TCU will look to become bowl eligible when it squares off against bowl-bound Iowa State on Friday afternoon in their Big 12 Conference finale in Ames, Iowa.
And while the Cyclones will play in the postseason no matter what happens on Friday, the game with TCU is a chance for Iowa State’s accomplished senior class to win one more time in front of the home crowd.
The Horned Frogs (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) travel to Iowa after a nail-biting 31-28 home win over Kansas on Nov. 20. Griffin Kell’s 25-yard field goal with six seconds to play produced the win for the Horned Frogs, their second victory in their three games under interim coach Jerry Kill.
“Proud of the kids,” Kill said. “They know and understand that we’re not going to be here. There’s a new coaching staff coming in. They’re still playing hard. The coaches are coaching hard.”
Kendre Miller rushed for 112 yards that included a 56-yard TD run. Miller eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third time in his last six contests as TCU ran for 326 yards in the game. Max Duggan passed for 166 yards for the Horned Frogs and Derius Davis caught six passes for 103 yards and ran 43 yards for a touchdown for the Horned Frogs.
Iowa State (6-5, 4-4) heads home after a 28-21 loss at No. 13 Oklahoma on Nov. 20. The Cyclones have dropped two straight games after shellacking Texas 30-7 on Nov. 1 and have lost three of their past four contests.
“A little bit of precision and detail at points in the game probably cost us the football game, but not our heart, not our character and not our leadership,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “I’m a proud football coach because of that.”
It is the final home game for the Cyclones’ 23 seniors, including record-breaking running back Breece Hall and quarterback Brock Purdy. Hall has scored a rushing touchdown in 23 straight games, tying an FBS record set by Arkansas’ Bill Burnett from 1968-70; Purdy owns or shares 31 school records.
Iowa State owns a 10-game home winning streak against league teams and can finish off a perfect home record versus Big 12 teams for the second straight season.
Before the season, the Cyclones were considered a real candidate to play for the Big 12 title. Instead, they will be trying to avoid a .500 season.
TCU has an 8-4 lead all-time in the rivalry with the Cyclones, including a 3-2 edge in games played in Ames.
