BYU, TCU to Meet at Cowboys Stadium on October 28

PROVO, Utah -- BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe today announced the Cougars will play the TCU Horned Frogs next season in a neutral site matchup at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be played on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, and will be televised nationally on ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT (6 p.m. MT).

The game marks BYU’s second appearance in the home of the Dallas Cowboys since the stadium’s opening for the 2009 season. The Cougars defeated No. 3 Oklahoma, 14-13, in the inaugural college football game at Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 5, 2009.

“In recent years TCU has proven to be one of the best football teams in the country, and has certainly earned our respect,” said Holmoe. “We are grateful for the chance to play the Horned Frogs again. To play in Cowboys Stadium and be on ESPN is another great opportunity for our football program.”

In addition to adding TCU to the 2011 schedule, Holmoe also indicated BYU will not play Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, as previously announced. The possibility of a future game with Louisiana Tech will be determined at a later date. The Cougars originally had a bye the week of the new TCU matchup and will now have a bye the following week with the Louisiana Tech game no longer taking place in 2011.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to play TCU again next year and have the game take place in Cowboys Stadium,” BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Coach Patterson always has one of the top teams in the country, and the national stage provided by Cowboys Stadium and ESPN offers what should be a great experience for not only the teams but also fans of college football.”

The Oct. 28 matchup features two of college football’s most successful programs over the past five seasons. BYU and TCU are two of only seven FBS programs to win 10 or more games at least four of the last five seasons, and are two of only 11 teams that have won 50 or more games during that span. TCU is coming off a 13-0 season and No. 2 final ranking after its 21-19 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. The Cougars and Horned Frogs are also two of only 11 programs to win at least four bowl games in the past five years. BYU is coming of a 52-24 New Mexico Bowl victory over UTEP.

BYU and TCU will meet for the 11th time overall and for the third occasion as nonconference opponents. The series between BYU and TCU began in 1987 and is currently tied at five wins apiece. The Cougars and Horned Frogs have played seven contests as conference foes, first as members of the Western Athletic Conference (1996-97) and recently in the Mountain West Conference (2005-10).

With the addition of TCU to the 2011 schedule, BYU will now face two former MWC foes in its first season as an independent. The Cougars are scheduled to face longtime rival Utah on Sept. 17 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The Utes will join the Pac-12 in July 2011 while TCU will become a member of the Big East in July 2012.

The 2011 college football season marks the beginning of an eight-year agreement between ESPN and BYU for exclusive rights to BYU home football games across multiple ESPN platforms. As part of the deal, ESPN receives first selection rights to all BYU home games and any neutral site matchups in which the school is the designated home team. Games can be televised on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays across ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU with simulcasts on ESPN3.com, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN GamePlan.

In addition to the TCU game, ESPN announced that it will air both the BYU-UCF game on Sept. 23 and the BYU-Utah State game on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN. Additional broadcast plans and game times for the 2011 season are yet to be determined.

Ticket information for the BYU-TCU matchup will be released at a later date.

2011 BYU Football Schedule

Sat. Sept. 3 at Ole Miss

Sat. Sept. 10 at Texas

Sat. Sept. 17 Utah

Fri. Sept. 23 Central Florida

Fri. Sept. 30 Utah State

Sat. Oct. 8 San Jose State

Sat. Oct. 15 at Oregon State

Sat. Oct. 22 Idaho State

Fri. Oct. 28 vs. TCU (at Cowboys Stadium)

Nov. 5 Bye

Sat. Nov. 12 Idaho

Sat. Nov. 19 New Mexico State

Nov. 26 Bye

Sat. Dec. 3 at Hawaii