TCU Football Escapes Morgantown with a Narrow 23-17 Win over West Virginia

The Horned Frogs win an ugly game over West Virginia before their bye week.

TCU's defense celebrates in a 23-17 win over West Virginia. | Facebook: TCU Football

It's been well documented that the TCU Horned Frogs have had their struggles against the West Virginia Mountaineers. It has been particularly difficult to win in Morgantown. Over the last decade, the Frogs have won once in Milan Puskar Stadium (2022).

However, there was optimism that TCU could handle the Mountaineers given their struggles. They entered the game with a 2-5 record and 0-4 in conference play. Against Big 12 opponents, West Virginia has been outscored 172-58. Yet, the Frogs couldn't put the Mountaineers away, and escaped with a 23-17 victory.

Eric McAlister and Trent Battle Drove the Offense

TCU's Eric McAlister celebrates after picking up a first down against the West Virginia Mountaineers. | Facebook: TCU Football

TCU grabbed the early lead on its opening drive as Nate McCashland drilled a 35-yard field goal. On the Frogs' third possession, Eric McAlister and Trent Battle were responsible for all 48 yards en route to a Battle one-yard score to make it 10-0.

Kevorian Barnes only had eight carries, and Battle was the workhorse on Saturday. He ran the ball 19 times for 89 yards and scored. In the second quarter, West Virginia got on the board but was met with a big response from TCU.

A 11-play drive that went over six minutes resulted in a touchdown pass from Josh Hoover to McAlister for a four-yard score. The senior wideout hauled in nine passes for 124 yards.

Hoover and McAlister team up for another TD! pic.twitter.com/j5YYlVXgvP

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 25, 2025

The Horned Frogs took a 20-7 lead into the half, but once again, the second half play was weak. Both offenses struggled heavily in the third quarter before West Virginia mustered a field goal to cut the deficit to 10.

Negative plays and penalties derailed TCU's drives. They finally got some momentum late in the fourth quarter, but settled for another McCashland field goal and led 23-10 with 4:53 to go. McCashland was terrific, knocking down all three field goal attempts.

The Mountaineers scored a touchdown late but never possessed the ball again as the Frogs ran out the clock. TCU had opportunities to fully put away West Virginia, but never seemed to be able to. The Frogs' defense held up their end. Kaleb Elarms-Orr had another monster game with a team-leading 16 total tackles and a sack.

The Mountaineers entered the game fifth in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game. Defensive coordinator Andy Avalos had his unit prepared to stop it, as West Virginia ran for 41 total yards.

It was not a pretty win by any means. TCU was heavily favored against a struggling Mountaineer team, and they barely squeaked out with a win. Obviously, winning in Morgantown is not easy, but I'm sure the Frogs wanted a more convincing victory.

Regardless, a win is a win, and the Frogs have now secured bowl eligibility. According to Steven Johnson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Hoover said if TCU wants to reach its goal, they'll have to win out, and he thinks they're capable of doing that.

What's next?

TCU improves its record to 6-2 overall and its third conference win. They'll enter their much-needed bye week before hosting Iowa State on November 8th.