LAWRENCE, Kan. — It’s a shame that No. 17 TCU’s showdown with No. 19 Kansas was broadcast on FS1.
The battle between the undefeated Big 12 squads lived up to the billing, with TCU pulling out a 38-31 victory. There was drama, big plays by both squads and an electric atmosphere.
Although Kansas star quarterback Jalon Daniels left the game late in the first half, TCU found itself in a dogfight as Jayhawks backup quarterback Jason Bean was excellent in relief.
The Horned Frogs looked poised to take control of the game after Kansas missed a field goal with just over eight minutes remaining. However, the offense stalled to give the Jayhawks the ball back with plenty of time.
Bean threw his fourth touchdown on the day with a 29-yard strike to Quentin Skinner to tie the game at 31. It appeared Skinner’s knee was out of bounds, but the call on the field stood.
The Horned Frogs re-took the lead with just over 90 seconds remaining as Duggan found Quentin Johnston for a 260-yard touchdown. It was Johnson’s first score of the year and couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Horned Frogs got a stop on fourth-and-9 with less than 50 seconds remaining to survive and move to 5-0.
A wild third quarter
TCU and Kansas both average 40-plus points per game, but the two combined for just 13 points in the first half. That changed drastically in the third quarter that featured plenty of fireworks. Without Daniels, the Kansas offense improved behind backup quarterback Bean.
Bean threw three touchdowns passes, including a 38-yard score to Skinner with less than two minutes left in the quarter. TCU’s offense also came to life with three touchdowns of its own. None were bigger than Derius Davis’ 51-yard score. The Horned Frogs trailed 17-10 and the momentum was shifting to the Jayhawks. Davis took a simple screen pass, shed a tackler and tip toed down the sideline to tie the game up.
TCU quarterback Max Duggan added a short touchdown off a scramble and then connected with Taye Barber for a 25-yard with just 23 seconds left in the third. The catch by Barber was one of the best you’ll see as Barber rose over the defender to control the ball and was able to get two feet in bounds. At the end of the wild quarter, TCU maintained a 31-24 lead.
TCU makes the most of KU blunders
It wasn’t the cleanest game from TCU. The Horned Frogs had two turnovers, struggled to run the ball consistently and gave up chunk play after chunk play. But one thing they did well was capitalize off any blunders the Jayhawks made, especially after Daniels fumbled near the end zone.
TCU retook a 24-17 lead thanks to an interception by Jamoi Hodges. Bean threw a terrible ball and Hodge was in the right place to pick off the wobbly pass. TCU took over at the Kansas 26 and Duggan scrambled in for a touchdown a few plays later.
Barber’s touchdown was set up by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Skinner’s touchdown catch that tied it at 24. Kansas made it worse by booting the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. TCU started the drive at the Kansas 45 and scored a few plays later.
TCU’s offense was stuck in neutral for long stretches, but Kansas’ mistakes were the fuel the unit needed.
Johnston’s breakout game
We had to been waiting to see when Johnston would have his moment in Sonny Dykes’ offense. It finally came on Saturday. The talented receiver exceeded his season high for catches and receiving yards in the first quarter with five catches for 56 yards.
He followed that up with 83 of TCU’s 99 yards on the Horned Frogs’ lone touchdown drive of the first half. You knew this type of performance was coming eventually, but for it to come in a Top 25 showdown with his offensive teammates clearly in a funk, it made the moment more impactful.
Johnston finished with 14 catches, 206 yards and the game-winning touchdown..
TCU’s defensive holes exploited
You would think once a a player who was considered a Heisman candidate goes out of the game that his team’s offense would go in the tank. That wasn’t the case as the Jayhawks offense looked completely different with Bean under center. TCU struggled to make life uncomfortable for him.
His second touchdown strike to Skinner came with little pressure. He had all day to find his target and put the right amount of touch on it. When the pass rush wasn’t getting there, Kansas was taking advantage of TCU’s aggressive in its pursuit of the ball.
With window dressing like motions and fake handoffs, there were too many instances of Kansas having wide open players running all over the field. The Horned Frogs made enough plays including forcing two turnovers, but the unit has to be better going forward.
Game-changing sequence
It was a defensive struggle in the first half as TCU was clinging to a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter. After Kansas gained 79 yards on two plays, the Jayhawks were poised to take the lead. Yet when Daniels tried to break a tackle to get into the end zone, the quarterback fumbled and TCU recovered at the 1-yard line.
On the next two plays, Duggan connected with Johnston for 53- and 29-yard pass plays. Kendre Miller capped the drive off with a short touchdown run as TCU took a 10-point lead. The 14-point swing was huge as it sucked the momentum out of Memorial Stadium and helped the Frogs offense get back in its usual rhythm.
