Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mitchell Northam

TCU’s ‘hurry-up’ field goal keeps Horned Frogs’ playoff dreams alive with game-winner

Jason Benetti was screaming, and so were we, along with anyone who bet on TCU, probably.

Down two points on the road to Baylor with 1:34 to play, the No. 4 Horned Frogs put together a nine-play drive that covered 45 yards, giving kicker Griffin Kell a chance to kick a game-winning field goal.

What created the chaos was that TCU burned all its timeouts. And instead of spiking the ball or running out of bounds to stop the clock on the play before the kick, the Horned Frogs ran the ball up the middle for two yards.

So, the clock just kept ticking away as TCU frantically ran onto the field to set up for a 40-yard game-winning field goal. And this wasn’t just any game-winner; TCU’s playoff hopes were at stake.

But it worked. I present to you, the hurry-up field goal:

TCU fans had a big reason to celebrate after that kick, but bettors who put money on TCU to cover did not.

The Horned Frogs were 2.5-point favorite. So, while they won and kept their playoff chances alive, they didn’t cover and caused bettors a whole lot of heartache.

According to DraftKings, one bettor put $50,000 on TCU to cover.

Bettors were enticed by TCU for several reasons. The Horned Frogs were undefeated, for starters, and were coming off an impressive 17-10 win over Texas. All of TCU’s wins this season were by at least three points or more. Additionally, Baylor was coming off an ugly 31-3 loss to Kansas State.

What put TCU in the position where it had to drive half the length of the field for a game-winning kick was a missed extra point kick in the third quarter, and then a failed two-point conversion on their final touchdown.

Bettors be damned, the hypno-toads are still undefeated and dancing toward the College Football Playoff.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.