TCU Football at Iowa State: Halftime Report

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State Cyclones are playing in Ames, Iowa.

The score at the half is Iowa State 10 - TCU 7.

TCU wide receiver Savion Williams catches a 6-yard pass from Chandler Morris to put the Frogs on the board against Iowa State on October 7, 2023. — TCU's Savion Williams catches a touchdown to make the score 7-7 early in the first half against Iowa State. / X: @TCUFootball

First Half Highlights:

Miscues, miscommunication, and penalties seemed to be the theme of the first quarter for the Frogs. On TCU's first possession, after getting two first downs thanks to plays by Emani Bailey and Jared Wiley, Chandler Morris throws an interception near midfield.

TCU's defense held ISU to a three-and-out. On the next possession, Morris thought he had a free play with ISU being offsides, but the flag was not thrown, and Morris threw his second interception of the night.

That was the fifth first-quarter interception thrown by Morris, fourth-most in all of FBS.

Iowa State got one first down on the next possession, but Mark Perry interrupted a 3rd down pass, so the Cyclones had to kick. On the ensuing possession, Frogs went for it on 4th and one near midfield. Morris and Bailey miscommunicated in the backfield, and TCU turned the ball over on downs.

Iowa State took advantage of the field position this time and drove down for the game's first score. Eli Sanders carried it from four yards out to make it 7-0 ISU with 0:28 left in the 1st.

TCU would then drive 88 yards on the next possession to tie the game. On 3rd and three from the six, Morris had to scramble to avoid a sack. He found Savion Williams in the end zone, and the Frogs were on the board.

A 6-yard TD pass from @Chandleram4 to @Sxee3x gave TCU a score for the 388th consecutive game, the 2nd-longest streak in NCAA history. No. 1 is Florida at 442 games (1988-present). The Horned Frogs haven't been blanked since Nov. 16, 1991.
— Mark Cohen (@TCUCohen) October 8, 2023

Penalties and undisciplined play continue to be an issue for the Frogs. TCU had three penalties for 22 yards in the first half, including kicking the ball out of bounds after the touchdown.

After the touchdown, Iowa State would miss a field goal. TCU and ISU would exchange punts. Late in the 2nd quarter, TCU would attempt a punt again from deep in their own territory. It was another miscue by the Frogs, as the punt was blocked, and ISU recovered. The Cyclones would kick a field goal to end the half and take the score to 10-7.

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Key Players of the First Half:

Emani Bailey - Just run the ball. It seems to be working, especially when Bailey carries the ball. He carried the ball 14 times for 84 yards. In addition, he had one reception for 20 yards.

Savion Williams - He caught the touchdown pass as Morris was scrambling and trying not to be sacked. He had two receptions for 17 yards and the touchdown.

Eli Sanders - He ran the ball, returned kicks, and scored the game's first touchdown. He carried the ball seven times for 20 yards, plus had the TD.

JP Richardson - He had three receptions for 20 yards, and one carry for another eight.

Beau Freyler - Has a game-leading eight tackles and one interception.

Ben Nikkel - He blocked the punt with 0:52 left in the 2nd quarter, leading to three more points for ISU.

Halftime Stats:

Scoring Summary	1st Qtr	2nd Qtr	Total
TCU	0	0	7
Iowa State	7	3	10

Team Stats	TCU	Iowa State
First Downs	12	9
Third Down Efficiency	5/8	3/8
Fourth Down Efficiency	0/1	0/0
Total Yards	216	158
Passing Yards	94	88
Rushing Yards	122	70
Turnovers	2	0
Times Sacked	0	0
Penalties	3/22	1/15

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