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 runs the ball with no timeouts but the kicker nails it at the HORN 🚨🚨🚨🚨 LMAOOOOO pic.twitter.com/YtGQGRTgQY
— AJ King (@allday__ajking) November 19, 2022
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.
How about that for a sweat 😅
One bettor wagered $121,000 on Baylor +2.5 (-115) …
TCU wins on a walk-off FG, but Baylor covers for this bettor ✅💰 pic.twitter.com/nSQQAuxNZu
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) November 19, 2022
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.