After only two games during this 2020 pandemic season, it can be pretty upsetting to watch the Horned Frogs play football.
Very upsetting, as a matter of fact, if you are a Texas Longhorns fan.
This past Saturday, October 3, unranked TCU, which was as much as a 13-point underdog, upset the then ninth-ranked ‘Horns, 33-31, in revered Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, in that weird Texas capital city called Austin (Midnite had predicted a 41-24 Texas win).
Just under 18,000 COVID-fearless, masked and socially distant fans were in the Longhorns’ majestic palace that normally is filled with nearly 100,000 rabid fans on a football game day.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
The loss not only upset Longhorns fans, it knocked Texas from the ranks of college football’s unbeatens, dropped the ‘Horns to 22nd in the national rankings and derailed their journey to a possible Big 12 title and national championship.
Not even an entire section within DKR-Memorial Stadium that was devoted to cardboard cutouts of photos of Texas alum and professor Matthew McConaughey from his various movies and projects could excite the Longhorns or their fans on Saturday.
With this latest setback, fickle and egotistical Texas football fans, who have an outrageously exaggerated view of themselves and the state’s flagship football team, have become quite upset with fourth-year Texas head coach Tom Herman.
So upset, in fact, that some inhabitants, as well as some of the homeless, within Longhorns Nation believe it’s already time for another new beginning, this time with former Bowling Green, Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer given an opportunity to lasso victories, like he did when he led the Gators and the Buckeyes to national championships.
Instead of being upset, you’d think Texas fans by now would be resigned to losing to the Horned Frogs.
After all, if you’re a Texas-backer, there basically are three absolutes in life: Death, taxes, and Gary Patterson beating your Longhorns.
Saturday’s victory was TCU’s sixth over Texas in the past seven years.
- 2020: 33-31 (Austin)
- 2019: 37-27 (Fort Worth)
- 2018: 16-31 (oops!) (Austin)
- 2017: 24-7 (Fort Worth)
- 2016: 31-9 (Austin)
- 2015: 50-7 (Fort Worth)
- 2104: 48-10 (Austin)
The Horned Frogs' 6-1 mark against Texas since 2014 is the best record of any Longhorns conference opponent in that time frame. TCU is 7-2 against Texas since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is 7-3 against Texas. Since 1996, he ranks No. 1 in the nation among all head coaches, past and present, in career winning percentage against Texas.
In recent times, TCU has been beating Texas so often that the Frogs now regularly schedule the Longhorns as their opponent for Homecoming games in Amon G. Carter Stadium. Nothing entices rich alums to fund new buildings, scholarships and stadium enhancements as much as football victories over the Longhorns.
Just think what the TCU campus would look like if the Frogs also were regularly beating up on the Texas A&M Aggies, who a few years ago ran off to hide in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Saturday indeed was another magical time in Austin for Patterson and the Horned Frogs (1-1, 1-1 Big 12). Their victory marked the first time an unranked TCU team knocked off a top-10 team on the road since 2011, at Boise State.
The victory motivated an overworked Patterson to pen another song. Listen: here
So, with TCU bouncing back after opening the season at home on September 26 with a 37-34 loss to Iowa State, all is right, once again, in the Land of Horned Frogs. Patterson again has proven worthy of his statue that since April 2016 has stood proudly alongside those of Davey O’Brien and Dutch Meyer in TCU’s richly-appointed Daniel-Meyer Athletic Complex.
Now, if only Patterson could develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. He’d then be able to show off a Nobel Prize among his numerous Coach of the Year trophies.
Perhaps Patterson already has started developing a defense of the coronavirus. Although coronavirus cases are spiking in the White House, cases are decreasing somewhat in Texas. Texas Governor Greg Abbott even is allowing bars to open next week, albeit at 50 percent of capacity.
Bars reopening, especially on 6th Street in Austin, can’t come soon enough for parched Longhorns fans.
Saturday was a frustrating day for Texas (2-1, 1-1 Big 12) and its followers, who had been tantalized by the Longhorns’ 2-0 start, featuring a 59-3 romp over UTEP and a 63-56 comeback overtime win over Texas Tech in Lubbock.
However, since Herman has been the head coach in Austin, the Longhorns never have begun a season 3-0.
Since 2017, when Herman became the head wrangler in Austin, the Longhorns, as an AP-ranked team, have lost six games to an unranked opponent.
That’s the most of any team in the country, and it’s certainly one of the reasons Texas fans believe they now should be turning their backs on their head coach. And Herman is feeling the heat, and showing the stress.
After the loss to the Horned Frogs, Herman penned a song. Listen: here
Elsewhere in the Big 12 last Saturday:
- Iowa State beat Oklahoma, 37-30, in Ames, Iowa. It was the Cyclones’ first home win over Oklahoma since 1960.
- West Virginia outlasted Baylor in double overtime, 27-21, in Morgantown, West Virginia
- Kansas State slid past Texas Tech, 31-21, in Manhattan, Kansas
- Oklahoma State blasted Kansas, 47-7, in Lawrence, Kansas.
Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Kansas State lead the Big 12 with 2-0 conference records.
Oklahoma State has the conference’s only overall unbeaten record, at 3-0. The Cowboys are ranked 10th in the Associated Press (AP) poll.
Texas (2-1, 1-1 Big 12) dropped to 22nd in the AP poll.
Oklahoma (1-2, 0-2 Big 12) dropped out of the Associated Press poll and the Coaches poll.
It's the first time the Sooners are unranked in the AP poll since 2014 and their first 0-2 start in Big 12 play since 1998.
Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is hearing some rumblings because the coach he replaced, Bob Stoops, never lost back-to-back Big 12 games from 1999-2016.
Is there anything worse than a spoiled Sooner?
Oh, yeah, an upset Longhorn.
Sitting in last place in the Big 12, Oklahoma has its sights set on trying to qualify for at least the Cheez-It Bowl, but the Longhorns are snackin’ right behind them.
There won’t be any snacking on Fletcher’s Corny Dogs or funnel cakes at the annual Texas-Oklahoma rivalry game this Saturday, October 10, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. There is no State Fair of Texas happening in conjunction with the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 11 am (Central). Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fair was canceled. It is the first cancellation of the fair since World War II.
This will be the first Texas-Oklahoma game since 2005 in which Texas is ranked and Oklahoma is among the unranked.
Perhaps it would have been just as well if this year’s Texas-Oklahoma game had been canceled.
But, won’t it be fun to see the meltdown of the fandom of whichever team loses the game.
Big 12 doormat Kansas losing another Big 12 Conference game, to Oklahoma State, was no surprise. But during the week after the loss, Kansas head coach Les Miles, who coached at Oklahoma State 2001-2004, tested positive for COVID-19.
Miles will handle his head-coaching responsibilities remotely and not attend the team's upcoming practices.
Kansas is off this week. The Jayhawks play West Virginia, in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Saturday, October 17.
Baylor's loss to West Virginia was the first for new Bears coach Dave Aranda. The Thursday after the loss to the Mountaineers, Aranda and the Bears suffered another setback. The Baylor football program was paused because of COVID-19 issues within the program.
It's not the first time this season that Baylor has had to contend with the coronavirus.
Baylor had its game against Louisiana Tech on September 12 postponed after Louisiana Tech had a COVID-19 outbreak among its players. Baylor called off a September 19 game against Houston, citing Baylor failing to meet the Big 12’s minimum threshold to play (53 players with at least seven offensive linemen, four interior defensive linemen and one quarterback).
Baylor is off this Saturday, October 10. The Bears are scheduled to play Oklahoma State in Waco on Saturday, October 17.
Even outside of the Big 12 Conference, last Saturday was another magical, strange, unpredictable day of the 2020 college football season.
Arkansas broke a 20-game SEC losing streak by upsetting No. 16 Mississippi State, 21-14.
A week earlier, Mississippi State had upset defending national champion and then fourth-ranked LSU, and new Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach was the toast of Starkville. Now Mississippi State fans are wondering if Leach really is a pirate.
The victory over Mississippi State was the first SEC win for Arkansas first-year head coach Sam Pittman, who proudly is the program’s 33rd head coach.
Better to have been the 33rd, than never at all.
Arkansas is the first head coaching job for Pittman, who played college football at Pittsburg State (1980-83) in Kansas, which is where Patterson coached linebackers in 1988.
There is no known relationship between Sam Pittman and former TCU head football coach Jim Pittman, who on October 30, 1971, in Waco, Texas, at the age of 46, collapsed on the sidelines during a TCU‐Baylor game and died minutes later.
Mississippi on Saturday upset Kentucky, 42-41, in overtime, for Lane Kiffin’s first win in his first year as the Rebels’ coach.
Over the past decade or so, Kiffin has bounced around more than a ping pong ball. Ole Miss is his fourth college head coaching job since 2009.
SMU, sometimes known oddly as “Dallas,” improved to 4-0 for the second straight season with a 30-27 win over Memphis. Because of coronavirus infections, it was the first game for Memphis in nearly a month.
Elvis wasn’t in the stadium for the game, and by the end of the first half, neither were many SMU students.
SMU campus police cleared the SMU student section during the first half because a large majority of the partying students wasn't following coronavirus protocols, such as wearing masks or social distancing.
Evidently, SMU students have had a hard time finding masks that don’t destroy their preppy game-day looks.
Tulsa snapped then 11th-ranked Central Florida’s 21-game home winning streak, 34-26. It was Tulsa’s first win of the season. The Golden Hurricane’s scheduled game the week before against Arkansas State was postponed because of coronavirus infections.
Meanwhile, in Austin, from the very beginning of their battle, it appeared that TCU and Texas were playing a game of flag football. Yellow flags were littering the gridiron.
The penalty flags began flying with the game’s opening kickoff, which had to be run three times because of penalties. TCU was flagged twice for being offsides. Texas was flagged for holding.
Unbelievably, the first quarter featured 14 penalties and lasted an hour of real time.
Talk about riveting TV!
For the game, TCU accumulated 14 penalties for 101 yards.
Even Patterson drew a yellow flag. He was penalized 15 yards, for sideline interference, when he inadvertently collided with a referee on the sideline and the referee tumbled to the artificial turf.
No word on whether Patterson was credited with a pancake block.
Texas was penalized 12 times, for 92 yards.
The 26 infractions are the most in a game this season involving a Power 5 conference team.
Penalties were costly for both teams, nullifying several critical plays and snuffing the momentum of drives.
For instance, a 95-yard kickoff return and pass plays of 47, 34 and 26 yards were erased by penalties on the Longhorns.
It was only fitting that since the game began with a penalty, it ended with a penalty, although it really shouldn’t have ended with the penalty.
TCU had the lead, 33-29, and the ball, on its own 15-yard line. The Frogs faced a fourth down, with six seconds remaining in the game.
Patterson decided to give Texas two points on a safety, to make the score a bit more respectable for the Longhorns.
Horned Frogs sophomore quarterback Max Duggan took the snap and ran through the back of the TCU end zone for a two-point safety for Texas as time expired.
But, not surprisingly, there was a yellow flag lying on the field. Holding against TCU.
Still, the officials declared the game over, with TCU winning, 33-31.
The officials didn’t make the correct call, but their mistake didn’t affect the outcome of the game. If the correct call had been made, TCU still would have won.
On the Monday after the game, Big 12 Conference football officials liaison Greg Burks announced that the enforcement of the holding penalty called against TCU on the play should have resulted in the replay of the fourth down play as an untimed down, since it was an offensive penalty.
“After further review and in consultation with NCAA national coordinator of football officials Steve Shaw, it was confirmed that the holding penalty should have resulted in the ball being moved back half-the-distance to the TCU goal, and the replay of fourth down as an untimed down to end the game,” said Burks. “We are in the process of addressing the ambiguity in the current rule raised by this play.”
That last play probably wouldn’t have happened if it had not been for three earlier, dramatic plays.
The first occurred with the Frogs trailing, for the first time, 29-26, with about four minutes left in the game.
TCU had a second-down-and-five at the Texas 26-yard line. At the line of scrimmage, Duggan checked into a quarterback draw and gutted Bevo with a 26-yard sprint into the end zone for the touchdown that proved to be the difference for the Frogs.
The second play came three offensive plays later, when Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger connected with running back Keaontay Ingram on a pass play that went for 52-yards, but would have went for a touchdown to give Texas the lead if not for the relentless effort of TCU junior safety La’Kendrick Van Zandt.
Although he trailed Ingram by several yards, Van Zandt did not give up on the play. He ran down Ingram and tackled him at the TCU 17-yard line.
On the next play, Ingram ran 16 yards to the TCU one-yard line, where the play of the game took place.
On the play, Ingram took the handoff from Ehlinger and attempted from the one-yard line to leap into the end zone for a Texas go-ahead touchdown.
TCU senior linebacker Garret Wallow collided with Ingram and knocked the football out of his hands. TCU senior defensive tackle Corey Bethley recovered the football to preserve the win for the Frogs.
Amazingly, the fumble by Ingram was his first during his three seasons with the Longhorns.
The Frogs’ hard-fought and well-deserved win also wouldn’t have happened if not for the gutsy and flashy play of Duggan (Mad Max, as he affectionately is becoming known), who just weeks ago was recovering from a procedure to correct Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a heart condition he was born with.
In his first start of the year, Duggan was calm, cool and composed, despite being pressured and taking hard hits all during the game by Texas defenders.
Duggan passed for 231 yards on 20-of-30 passing and was TCU’s leading rusher with 79 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carriers.
Wolff-Parkinson-White is a condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway in the heart. The condition caused Duggan to have periods of rapid heart rate (tachycardia).
Duggan’s winning performance on Saturday probably caused a few Texas fans to experience full cardiac arrest.
In honor of his performance, Duggan was recognized by the Fort Worth-based Davey O’Brien Foundation, being named one of the “Great 8” quarterbacks in Week 5. By being named to the Great 8 list, Duggan also has been added to the watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.
Duggan also was honored by being included in the fan voting to select a Manning Award Quarterback of the Week for Week 5.
If Duggan stays healthy and continues to grow and perform like he did in leading the Frogs to their comeback victory over Texas, a few years from now he might have a statue on TCU’s campus.
Two Frogs received Big 12 Conference honors for their performances against the Longhorns.
Placekicker Griffin Kell was named Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. He also earned the weekly Lou Groza kicking award.
Kell, a sophomore, kicked field goals of 27, 28, 32 and 49 yards. His four field goals are the most for a Horned Frog since 2019. He also kicked three point-after-touchdowns, which gave him 15 kick scoring points in the game. That ties for ninth-most in a game in TCU history.
Kell is 4-of-5 on field goal attempts this season and 7-of-9 in his career. He was 3-of-4 on field goals last season. His only miss was from 57 yards. His 52-yarder last year against Texas was the longest made by a Horned Frog since Jaden Oberkrom’s 57-yard kick against West Virginia in 2015.
Kell, who is from Arlington, was trained by Oberkrom, a 2015 All-American at TCU and the Big 12’s career leader in field goals made with 79 (2012-15).
The Big 12 honored Van Zandt as the conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week. He also was named the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week, a national honor. The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the nation's top defensive back.
Van Zandt led TCU’s defense with a career-high seven tackles, an interception and one tackle for loss. The interception, his first of the year and second in his career, led to an important TCU field goal.
Van Zandt has taken part in a turnover in both games this season. He caught a backwards pass (officially ruled as a fumble) by Iowa State that he returned 24 yards for a touchdown. It was TCU’s first fumble recovery for a score since Jawuan Johnson against Oklahoma State in 2018.
TCU’s victory also earned a weekly award for Patterson. He was named Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Patterson was the 2009 Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year, one of his 22 National Coach of the Year honors.
The Frogs’ offense totaled 458 yards against Texas; 231 passing, 227 rushing.
True freshman wide receiver Quentin Johnston, who as a highly rated recruit during this past recruiting cycle committed to Texas before flipping to TCU, finished with a team-high 70 yards receiving on three receptions. He had a 50-yard reception during a TCU touchdown drive in the first half.
Junior wide receiver Taye Barber’s team-high seven receptions were one shy of a career best.
Redshirt wide receiver Blair Conwright had two catches, including a career-long 34-yard reception.
TCU, under Patterson, improved to 96-8 when rushing for at least 200 yards.
True freshman running back Kendre Miller had a career-high 67 yards rushing on 10 carries, with a long run of 28 yards.
Redshirt freshman running back Darwin Barlow had a one-yard touchdown run, which was his first touchdown of the season and second of his career. Barlow had 28 yards rushing.
Redshirt freshman running back Daimarqua Foster had 27 yards rushing.
Five-star recruit Zach Evans had three yards rushing, on one carry.
Defensively,
the Frogs held the Longhorns to 388 yards; 236 passing, 152 rushing. Allowing big plays again was the downfall of the TCU defense.
Texas gained 225 of its total yards on five plays, including a 45-yard touchdown pass and two 52-yard pass receptions.
In the Frogs' 34-31 season-opening loss to Iowa State, the Cyclones 249 of their 423 yards of offense on five plays. Iowa State had touchdown runs of 75, 49 and 32 yards.
Thus, in two games, the TCU defense has given up 474 yards on 10 plays.
Ehlinger, a senior who has started during his four years with the ‘Horns and was mentioned as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate this season, threw four touchdown passes against the Frogs, but he often was befuddled by the TCU defense.
Against TCU, Ehlinger had more incompletions (19), than completions (17), the one interception, and, much to the dismay of Longhorns fans, was unable to lead Texas to a rousing comeback victory, as he did the week before against Texas Tech.
In Ehlinger’s last 27 games, only twice has he failed to complete 50 percent of his passes: last season against TCU (45.8 percent), and Saturday’s game against the Frogs (47.2 percent).
Wallow had six tackles for the Frogs’ defense. He has forced a fumble in both of TCU’s games this season.
Sophomore linebacker Dee Winters, sophomore safety Ar’Darius Washington and sophomore defensive end Ochaun Mathis had five tackles each.
The Frogs had three tackles for loss, but, surprisingly, no sacks. This is the first time the Horned Frogs have won a Big 12 game without a sack since joining the conference. TCU had no sacks in losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2012; Texas in 2013; Kansas State in 2016; and West Virginia in 2018.
TCU’s next opponent, Big 12 Conference-foe Kansas State (2-1, 2-0 Big 12), has seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss through three games this season; a 35-31 loss to Arkansas State in its season-opener; a 38-35 upset of then third-ranked Oklahoma in Norman; and a 31-21 victory over Texas Tech last Saturday.
During the week after the Wildcats' win over Tech, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman agreed to a new six-year, $23.5-million contract with the school. Klieman is 10-6 at Kansas State.
The Wildcats, who are tied with Oklahoma State and Iowa State for first place in the conference, are scheduled to be in Fort Worth this Saturday, October 10, for a 3 pm (Central) game against the Frogs, in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Kansas State’s victory over Oklahoma on September 26 was the Wildcats' second consecutive victory over the Sooners. During the 2019 season, Kansas State upset then seventh-ranked Oklahoma, 48-41, in Manhattan, Kansas.
Kansas State entered this year’s game against Oklahoma as a four-touchdown underdog, but overcame a 21-point second-half deficit to beat the Sooners, with the win tying for the largest comeback in school history.
The victory over Oklahoma was the first ever by Kansas State on the road against a team ranked in the top three of the AP poll.
Against Oklahoma, Wildcats senior quarterback Skylar Thompson (#10) passed for 334 yards and ran for three touchdowns.
Thompson and true freshman running back Deuce Vaughn (#22), of Round Rock, Texas, have been leading K-State’s offense.
Against Oklahoma, Vaughn had 174 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown. He became the first K-State running back since 1970 to have 100 yards receiving and is the only freshman to do so.
Against Texas Tech, the speedy and elusive Vaughn, who is 5-foot-five and weighs 168 pounds, became the first K-State true freshman since 2008 to rush over 100 yards in a game. He ran for 113 yards in the Wildcats' win. He had a rushing touchdown of 18 yards, and a 70-yard touchdown catch with 2:07 remaining in the fourth quarter to secure the win. His 194 yards of total offense were the most by a Wildcats freshman in the Big 12 era.
Thompson left the game against Texas Tech with a right arm injury after taking a hit in the second quarter. During the second half, Thompson, in his third year as the Wildcats' starter, appeared in street clothes, with his right arm in a sling. His status for the game against TCU has not been announced.
True freshman quarterback Will Howard (#15) relieved Thompson against Tech and completed 7-of-12 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. The Wildcats rallied from a 21-17 fourth-quarter deficit for the win.
Thus far this season, Vaughn is the Wildcats' leading receiver. He has caught eight passes for 234 yards, an average of 29 yards per catch. He has caught one touchdown pass. He has a long reception of 77 yards.
Senior tight end Briley Moore (#0) has caught 12 passes for 163 yards. He has caught two touchdown passes. He has a long reception of 66 yards.
Junior wide receiver Chabastin Taylor (#13) has caught eight passes for 159 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver Phillip Brooks (#88) also has a touchdown reception.
Overall, the Wildcats are averaging 33 points and 400 yards of offense per game. They do not have a turnover.
Through three games, the hard-hitting, disciplined K-State defense has intercepted five passes and forced three fumbles. Their opponents are averaging 30 points a game and nearly 500 yards of offense per game.
Senior linebackers Elijah Sullivan (#0) and Justin Hughes (#32) lead the team with 21 tackles apiece. Sullivan also has an interception.
Senior defensive back Jahron McPherson (#31) forced a fumble in the Oklahoma game and had an interception with 34 seconds remaining in the game. He had a career-high 11 tackles in the game.
Junior defensive ends Kirmari Gainous (#13) and Wyatt Hubert (#56) have two sacks each.
During the 2019 season, TCU entered its sixth game of the season, against Kansas State, with a 3-2. In Manhattan, Kansas, the Wildcats handed the Frogs their third loss of the season, slipping by them 24-17. In his debut season as Kansas State's head coach and in his first match-up with Patterson, Klieman earned his first victory over the Big 12’s elder statesman.
TCU and Kansas State will be playing each other for the 14th time. The Horned Frogs hold a 7-6 series lead.
Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU has won four of its eight meetings with Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are 2-2 in Manhattan, and 2-2 in Fort Worth. Overall, TCU is 4-2 against Kansas State in Fort Worth, and 3-4 in Manhattan.
TCU has won two of the past three and four of the past six games against the Wildcats.
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is 4-4 as a head coach versus Kansas State, which is his alma mater.
The Frogs are as much as a 10-point favorite against the Wildcats.
Let’s hope that if TCU upsets any folks this Saturday, that they’re Kansas State fans.
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