TCU's Late Game Heroics Fall Short in Final Big 12 Matchup Against No. 7 Texas
TCU has found plenty of success against Texas since joining the Big 12. The Horned Frogs were 8-3 coming into Saturday, and the two teams squared off for the final time in front of a packed Amon G. Carter Stadium. Despite a fourth-quarter surge from the Frogs, the Longhorns survived and came away with a 29-26 win.
Texas dominated the first half leading 26-6. TCU got on the board first with a 41-yard field goal from Griffin Kell, but the Horns responded quickly. A 73-yard catch and run from Johnathan Brooks made it 7-3 Texas.
Arguably, the game's most critical play came in the second quarter. Quinn Ewers lofted a ball into double coverage down the left sideline when Millard Bradford picked him off. He had room to run, but the ball was poked free by Jordan Whittington and recovered by Texas. What could've been a massive momentum swing for TCU resulted in three for the Longhorns making it 10-6.
At the end of the first half, Josh Hoover threw an interception giving Texas great field position. Brooks once again did damage scoring from 22 yards out to make it 26-6. It was an awful first half for TCU which once again found themselves chasing too many points in the second half.
The defense gave TCU a chance in the second half holding the Texas offense to three points and 151 yards. A 42-yard completion to Savion Williams at the end of the third quarter seemed to be the boost this offense needed as it resulted in their first touchdown courtesy of Emani Bailey to make it 26-13.
It was 29-19 when Hoover drove the offense 75 yards in three minutes resulting in a J.P. Richardson three-yard score. The Frogs followed that up with a remarkable 35-second touchdown drive with Williams finding the endzone to cut the lead to three.
TCU had a shot to get the football back with a third and 12 at the Texas 13, but Ewers found Adonai Mitchell for 35 yards to end the game. Once again, the offense came alive in the second half, but there wasn't enough time.
| Player Stats | Texas | TCU |
|---|---|---|
Passing | Quinn Ewers: 22/33, 317 yds, 1 TD 1 INT | Josh Hoover: 24/36, 302 yds, 2 TD 1 INT |
Rushing | Jonathan Brooks: 21 car, 104 yds 2 TD | Emani Bailey: 21 car, 98 yds, 1 TD |
Receiving | Xavier Worthy: 10 rec, 137 yds | Savion Williams: 11 rec, 164 yds 1 TD |
The offensive line struggled surrendering three sacks and six tackles for loss. That was certainly a point of emphasis with the overpowering Texas front seven. Pair that with several costly mistakes, and that's a difficult recipe for success against a top-10 team in the country.
On a positive note, it was a career night for Savion Williams, who made his presence felt all night long. The 11 receptions were a career high. Emani Bailey's 98 yards also put him over 1,000 on the season. His development into a workhorse has been fun to watch this year.
Saturday's loss can be added to what has been an extremely frustrating season for TCU. Another loss will end their bowl eligibility and will be just the second time a team has made the CFP and not gotten a bowl game the following season. Texas improves to 9-1 and will head to Ames to take on Iowa State next week. The Frogs fall to 4-6 and will host Baylor next Saturday at 2:30 for their final home game of the season.
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