TCU and SMU to Battle for the Iron Skillet
9/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 15, 2008
Game #4
TCU (3-0, 1-0 MWC) at SMU (1-2, 0-1, C-USA)
Fort Worth, Texas -- Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000)
Saturday, Sept. 20 -- 7 p.m.
Television: CBS College Sports [Carter Blackburn (PBP), Aaron Taylor (color)]
Radio: TCU/ISP Sports Network -- 103.3 ESPN; 88.7 KTCU; GoFrogs.com [Brian Estridge (PBP), John Denton (color), Jeff Williams (sideline)]
ABOUT THE GAME
*TCU makes the short trek to Dallas to face SMU in the State Farm DFW Duel - Battle for the Iron Skillet. It's the first of three road games in four weeks for the Frogs.
*During the post-World War II college football boom, TCU and SMU students created a traveling trophy called the Iron Skillet that was presented to the winner of the annual football game between the rivals. The tradition eventually died and the skillet was lost. In 1993, the tradition was revived.
*Gary Patterson is 5-1 as a head coach versus SMU. As an assistant coach, Patterson was 2-1 against the Mustangs. Patterson was on the 1995 Navy staff when the Midshipmen won 33-2 in Dallas. As defensive coordinator at New Mexico during the 1996-97 campaigns, Patterson split a pair of meetings with SMU.
*While defensive coordinator at TCU (1998-00), Patterson game planned twice against June Jones when the current SMU head coach was at Hawaii. Patterson's Frogs won 34-14 at Hawaii in 1999 and 41-21 in Fort Worth in 2000.
THE SERIES
*TCU holds a 41-39-7 lead over SMU in a series that began with a 43-0 Frog win in Fort Worth in 1915.
*The Frogs are 24-17-5 versus SMU in Fort Worth and 17-22-2 in Dallas.
*TCU won six in a row (1999-2004), by a combined score of 202-36, before the Mustangs took a 21-10 decision in 2005 in the last meeting in Dallas. TCU has won three of its last four games at SMU.
*Since the final year of the Southwest Conference in 1995, TCU is 8-3 versus SMU.
*Other than the two seasons (1987-88) the Mustangs did not field a team, the 2006 campaign represents the only time TCU and SMU did not meet since 1925.
*SMU is TCU's third-most played series. The Frogs' 87 meetings with the Mustangs trail only Baylor (105) and Texas A&M (92).
GOOD STARTS
*TCU has opened with a 3-0 record for the third time in the last six seasons. On the two previous occasions (2003, 2006), the Frogs went on to win 11 games.
*Dating back to last season, TCU has a six-game winning streak.
*TCU is looking to open with a 4-0 mark for the first time since 2003, when it won its first 10 contests.
MAGIC NUMBER 17
*With Gary Patterson as head coach, TCU is 44-0 when allowing 17 points or less.
*Overall, the Frogs have won 59 consecutive games when holding the opponent to 17 or fewer points.
*The streak began after a 17-7 loss at Northwestern on Sept. 11, 1999.
