Frogs Allow Bears to Escape; Regroup for Texas Tech

The 2019 season has become a year of firsts for TCU head football coach Gary Patterson. Unfortunately, the milestones, thus far, are the type the 19-year head coach would just as soon forget. 

On Saturday, October 19, in Manhattan, Kansas, Patterson, for the first time, lost to Chris Klieman. The first-year NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision coach led his Kansas State Wildcats to a 24-17 victory over Patterson and his Horned Frogs.

Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

And this past Saturday, November 9, in TCU’s evolving Amon G. Carter Stadium, Patterson, for the first time, lost to Matt Rhule. The third-year Baylor head football coach led his then 12th-ranked Bears to a 29-23, three-overtime win over Patterson and his Frogs, before an announced crowd of 45,870. 

The loss in Manhattan was bad enough, since Kansas State is Patterson’s alma mater and Kansas is Patterson’s home state, but the loss to Baylor was especially painful.

Behind a stellar effort by its defense, TCU led its bitter rival from Waco, Texas, 9-0, at halftime. Late in the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs were looking to celebrate a 9-6 victory over the Big 12’s first-place team. 

Then, the thrill was gone.

Baylor redshirt freshman kicker John Mayers, who earlier had kicked two field goals in the game, unexpectedly kicked a 51-yard field goal on fourth down to tie the game, 9-9, with 36 seconds remaining in the game. 

When Mayers was lining up his high-pressure kick, Baylor fans were packing up and preparing to head south. Up until that time, the inconsistent kicker's longest successful field goal in his short career had been from 38 yards.

Mayers’ kick seemingly took forever to cover the 51 yards, and it barely made it over the crossbar, but it was Baylor’s longest field goal since 2013 and it enabled the Bears’ magical season to continue. 

In the closing seconds of the game, Patterson chose to have the Frogs run out the clock, instead of trying to get into position for a game-winning field goal, so the slug-fest continued into overtime.

After two overtime periods, the Bears and Frogs were tied, 23-23, with both teams having scored two touchdowns. 

In the third overtime period, Baylor went ahead 29-23, but the Bears missed the mandatory two-point try, leaving the door open for a thrilling comeback win by TCU.

During the Frogs’ possession in the third overtime period, replay unfortunately ruled that during a gutsy 20-yard touchdown run, TCU true freshman quarterback Max Duggan had stepped out of bounds at the three-yard line. 

Despite two plays later having a first-and goal at the one-yard line, the Frogs suffered their fifth defeat of the season when a desperation heave by Duggan toward receiver Taye Barber on fourth-down, from the 13-yard line, was picked off in the end zone by Baylor cornerback Grayland Arnold.

Again, the thrill was gone. 

After the game, a dejected Patterson penned an appropriate song. Listen: here

A relieved Rhule also penned an appropriate song after the game. Listen: here

With the loss, TCU dropped to 4-5, 2-4 Big 12.

With the win, Baylor snapped a four-game losing streak to the Frogs, improved to 9-0, 6-0 Big 12, and set up a “Sensational Saturday” on the Brazos on November 16. 

That Saturday morning, from 8 to 11 am Central, ESPN GameDay will broadcast from the Bears’ McLane Stadium in Waco. That evening, at 6:30 pm Central, McLane will host an epic showdown between 10th-ranked Oklahoma and 13th-ranked Baylor (yes, Baylor dropped a spot after beating the Frogs). ABC will broadcast the game. 

Since dropping a 16-9 decision to TCU last season at McLane Stadium, Baylor has won 11 straight games, including wins over Texas Tech and Vanderbilt to end last season. Two years ago, Baylor and its fans endured an 1-11 (1-8 Big 12) season.

With 115 games played, TCU has faced Baylor more than any opponent in its history. TCU leads the series, 55-53-7.

The Horned Frogs are 8-3 against Baylor since the Southwest Conference dissolved after the 1995 season. The Frogs are 5-3 versus Baylor in the Big 12 era.

In the last 13 games between Baylor and TCU, Baylor has won all five games that have been decided by less than a touchdown. The Frogs are 8-0 in the games decided by seven points or more. 

Despite the overtime periods featuring three Baylor touchdowns and two TCU touchdowns, this game between the Baptists and Christians was a bruising, defensive slug-fest.

TCU held Baylor’s dynamic offense to 308 total yards; 168 yards on the ground, 140 yards through the air. 

Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, who is a semifinalist for the 2019 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, was sacked three times and intercepted once.

TCU redshirt freshman defensive end Ochaun Mathis had 1.5 sacks, the first multi-sack game of his career. He had a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss, while equalizing his career high with seven tackles. 

TCU sophomore defensive tackle Terrell Cooper had the first sack of his career.

TCU sophomore linebacker/safety La'kendrick Van Zandt picked off his first career interception. Van Zandt, who suffered in the game what may be a season-ending injury, started his first game at safety after starting at linebacker in three other games this season. 

Brewer was the Bears’ leading rusher with 41 yards on 15 carries.

Baylor’s leading rusher on the season, John Lovett, was held by the Frogs to 37 yards on eight carries.

Denzell Mims, Baylor’s leading receiver, was held by TCU's secondary to three catches for 21 yards in regulation. Unfortunately, he had three catches for 36 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime periods. 

TCU junior linebacker Garret Wallow  had 11 tackles. He tied redshirt freshman linebacker Ben Wilson, who made his first career start, for the team lead. Wallow either has led or tied for team-high honors in tackles in eight of nine games this season. Wallow was in double figures for tackles for the second straight game and fifth time this season.

TCU senior cornerback Jeff Gladney tied a career high with three pass break-ups. Gladney recently was selected to participate in this season's Senior Bowl. It will be the sixth straight Senior Bowl to feature a Horned Frog. 

Offensively, the Frogs again struggled and the heat increased on co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Sonny Cumbie.

The Frogs gained only 308 total yards; 140 yards through the air, and 168 yards on the ground. 

In the game against Oklahoma State on November 2, Duggan suffered an injury to a finger on his right (throwing) hand. Despite the injury, Duggan played the entire game against Baylor. He was backed up by redshirt freshman Matthew Downing, a transfer from Georgia.

Duggan completed only 14 of 32 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown. He has thrown a touchdown pass in eight of the nine games this season. He also threw three interceptions, and he was sacked three times. Duggan ran for 46 yards on 14 carries. 

TCU senior running back Sewo Olonilua was the Frogs' leading rusher. He carried the football 19 times for 79 yards, including a long run of 35 yards. He also caught four passes for 30 yards. Olonilua has rushed for 1,512 yards in his TCU career.

TCU’s leading rusher on the season, senior Darius Anderson, was held the Baylor defense to only 31 yards on 12 carries. He caught two passes for minus one yard. Anderson recently agreed to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, on January 18, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Baylor’s stout defense was led by sophomore linebacker Terrel Bernard, who terrorized the Frogs' offense. He had a career-high 19 tackles (the most by a Bear since 2011), a career-best three tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. His performance earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

And, of course, it was the Bears' defense that came up with the final, decisive play, when Arnold preserved the 29-23 victory for the Bears by intercepting Duggan in the end zone, to end the game in the third overtime period. 

TCU now finds itself in the position of having to win two of its final three games to qualify for a bowl berth. 

The situation is reminiscent to last year when the Frogs needed to win three of their final four games to earn bowl eligibility. TCU accomplished that task. The Frogs beat Kansas State, 14-13, in Fort Worth, lost at West Virginia, 47-10, beat Baylor in Waco, 16-9, and beat Oklahoma State, 31-24, in the season finale in Fort Worth. The Frogs then beat California, 10-7 (OT), in the Cheez-It Bowl. 

This year, the Frogs finish the 2019 season with Texas Tech, in Lubbock, this Saturday, November 16, at Oklahoma, on Saturday, November 23, and against West Virginia, in Fort Worth, on Friday, November 29.

After defeating West Virginia, 38-17, last Saturday, November 9, Texas Tech enters Saturday’s 11 am Central game (ESPN2) with TCU with a record of 4-5, 2-4.

The Red Raiders need to win at least two of their three remaining games to qualify for a bowl.

After hosting the Frogs, Tech hosts Kansas State, on Saturday, November 23, and plays Texas, in Austin, on Friday, November 29. 

In addition to beating West Virginia, Tech has beaten Montana State (45-10), UTEP (38-3) and Oklahoma State (45-35).

The Red Raiders have lost to Arizona (28-14), Oklahoma (55-16), Baylor (33-30, 2OT), Iowa State (34-24) and Kansas (37-34). 

TCU and Texas Tech will battle for the Saddle Trophy. 

This will be the third year since the two teams renewed the Battle for the Saddle Trophy, which originally was presented to the winning team from 1961-70 before it disappeared.

The two schools created a replica trophy prior to their 2017 meeting. The trophy resides in Lubbock, thanks for Tech's 17-14 victory over the Horned Frogs a year ago in Fort Worth.  

As in recent years, Texas Tech relies on its offense to win games.

The Red Raiders are averaging 479 total yards of offense a game, which is fourth in the Big 12. Tech throws for an average of 311 yards a game, which is third in the Big 12, and rushes for 168 yards a game, which is seventh in the Big 12.

Junior quarterback Jett Duffey (#7), who is from Lake Ridge High School in the Fort Worth neighboring city of Mansfield, has thrown for nearly 1,774 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.

In the Red Raiders’ win over Oklahoma State, Duffey had 424 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. 

Wide receiver T.J. Vasher (#9), a junior, has caught 37 passes for 473 yards and six touchdowns. He is one of five Texas Tech receivers who have at least 245 receiving yards this season.

On the ground, redshirt freshman running back SaRodorick Thompson (#28) has 576 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. 

Defensively, the Red Raiders are allowing 28 points a game, which is sixth in the Big 12. Tech’s defense is allowing 470 yards a game, which is ninth in the Big 12. Texas Tech is allowing 309 passing yards a game, which is 10th in the Big 12, and 162 rushing yards a game, which is sixth in the Big 12.

Senior linebacker Jordyn Brooks (#1), a Bednarik and Butkus Award Semifinalist, leads Tech’s defense. He ranks seventh nationally with 98 tackles and second with two tackles for loss per game. Brooks had a career-high three sacks in the Red Raiders’ win over Oklahoma State. 

Tech is led by first-year head coach Matt Wells, who previously served as the offensive coordinator and then head coach (2013-18) at his alma mater, Utah State University, where he had a 44-34 record. 

At Texas Tech, Wells replaced Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired by Tech last year after leading the program for six seasons as head coach. Kingsbury now is the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. 

Patterson and Wells were in Logan, Utah, at the same time. Patterson was the secondary coach at Utah State from 1992-94. Wells was Utah State's quarterback from 1993-96.

TCU has won its last two games in Lubbock. The Frogs won 55-52 in 2015 and 27-3 in 2017. 

TCU has not won three consecutive games in Lubbock.

And this will be the first time the Frogs and Patterson have faced Wells.

Thus, one way or the other, by Saturday evening, Patterson will have added at least one more first to his resume.

Will it be a milestone to remember, or another one to forget?