It was part of the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season, and was the inaugural edition of the Mobile Alabama Bowl (which has subsequently gone though several name changes).

East Carolina opened the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Garrard to wide receiver Arnie Powell.

Casey Printers threw a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and the Horned Frogs took a 14–7 lead.

TCU, which alternated between the quarterbacks Casey and Patrick Batteaux, made it impossible for the Pirates to adjust to the variance of play styles between the drop back passer Printers and the option running Batteaux.

The Frogs defense shut down the Pirates' running game, holding them to minus-16 yards.