on where we want our football program," said TCU Director of Athletics Eric Hyman. "Playing against Nebraska is a validation of our program and recognition of the commitment TCU has made to football. The past three years our football team has demonstrated a high level of success, as witnessed by its three bowl appearances, a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Doak Walker Award winner and 25 wins. This game will be a wonderful opportunity to be measured against the best."
TCU finished the 2000 season with an overall record of 10-2 and was 7-1 in the Western Athletic Conference, earning a share of the conference title. They were defeated by Southern Miss in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. The Horned Frogs completed the season ranked 18th in the ESPN/USA Today poll and 21st in the AP poll. They posted a 7-5 record and a Sun Bowl victory over USC in 1998, then went 8-4, earning a share of the WAC Championship, and defeated East Carolina in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl. The Frogs will become members of Conference USA beginning in the fall of 2001.
"The opportunity to play in this football game directly stems from our new association with Conference USA," noted Hyman. "Our schedule - starting with Nebraska, playing seven games in the Metroplex, all new Conference USA opponents, five bowl teams and three national TV exposures - gives TCU fans a very exciting season to look forward to. We are thankful to Commissioner Slive for his leadership and how he assisted us with this pre-season opportunity."
Nebraska completed the 2000 season with an overall record of 10-2 and a season-ending victory over Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl. It was the Huskers' 32nd consecutive bowl appearance. Nebraska finished the season ranked seventh in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and eighth in the AP poll. They will be touted among the nation's elite again this season.
"This will be a good measuring stick for us," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson. "We have been working to build our program to get to that higher level and Nebraska represents that level which we are trying to reach. This is an outstanding opportunity for us and gives our fans, alumni, players and recruits a chance to see where this program is now and where we want it to go. We're looking forward to the challenge."
Proceeds from the Pigskin Classic go to the participating institutions, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), NACDA and the NACDA Foundation. As a result of this game and the NACDA-sponsored Kickoff Classic, close to $500,000 in postgraduate scholarships are awarded annually. This includes a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship being awarded one student-athlete from each of the four schools participating in the preseason games. Since 1983, the NACDA Foundation has provided more than $9.5 million in postgraduate scholarships.
In a related move, the Horned Frogs game at North Texas has been moved back to Saturday, September 1.
