TCU lost to Baylor during the season which caused them to fall just short of making the playoffs. Instead Ohio State got the No. 4 spot and a date with Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Horn Frogs had the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation all season long, but it simply was not enough to get in. Now they prepare to play one of the top defenses in the nation in Atlanta as Ole Miss hopes to move past the injuries that plagued them late in the season.
Trevone Boykin will be an x-factor in this game. The quarterback threw for 3,085 yards and 22 touchdowns on the year. Marcus Mariota, Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III are the only other quarterbacks to throw for over 3,700 yards and rush for 600 in a single season. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting. The quarterback will target Josh Doctson, Deante' Gray and Kolby Listenbee throughout the game.
Ole Miss will rely heavily on their defense in this game, a unit that allowed an FBS-low 13.8 points per game while ranking 13th in opponent yards per play and 11th in third-down defense. They will need that defense to play their best game on Wednesday as Bo Wallace ended the year with an ankle injury while star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell suffered a season-ending fractured tibia. The offense clearly struggled in the win over Mississippi State and will need to have improved greatly if they are going to compete with TCU.
TCU ended their 2013 season by routing Iowa, putting up a total of 772 yards. It was not enough to overshadow the loss to Baylor. The Horn Frogs were clearly upset about getting left out of the picture and will have to settle with a Peach Bowl instead. TCU will enter the game with a big chip on their shoulder as they hope they dynamic offense can challenge the top Rebels defense.
Both TCU and Ole Miss were in contention for the college football playoffs several times this season. Ole Miss was sitting ranked third after defeating then-No. 1 Alabama and Texas A&M before losing back-to-back games to LSU and Auburn. That dropped them out of contention. TCU came closer, ending the season 11-1 and just on the outside looking in in regards to the playoffs. Now, both teams prepare for a heated matched on New Year's Eve in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
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