SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 1, 2011
Texas Christian did not get a chance to play for the national championship, but it was a perfect finish for the No. 3 Horned Frogs anyway.
The Horned Frogs held off No. 5 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl 21-19 Saturday to finish 13-0.
Trailing 21-13 midway through the fourth quarter, Wisconsin put together a 10-play, 77-yard drive, and reached the end zone on Montee Ball’s 4-yard run with two minutes left. But TCU linebacker Tank Carder batted down Scott Tolzien’s 2-point conversion pass to preserve the lead.
Wisconsin attempted an onside kick, but TCU’s Bart Johnson recovered.
TCU led 14-10 after a back-and-forth first quarter which featured four scores. Philip Welch gave Wisconsin a 3-0 lead with a 30-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession. TCU answered on its first possession when Johnson caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton.
John Clay’s 1-yard touchdown run pushed the Badgers ahead 10-7, but Dalton’s 4-yard rushing score on the next possession made it 14-10 TCU with 36 seconds left in the first quarter. Welch’s 37-yard field goal on the final play of the first half brought the Badgers within 14-13 at halftime.
TCU opened the third quarter with a 71-yard drive, capped by Luke Shivers' 1-yard run to give the Horned Frogs a 21-13 lead.
Dalton finished 15 of 23 for 219 yards for TCU.
Ball rushed for 132 yards for Wisconsin (11-2).