Poinsettia Bowl 2011, TCU Vs. Louisiana Tech: Time, TV Schedule, Odds And More

The TCU Horned Frogs missed out on going to their third consecutive BCS bowl game by just two spots in the rankings. The Frogs are making their seventh consecutive bowl game however, including their third trip to the Poinsettia Bowl."There's nobody to blame but TCU because we had two losses," said coach Gary Patterson. "If we had one loss, we probably wouldn't be in this situation. Now we need to go win a ballgame against Louisiana Tech. They're a good football team and they will be fired up since it's been a while since they've been to a bowl game."

If Patterson can pick up the victory over Louisiana Tech, the WAC Champions, he will tie Dutch Meyer for all-time wins with the TCU program at 108. Not only that, but senior linebacker Tank Carder will play his last game for TCU after starring in two BCS bowl games in the season's prior. Carder has been the conference's Defensive Player Of The Year for two consecutive season's now and will want to leave his final game in purple and black with a victory.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs rank in the Top 50 of the FBS in both points per game and offensive yards per game. They dealt with the loss of quarterback Nick Isham when redshirt junior quarterback Colby Cameron came off the bench to make the Bulldogs offense even more explosive. With Cameron at the helm, the Bulldogs have averaged nearly five more points per game and nearly 50 more yards per game. The redshirt junior has thrown for 1,403 yards and 11 touchdowns in just five games.

Both team's defenses will be put to the test against some efficient offenses and it may come down to a play or two on special teams. TCU is one of the best kick return teams in the country, thanks to Greg McCoy, while the Bulldogs have Ray Guy award winner Ryan Allen punting the football.