Frogs Revive Season by Dominating Bears; Prepare to Host Red Raiders

TCU's Gary Patterson (right) encourages Baylor's Dave Aranda

Who among you anticipated TCU ambushing Baylor at McLane on the Brazos on Halloween Saturday?

Liar.

Forgive my bluntness.

But, not even the Frogs’ general, Gary Patterson, foresaw TCU’s 33-23 rout of the despised Bears (Midnite had predicted a 24-20 TCU victory).

Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

Patterson was spooked by a bad week of practice by the Frogs. He had no idea in what frame of mind his team would take the field against longtime rival Baylor, in an annual bloodbath that is billed as a “Revivalry,” since the game features the only two private schools of the Big 12’s 10 members.

The beleaguered coach, of course, was thrilled with the results. So much so that after the game, he penned another song. Listen: here  

Since they broke a two-game losing streak and improved their overall and conference records to 2-3, the Horned Frogs obviously need to have more bad weeks of practice.

After having their trick-or-treating ruined by their third consecutive loss, first-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda and Baylor’s players and fans probably are glad the Frogs quickly beat it out of town and returned to Fort Worth.

After the game, Aranda penned a song. Listen: here 

Not only did the Frogs get a win after a bad week of practice, they finally got off to a fast start against an opponent.

So fast, in fact, that Aranda may have been wondering why in world he left his defensive coordinator position on the staff of the 2019 national champion LSU Tigers for Baylor and his first head coaching gig.

On its second possession of the game, TCU drove 73 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead. Darwin Barlow scored on a three-yard run.

After the Frogs’ defense held Baylor, TCU extended its lead to 14-0 on a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown by Derius Davis.

It was Davis’ second career punt return for a touchdown on just six attempts. Davis had a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown against Southern in his collegiate debut as a true freshman in 2018.

After La'Kenrick Van Zandt intercepted a pass on Baylor's next series, TCU quarterback Max Duggan threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Taye Barber and TCU’s first-quarter lead grew to 20-0.

The 20 points were the most for TCU in a first quarter since it posted 21 in the first quarter of a 51-14 win over Kansas last year.

A 30-yard touchdown run by Zach Evans extended TCU’s lead to 27-0 in the second quarter and a 33-yard field goal by Griffin Kell gave the Horned Frogs a 30-0 lead as halftime approached.

After a TCU fumble, Baylor scored with 14 seconds remaining in the first half to trim the Frogs’ lead to 30-7 at the half.

The 23-point margin was TCU’s largest lead at halftime since a 38-0 first-half advantage over Kansas last season.

Also, TCU’s 30 first-half points were more than Baylor’s opponents had scored on the Bears during their two previous games; a 27-20 double-overtime loss to West Virginia and a 27-16 loss to Texas.
 
TCU’s early domination of Baylor (1-3 Big 12) wasn’t the only shocking aspect of Halloween Day in the Big 12.

Texas (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) upset then sixth-ranked and unbeaten Oklahoma State (4-1, 3-1) in Stillwater, 41-34 in overtime. It was the Longhorns’ third overtime game of the season.

The Cowboys’ loss means the Big 12 probably will not be represented in this season’s College Football Playoff. Oklahoma State was the conference’s last remaining unbeaten team.

In a 37-10 upset of then 16th-ranked Kansas State (4-2, 4-1), West Virginia (4-2, 3-2) continued to dominate defensively. It was the Mountaineers first victory over a ranked team since 2018. West Virginia leads the Big 12 in overall defense.

Kansas (0-6, 0-5) continued its winless ways, getting shellacked by Iowa State (4-2, 4-1), 52-22. Iowa State running back Breese Hall ran for at least 100 yards in his sixth consecutive game this season.

Texas Tech (2-4, 1-4), which is the Frogs' next opponents, was a hospitable host as it let Oklahoma (4-2, 3-2) roll to a 62-28 victory in Lubbock, a city that unashamedly boasts the most coronavirus-infected university in the country.

Reportedly, there have been at least 2,200 virus cases reported at Texas Tech. Must be something in the tortillas.

COVID-19 continues to affect other schools across the country, especially on the gridiron.

Trevor Lawrence, the Heisman-Trophy-candidate quarterback of No. 1-ranked Clemson, has tested positive for the virus. He had to miss the Tiger’s game against Boston College. Clemson came back from a 28-10 halftime deficit to win, 34-28, and remain unbeaten.

Lawrence reportedly will not play in Clemson’s game this Saturday against No. 4-ranked Notre Dame.

Purdue managed to do enough to beat, 31-24, a virus-depleted Illinois team that was down to its fourth-string quarterback.

Virginia Tech squeaked out a 42-35 victory over a Louisville team that was missing nine players because of the coronavirus.

Then 10th-ranked Florida, which still was missing some players due to virus infections, came back from a three-week break due to COVID-19 cases, and rolled to a 41-17 victory over Missouri.

The game featured a bench-clearing scuffle that involved both head coaches. The melee, which began at the end of the first half, was precipitated by a hard hit on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.

Spooky things also were happening in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Spartans of Michigan State upset Michigan, 27-24, giving Mel Tucker his first victory as State’s head coach.

Things got eerie for TCU in the second half against Baylor, as the Horned Frogs must have overdosed on candy corn and caramel apples during intermission.

The Frogs quickly increased their lead to 33-7 on a 34-yard field goal, but then they, instead of the Bears, went into hibernation.

TCU gained only 71 yards on its next four drives and for the half, Duggan completed only four passes for 19 yards.

Meanwhile, Baylor scored 16 unanswered points over the final two quarters, cutting the Frogs’ lead to 33-23 with 10:25 left in the fourth quarter.

As a result of Baylor’s rally, into the minds of TCU fans popped visions of 2014, when the Frogs lost to Baylor, 61-58, in Waco, after the Bears ended the game on a 24-0 run.

TCU’s defense ultimately halted the Bears’ comeback efforts, by denying Baylor a drive-continuing first down on a fourth-down play with under seven minutes remaining in the game.

The Frogs’ offense ran out the final 6:24 of the game and ended the contest by running plays out of the victory formation, beginning at the Baylor eight-yard line. Aranda had no timeouts with which to interrupt TCU’s much-needed celebration. Of course, he most likely wouldn’t have resorted to such a poor sportsmanship tactic, as at least one other coach in Big 12 has this season.

The Frogs now have won five of their last six matchups with the Bears, and the elder statesman Patterson got another win over one of the conference’s new young guns (Aranda), to go along with his victory over Matt Wells of Texas Tech last year, when Wells was beginning his tenure with the Red Raiders.

Patterson is 9-4 as a head coach versus Baylor, and TCU is 6-3 against the Bears since beginning Big 12 play in 2012.

TCU improved to 2-0 on the road this season. The team’s three losses this year have come in Fort Worth, at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Since 2009, TCU's 43 road wins are tied for second nationally.
 
Duggan had another gutsy, if unspectacular, game. He completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and gained 25 yards on nine carries.

After struggling with their running game in their prior game against Oklahoma, the Frogs gained 247 rushing yards on 44 carries (TCU is 97-8 under Patterson when rushing for at least 200 yards).

TCU's running success earned the Frogs' offensive line some kudos. Pro Football Focus ranked the unit as the fifth-best offensive line in the nation for the week.

Redshirt freshman running back Darwin Barlow had a career-high 117 yards rushing on 16 carries. The game was the first 100-yard performance of Barlow’s career and the first of 2020 for TCU.

Barlow scored one rushing touchdown, on a three-yard run midway through the first quarter. In the third quarter, he had a 74-yard run, TCU’s longest play from scrimmage this season and the longest by a Horned Frog since Darius Anderson had a 77-yard gain last year against SMU. 

Barlow's score was his third rushing touchdown of the season, tying him with Duggan for the team lead.

Five-star true freshman running back Zach Evans had 81 rushing yards on seven carries. Early in the second quarter, he got his first career touchdown, on a 30-yard gallop through the middle of Baylor’s defense. He also had a 10-yard reception in the game.

Wide receiver Taye Barber led TCU's receiving corps with five receptions, his fourth game this season with at least five catches. He had a 13-yard touchdown reception for his second scoring grab of the season and fourth of his career.

True freshman wide receiver Quentin Johnston had three catches for 64 yards, including a 37-yarder that set up Barlow's three-yard touchdown run.

Kell’s two field goals, of 33 and 34 yards, made him 6-of-9 on field-goal attempts this season.

TCU’s defense had a strong game against the Bears.

At one point late in the first half, Baylor had more penalty yards than offense. At halftime, TCU had more than twice as many total yards as Baylor (192-80). The Bears had negative yards gained midway through the third quarter.

Baylor was able to mount its comeback in the second-half on the strength of big plays, which have been the downfall of the TCU defense throughout the season’s first five games.

Four big plays by the Bears accounted for 91 yards through the air and 32 yards on the ground and led to Baylor's four scores. The 123 yards were 44 percent of Baylor’s 278 total yards gained (75 on the ground, 203 through the air).

Baylor senior quarterback Charlie Brewer completed only 17 of 37 passes. He completed five passes of at least 20 yards, including a 39-yarder and a 30-yarder.

Sophomore tight end Ben Sims caught four passes for 40 yards. He had touchdown receptions of one yard and three yards. 

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Terry Yusuf had the most receiving yards for the Bears. He caught two passes for 43 yards.

Baylor redshirt freshman running back Craig “Squirrel” Williams was the Bears’ leading rusher. He gained 82 yards on nine carries. He had the Bears' one rushing touchdown, the 32-yarder.

TCU defenders had 11 tackles-for-loss, five sacks and an interception.

The 11 tackles-for-loss were the most in a game since November 4, 2017, when the Horned Frogs had 12 against Texas.

The five sacks matched the number of sacks TCU had in total through the first four games. The five sacks are the most for the Frogs in a game since they had five in their victory over Cal in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.

Sophomore linebacker Dee Winters and senior safety Trevon Moehrig tied for team-high honors with eight tackles.

Winters tied a career-high with his eight stops, including a sack. It was his first sack of the season and third of his career.

True freshman defensive end Khari Coleme had two tackles-for-loss, including his second sack of the season. He has at least one tackle-for-loss in four straight games and a team-best 7.5 on the year. He ranks second in the Big 12 for tackles-for-loss and 16th for sacks.

Junior safety La’Kendrick Van Zandt had his second interception of the season and third of his career. He has taken part in three takeaways this season.

Junior linebacker Ben Wilson blocked a punt in the second quarter. It was TCU's first punt-block since Garrett Kaufman blocked a punt against Oregon in the 2016 Alamo Bowl. 

TCU will look to get their first win at home this Saturday, November 7, when they take on Texas Tech (2-3). Kickoff at Amon G. Carter Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 pm.

Tech has beaten Houston Baptist, 35-33, and West Virginia, 34-27. Both of those wins were in Lubbock, Texas.

The Red Raiders have lost to: Texas, 63-56 in overtime, in Lubbock; Kansas State, 31-21, in Manhattan, Kansas; Iowa State, 31-15, in Ames, Iowa; and Oklahoma, 62-28, in Lubbock. 

TCU and Texas Tech play for the Saddle Trophy, a longtime tradition that was renewed in 2017.

The Saddle Trophy sits on a stand and includes the logos for TCU and Texas Tech. Scores of the 60-plus years of rivalry are represented on the stand.

Texas Tech holds a 32-27-3 edge over TCU in the all-time series that began in 1926 with a 28-16 TCU victory.

TCU is 19-14 versus the Red Raiders in Fort Worth.

The Frogs have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams: 2014, won 82-27; 2015, won 55-52; 2016, won 63-24; 2017, won 27-3; 2018, lost 17-14; 2019, won 33-31.

The Red Raiders are averaging 31.5 points a game, which ranks fifth in the Big 12.

Tech is averaging 425.7 yards of total offense per game, which ranks sixth in the Big 12.

Tech ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rushing offense, at 146.5 yards per game.

Tech ranks fourth in passing offense, averaging 279.12 yards per game.

Texas Tech's defense ranks ninth in the Big 12, allowing 41.2 points per game.

Tech's defense is allowing 498.78 total yards per game, which ranks 10th in the Big 12.

Texas Tech's defense ranks seventh in the conference against the run, allowing 159.7 rushing yards per game.

The Red Raiders' defense ranks 10th against the pass, allowing 339.2 passing yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Alan Bowman (#10) has played in five games. He has completed 90-of- 137 passes for 920 yards. He ranks eighth in the Big 12. He has thrown seven touchdown passes and four interceptions. He has run four times for 21 yards.

Junior quarterback Henry Colombi (#3) has played in four games. He has completed 77-of-110 passes for 755 yards. He ranks seventh in the Big 12. He has thrown six touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has run 32 times for 99 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore running back SaRodorick Thompson (#4) has rushed 68 times for 378 yards and six touchdowns. He has a long run of 75 yards.

Sophomore running back Xavier White (#14) has carried the football 28 times for 148 yards and one touchdown. He has a long run of 49 yards.

Freshman running back Tahj Brooks (#28) has run 33 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long run of 16 yards.

Sophomore wide receiver Erik Ezukanma (#13) has caught 32 passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns. He has a long reception of 37 yards.

Junior wide receiver KeSean Carter (#82) has 22 receptions for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He has a long reception of 22 yards.

Senior wide receiver T.J. Vasher (#9) has caught 14 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long reception of 29 yards.

Freshman wide receiver Myles Price (#18) has 17 receptions for 163 yards. He has caught one touchdown pass and has a long catch of 44 yards.

Tech's defense has intercepted two passes, forced five fumbles (recovered three) and recorded seven sacks.

Junior linebacker Krishon Merriweather (#1) has 42 tackles and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. He ranks third in tackles in the Big 12.

Senior linebacker Riko Jeffers (#6) has 41 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss and half of a sack. He ranks 13th in the Big 12 for tackles.

Senior defensive back Zech McPhearson (#8) has 34 tackles and one tackle-for-loss.

Senior defensive back Eric Monroe (#11) has three tackles-for-loss.

Senior defensive lineman Eli Howard (#53) has 2.5 sacks.

Sophomore punter Austin McNamara (#31) is averaging 46 yards per punt. He has a long punt of 87 yards. He has had one punt blocked.

Sophomore kicker Trey Wolf (#36) is 0-for-3 on field goal attempts. He has not had an attempt blocked.

Patterson hasn’t commented on the quality of TCU’s practices this week, but it has been a short practice week for the Frogs.

Like other NCAA sports teams across the country, TCU football canceled all practices on Tuesday, November 3, so their athletes could vote in the presidential election.

As fate would have it, we may know who won the Saddle Trophy before we know who won the White House.