TCU Football: Most Memorable Games Since Joining the Big 12

Four new schools joined the Big 12 this week. As we say goodbye to the old and hello to the new, here’s a look at 12 memorable games during TCU’s first 11 years in the league.

As the calendar turned to July on Saturday, we said goodbye to the 2022-23 Academic/Athletic year. The new year brought a new look to the Big 12 Conference, as BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF joined the league.

With the upcoming football season, schedules and venues will look different. The Horned Frogs welcome BYU back to The Carter after 13 years. And the Frogs travel to Houston, where they haven’t played a regular season game since 2003.

But before the “old” version of the Big 12 gets too far in the rearview mirror, I wanted to look back at 12 of the most memorable games TCU played during their first 11 years in the league.

Now, “most memorable” does not mean “best” or imply that TCU won the game. We all still know how “memorable” the infamous 61-58 game in Waco in 2014 was! And for this list, I simply looked at TCU games played. They did not have to be against fellow Big 12 opponents to make the list.

Here are those 12 most memorable games

TCU's Most Memorable Games Since Joining the Big 12

1. TCU 47 – Oregon 41 3OT – January 2, 2016 – Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, Texas

The comeback game. The change the shirt game. TCU was down 31-0 at the half. And under the leadership of Bram Kohlhausen, the backup quarterback, the Frogs found a way to get back in the game and then win it in triple overtime. 

2. Baylor 61 – TCU 58 – October 11, 2014 – Waco, Texas

This one still hurts when you think about it. What a gut punch. TCU blew their undefeated season and a chance at the inaugural College Football Playoff. TCU had a 58-37 lead with 11;38 to play. Baylor would score 24 unanswered points, including the walk-off field goal as time expired. 

3. TCU 51 – Michigan 45 – December 31, 2022 – Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona

The 2022 season was a magical one for the Frogs. They went through the regular season undefeated, lost a heartbreaker to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game, but still were selected to the College Football Playoff. And with the win over the No. 2 Michigan team, a game in which TCU never trailed, made history as TCU became the first team from Texas and the Big 12 to make it to the National Championship Game in the CFP era. The win in Glendale was definitely a memorable one. 

4. TCU 82 – Texas Tech 27 – October 25, 2014 – Fort Worth, Texas

The 2014 season was another magical season for the Frogs. Despite that loss in Waco, TCU had several other exciting games that season, including this blowout at home against the Red Raiders. TCU, figuratively and literally, lit it up against Tech. This will go down as the game in which TCU scored so much that they ran out of fireworks. And, oh yeah, who was the QB for Tech that day? One Patrick Mahomes. 

5. TCU 42 – Ole Miss 3 – December 31, 2014 – Peach Bowl, Atlanta, Georgia

The 2014 season culminated in an NY6 Bowl Game against a strong SEC team. TCU fans and players had hoped for a berth in the inaugural CFP but got the Peach Bowl instead. Fans showed up. And the team absolutely just destroyed the Rebels in a game that got lots of national attention for the Horned Frogs. 

6. TCU 39 – West Virginia 38 (2OT) – November 3, 2012 – Morgantown, West Virginia

Both TCU and West Virginia joined the Big 12 in July 2012. This was their first meeting as conference foes. It was a cold day in Morgantown, just days after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast. It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth affair. TCU tied it with 1:28 left to force overtime. In the 2^nd OT, after the Frogs had the ball second and got the touchdown, Gary Patterson could have elected to kick the PAT and send the game to a third overtime. But he didn’t. Instead, Trevone Boykin throws to Josh Boyce for the 2-point conversion, and the Frogs win. 

7. TCU 28 – Baylor 21 (2OT) – November 27, 2015 – Fort Worth, Texas

Revenge – How Sweet It Is. Also, Revenge – How Cold and Wet it is! This was the first game between the two after that 61-58 loss the year before in Waco. It was freezing that day. And it was raining relentlessly. It was cold. It was wet. And it took two overtimes to do it, but TCU got the win. If there wasn’t already an intense rivalry between these two teams, there certainly was now after the back-to-back years. 

8. TCU 44 – Oklahoma State 31 – September 23, 2017 – Stillwater, Oklahoma

Winning on the road in Stillwater is hard to do. After joining the Big 12 in 2012, TCU lost in Stillwater in 2012, 2013, and 2015. They traveled there in 2017, again as underdogs, as OSU was ranked No. 6 in the nation. TCU pulled it off. The Paddle People and their obnoxious paddles were stunned into silence. Years later, this game remains the only time TCU has won in Stillwater when the two were playing as Big 12 opponents. TCU would lose in 2019 and 2021. The Pokes are not on the schedule for 2023. 

9. West Virginia 29 – TCU 17 – October 23, 2021 – Fort Worth, Texas

I admit. If you were to poll a bunch of Horned Frog fans, this game would not appear on their list of 12 most memorable Big 12 games. The game itself lacked luster. Sure, Derius Davis returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards. The Carter went wild. We thought we had a game. We didn’t. It ended up being Patterson’s last game in Fort Worth, as he would be fired a week later. But this one is personal. That remains one of my most favorite days ever. I met Andrew and Olin with College Football Tour. TCU was top No. 88 on their journey to experience a game day at every FBS stadium. They introduced us to Brett Gibbons, who has become an indispensable member of our KillerFrogs team. I spent the day showcasing TCU. I ended the day with new friends for life. Yes, the game sucked, but I’ll take these friends over that. 

10. TCU 29 – Baylor 28 – November 19, 2022 – Waco, Texas

Do you see a trend here? Of the 12 most memorable Big 12 games, one-fourth are against Baylor. These two teams always produce drama. This one was no exception. The Frogs were undefeated. They had a chance for the CFP. It was late in the season. The Bears wanted nothing more than to give the Frogs their first loss. And they almost did it. If it weren’t for Griffin Kell and a play later described as the “Bazooka Play.” With 0.17 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, Kell and the special teams unit rushed onto the field. And as time expired, the kick sailed through the uprights. The undefeated season was intact. Baylor tears flowed. And as we’ve said before, there’s nothing better in any of college sports than a day with Baylor tears!

11. Ohio State 40 – TCU 28 – September 15, 2018 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

This was supposed to be a home-and-home series. TCU would host Ohio State in 2018. Then, TCU would travel to the Horseshoe in Columbus in 2019. That was until Jerry Jones stepped in. “Come play at my place,” he offered. And there you have it. No home-and-home, but a disappointing one-time shot with a national audience all watching what was happening at JerryWorld. This game is memorable not for the game but for what it was not – a chance for the Frogs to play the following year in Columbus. 

12. TCU 33 – Texas 31 – October 3, 2020 – Austin, Texas

In 2020, the entire year, not just the football season, was memorable because of the pandemic. Football that year was just odd. You had crowd restrictions. You had health concerns with players. I put this one on the list not because of the game but because this game epitomized the oddness that was 2020. It was held in early October, traditionally right in the middle of the State Fair of Texas. But there was no State Fair that year. But on that day, the State Fair had a “reverse fair” – you could drive around Fair Park and every so often come upon a stop for a corny dog, or a funnel cake, or whatever. So, my family and I did it. It was an odd way to enjoy the fair. 

But as we drove through the park, we listened to Brian Estridge call the Frogs came from Austin. TCU would get a lead. Texas would tie it. All game. Then Texas went ahead by three with under ten minutes left. TCU would jump back ahead. Texas tried to go ahead but fumbled at the one-yard line with four minutes left. When that fumble happened, I laid on the horn of my car. I’m sure everyone in Fair Park was thinking, what just happened?

Yes, there are plenty of other memorable games during this stretch. Which ones would be on your list? I look forward to the new look Big 12 and the new memorable games that are to come!

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