Texas Christian University went on the road to Baylor on November 19 and remained unbeaten on a walk-off field goal for the 29-28 victory. Horned Frogs kicker Griffen Kell made up for a missed extra point by nailing a 40-yard field goal as time expired. No.4 TCU is now 11-0 with one game remaining in the regular season.
Baylor missed a 46-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and could not capitalize on the Horned Frogs’ only punt of the game late in the second quarter.
Bears quarterback was picked off in the end zone by TCU’s Bud Clark just before the half to go into the locker room tied at 14. Clark now has recorded three interceptions on the season, tying Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson for the team lead.
The Frogs needed a big day from quarterback Max Duggan as the team trailed late in the fourth quarter after Baylor jumped out to a 28-20 lead with just 9:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. A one-yard rush by running back Emari Demercado and two incomplete passes by Duggan gave the Bears the ball back, and it appeared that Baylor would once again end TCU’s chances at a College Football Playoffs appearance.
Instead, the Horned Frogs’ defense stiffened and forced a three-and-out to give Duggan another opportunity with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game. Duggan found Savion Williams for 22-yards on second-and-five, then burst loose for a 21-yard run on third-and-one. Jared Wiley also caught a 15-yard pass on the drive to set up first-and-goal. Demercado finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run but failed to find the endzone on the ensuing two-point try.
Head coach Sonny Dykes decided to place the fate of the season in the hands of his defense and kicked deep on the kickoff. The unit did its job and stopped Baylor in its tracks to force a punt after the Frogs burned through all three timeouts to keep time on the clock.
Duggan retook the field with just 1:30 remaining and no timeouts available. Barber caught a 19-yard pass and Duggan scrambled for another 12 yards, ultimately setting up the field goal unit with just 17 seconds and a running clock. The unit hustled onto the field and got the kick away just as time expired to give the Horned Frogs their eleventh victory of the year.
The last time that TCU was undefeated was in 2010 when the team went 13-0 after winning the Rose Bowl. In 2014, Baylor defeated TCU to prevent the Horned Frogs from making the playoffs. The Bears and the Frogs were the fifth and sixth-place teams that season, leaving them out in the cold for CFP competition.
Duggan finished the game today going 24-of-35 for 327 yards, a touchdown pass, and an interception. The turnover is only his third of the year, and the game marked the fifth time this season that Duggan has passed for more than 300 yards in a game.
The Horned Frogs will finish the regular season next week at home against Iowa State in a likely win-and-in situation after Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan also continued their unbeaten streak.
The headline is more than misleading. TCU didn’t steal anything.
They Earned It!