#17 TCU HORNED FROGS (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)
This Week: Won 38-31 at #19 Kansas
Next Week: vs #7 Oklahoma State
The hype has been growing in the basketball town of Lawrence regarding the hometown Kansas Jayhawks football team, who entered Saturday 5-0 after their best start to a season in more than a decade. With College Gameday on site and a third straight sellout crowd, the TCU Horned Frogs were hardly the story entering Saturday despite their own undefeated, and frankly much more dominant start. Sonny Dykes’ team would quickly quiet the Kansas Crowd, jumping out to a 10-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter behind stout defense. The Frogs would head into halftime with a 10-3 lead, but most of the stadium’s attention by the break had understandably turned to the injury status of star Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Backup quarterback Jason Bean and the Jayhawks came out in the third quarter playing inspired football, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two drives to take their first lead on the Horned Frogs at 17-10. Max Duggan and the TCU offense responded quickly, striking with a 51-yard touchdown to Derius Davis to tie the game at 17. The teams would combine for three more touchdowns in the final six minutes of the third quarter, setting up the Frogs with a 31-24 lead heading into the final period of what quickly became a shootout in Lawrence. After an empty drive from each team to begin the fourth quarter, Kansas would strike for a 29-yard touchdown to tie the game with just over four minutes to play. Max Duggan found Quentin Johnston in the end zone on the following drive for the Frogs, putting TCU ahead 38-31 with just 96 seconds to play. TCU’s defense finally got the stop it needed on the Jayhawks’ final drive, preserving a huge 38-31 win. Wide receiver Quentin Johnson led the way for the TCU offense with a career game, finishing with a whopping 14 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown. The Horned Frogs now sit at 5-0 for the first time since 2017, and will welcome Oklahoma State to Fort Worth for a huge showdown next week.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (3-3, 1-2 Big 12)
This Week: Lost 41-31 at #9 Oklahoma State
Next Week: Bye Week
Mere minutes before Texas Tech’s fifth consecutive contest against a ranked opponent, news broke that quarterback Donovan Smith would be unavailable for the Red Raiders’ game at #7 Oklahoma State. Highly touted recruit Behren Morton would get the start in his place, and the freshman would immediately impress with 77 yards passing and a touchdown on Tech’s opening drive. The Cowboys responded quickly with a touchdown of their own to tie it, and it became clear early on that an old school Big 12 shootout was on tap in Stillwater Saturday afternoon. Despite entering the game as sizable underdogs and playing with a quarterback who started the season third on the depth chart, the Red Raiders went into halftime with a 24-20 lead behind 220 yards passing and two touchdowns from Morton.
After an Oklahoma State field goal to open up the second half, Texas Tech drove 65 yards downfield again to punch in a 2-yard touchdown run by SaRodrick Thompson for a 31-23 lead. Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders ran in his second score of the afternoon on the ensuing drive, and a successful two point try would tie things up at 31 late in the third quarter. After an Oklahoma State field goal gave them the lead as the third ended, both defenses would finally string together a few consecutive stops to begin the fourth quarter. The Cowboys would eventually score a dagger touchdown with just 2 and a half minutes left, putting them ahead 41-31 and all but putting the Red Raiders away. Quarterback Behren Morton (425 yards of offense, 3 total touchdowns) and Texas Tech fought valiantly against the odds all afternoon, but didn’t quite have enough at the end in Stillwater.
BEST OF THE REST AROUND TEXAS
FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION
UCF 41, SMU 19 (Wednesday)
UTSA 31, Western Kentucky 28
Texas State 36, Appalachian State 24
Louisiana Tech 41, UTEP 31
FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION
Incarnate Word 56, Lamar 17
Texas A&M Commerce 31, Southeastern Louisiana 28
Nicholls 19, Houston Christian 17
Stephen F Austin 41, Abilene Christian 38
Tarleton State 42, Southern Utah 40