The 11 a.m. start time did not appear to slow down the tailgating scene as thousands of Horned Frog fans joined dozens of Cavaliers fans outside Amon G. Carter Stadium. TCU fans had Lots 3 and 4 lined with purple tents prepared for a day of partying while anticipating a Frogs victory.
When I inquired with a few friends as to possibly arriving around 9 a.m., they laughed and said they would still be at home getting ready at that time. While we did run across more than a few TCU fans who admitted to getting little or no sleep at all due to the game's early start time, it was still a great scene.
We waded through the huge crowd at Frog Alley to find the stadium practically filled to its 44,358 seat capacity -- the lone empty spots were the student sections on the east side of the stadium -- for kickoff. The announced attendance was a standing-room-only crowd of 46,330.
TCU dominated Virginia behind quarterback Casey Pachall's second consecutive 300-yard passing game and the stellar play of linebacker Kenny Cain (two interceptions and fumble recovery). With the Frogs leading 14-0 at halftime, many fans escaped the heat by hanging out i the shade on the concourse or heading back out to their shaded area under their tents in the parking lots.
By the time the game ended with a 27-7 TCU victory, the party was back on in the tailgating areas as talk among Frogs fans had already turned to next week's "Battle for the Iron Skillet" against SMU. Following their 40-33 win a year ago in Fort Worth, the Mustangs host the Frogs at 6 p.m. at Ford Stadium in Dallas.
For information on tickets to the DFW Duel, visit here.
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