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TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who finished second in the voting for the 2022 Heisman Trophy Award, led the 12-1 Horned Frogs into their first College Football National Championship Playoff, despite a 31-28 loss to Kansas State in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Conference Championship Game on December 3.
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#10 Kansas State 31, #3 TCU 28 (OT)
December 3, 2022
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
Attendance: 69,335
Final stats: here
Game highlights: here
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes discusses TCU's loss: here
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes discusses TCU making the National Championship Playoffs: here
TCU quarterback Max Duggan discusses TCU's loss: here
TCU quarterback Max Duggan discusses TCU making the National Championship Playoffs: here
TCU linebacker Dee Winters and wide receiver Quentin Johnston discuss TCU's loss: here
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman, linebacker Daniel Green and running back Deuce Vaughn discuss Kansas State's win: here
Kansas State quarterback Will Howard discusses Kansas State's win: here
Kansas State kicker Ty Zentner discusses Kansas State's win: here
Kansas State offensive lineman Hayden Gillum discusses Kansas State's win: here
Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah discusses Kansas State's win: here
Memorable Season Becomes Incredible for TCU Football
An
undefeated and memorable 2022 regular season for the TCU football team became
even more incredible when on “Selection Sunday,” December 4, TCU was named as
one of four College Football Playoff teams that will compete for college
football’s 2023 national championship.
#3
TCU (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) will play #2 Michigan (13-0, 10-0 Big 12) in a playoff
semifinal game, in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, at 3 pm (Central), on Saturday, December 31,
in State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN, which seemingly has fallen at
least modestly in love with the Horned Frogs and quarterback Max Duggan, will
broadcast the game.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
"TCU has captured the imagination of fans all
over the country, which is very exciting,” said first-year Big 12 Commissioner
Brett Yormark.
The
other two teams in the playoff, reigning national-champion #1 Georgia (13-0,
10-0 SEC) and #4 Ohio State (11-1, 9-1 Big 10), will play in the second
semifinal game, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, at 7 pm (Central), on Saturday,
December 31, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. ESPN will broadcast
the game.
The
winners of the two semifinal games will meet in the College Football National
Playoff Championship Game, in Sofi Stadium, in Inglewood, California, at 6:30
pm (Central), on Monday, January 9, 2023. ESPN will broadcast the game.
In
the final playoff rankings that were released on Sunday, December 4, Georgia
remained number one after its 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC Championship Game.
Michigan
remained number two in the rankings after its 43-22 win over Purdue in the Big
10 Championship Game.
TCU
remained number three in the rankings after its 31-28 overtime loss to then #10
Kansas State in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game (Midnite had predicted
a 34-27 TCU win).
Ohio
State moved up to number four, even though its regular-season loss to Michigan
prevented it from playing in the Big 10 Championship Game. At the number four
spot, the Buckeyes replaced USC, which lost, 47-24, to Utah in the Pac-12
Championship Game.
USC was coached for the first time this season by former
Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, who is the older brother of TCU offensive
coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley.
#10 USC (11-2) will play #16 Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, in Arlington, Texas.
The Playoffs
This
is the first appearance in the national championship playoff for TCU, which
this season became the first Big 12 team to complete the regular season with a 12-0
record since Texas in 2009 and the first league member to go 9-0 in
conference play since Oklahoma in 2016. TCU's five wins over ranked opponents
ties for the national lead this season.
TCU
is the first football program from Texas to qualify for the National
Championship Playoff.
Since
the creation of the college football playoffs in 2014, TCU, Baylor and Texas
A&M had come the closest before this season.
In the
final regular season 2014 college football playoff rankings, Baylor finished
fifth and TCU sixth.
In
2020, which was the COVID season, the Aggies were ranked fifth in the final
college football playoff rankings.
TCU
becomes the only team not named Oklahoma to represent the Big 12 Conference in
the National Championship Playoff. The Sooners were in the playoffs in 2015,
2017, 2018 and 2019.
TCU
is the second team with an undergraduate enrollment of less than 15,000 to make
the playoffs. The other team is Notre Dame, in 2018 and 2020.
In
addition, TCU is the second team to make the playoffs after not being ranked to
begin the season. The first team to do it was Michigan, in 2021. The
second-ranked Wolverines lost to third-ranked Georgia, 34-11.
TCU
was 5-7 in 2021, and16-18 over the past three years.
After
TCU was announced as a playoff participant, there was dancing on the TCU campus
in Fort Worth, Texas, while in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of
Alabama, Kleenex reportedly was signing a sponsorship deal with a weeping Nick
Saban, Alabama’s head coach.
Saban,
who is collegiate football’s whiniest head coach and who believes that college
football revolves around him and the University of Alabama, lobbied for Alabama
to be included in the playoffs over TCU and Ohio State, despite the Crimson
Tide’s two regular-season losses and not qualifying for the SEC Championship
Game.
This
is only the second time in the history of the college football playoffs that
Alabama has not been awarded one of the four spots. It also is the first time
in the college football playoff era that both Alabama and Clemson failed to be
included in the playoffs (Alabama has been in the playoffs seven times, Clemson
six times).
With
TCU making the playoffs, the Big 12 has become the only conference in 2022 that
has had at least one team in the football playoffs, the Men’s Final Four, the
Women’s College World Series and the Men’s College World Series.
Quite
a Journey
Qualifying
to compete for a third national championship in football (the Frogs won national
championships in 1935 and 1938) has been a journey for the Horned Frogs.
And
what a journey it has been.
When after
82 years the Southwest Conference broke up in 1996, TCU was not one of the
teams invited to join the Big Eight Conference to form the Big 12 Conference.
TCU became a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
In
1998, TCU hired Dennis Franchione as its head coach and TCU won that year’s Sun
Bowl, defeating USC, 28-19. It was the Frogs’ first bowl victory since 1957.
In
1999, TCU running back La Dainian Tomlinson led the nation in rushing. In 2020,
Tomlinson won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Trophy as the
nation's best running back, and was a finalist for the 2000 Heisman Trophy.
In 2000, Gary
Patterson was named TCU’s head football coach. Before he resigned during the
2021 season, Patterson became TCU’s winningest football coach, led the Frogs to six conference
championships (one Conference USA, four Mountain West, and one Big 12), their
first BCS Bowl (the 2010 Fiesta Bowl), and 11 bowl game victories, including
the 2010 Rose Bowl, which climaxed a 13-0 season and earned TCU a number two
national ranking.
This season, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who was named the Frogs’
head man in November of 2021, became only the third head coach in the College
Football Playoff era to guide his team to the playoffs in his first season at
the helm.
In addition, Dykes
became the first head football coach in TCU and Big
12 history to start 12-0 in his first season. He is just the fourth head coach
nationally since 1996 to accomplish the feat.
The 2022 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will be the first bowl game for the Horned
Frogs since the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl, a 10-7 overtime win
against Cal.
TCU was selected to the 2020 Texas Bowl versus Arkansas, but the
game was canceled because of COVID concerns.
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will mark the
35th bowl appearance in TCU's history. The Horned Frogs are 17-16-1 in bowl
games.
Big 12 Bowling
TCU is
one of eight Big 12 teams that qualified for bowl games this season. Here is
the bowl information for the seven other teams:
- Baylor
(6-6,
4-5): against Air Force, in the Lockheed-Martin Armed Forces Bowl,
December 22, in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Oklahoma
State (7-5,
4-5): against Wisconsin, in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, December 27,
in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Texas
Tech (7-5,
5-4): against Ole Miss, in the Tax Slayer Texas Bowl, December 28,
in Houston, Texas.
- Kansas
(6-6,
3-6): against Arkansas, in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, December 28,
in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Oklahoma
(6-6,
3-6): against Florida State, in the Cheez-It Bowl, December 29, in
Orlando, Florida.
- #20
Texas (8-4,
6-3): against #12 Washington, in the Valero Alamo Bowl, December
29, in San Antonio, Texas.
- #5
Kansas State (10-3,
7-2): against #5 Alabama, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, December 31,
in New Orleans, Louisiana.
More bowl game information: here
Frogs Amass Awards
In addition to making the
playoffs, the Horned Frogs have been showered with national awards:
- Duggan was one of four finalists
for the Heisman Trophy. He came in second to the winner, USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The other two finalists were Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, who also was a finalist last year. Duggan is TCU's first
Heisman Trophy finalist since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2000. Davey
O'Brien won TCU's lone Heisman Trophy in 1938.
- Duggan won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. He is the first
Horned Frog to win the award, which is named
after TCU's 1938 Heisman winner who led the Horned Frogs to the national
championship that season.
- Duggan won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
- Duggan was unanimously voted as the Associated Press’ (AP) Big 12Offensive
Player of the Year.
- The Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous
First-Team All-Big 12 selection, Duggan also finished second in voting for
the Associated Press Player of the Year Award, and was a finalist for the
Manning Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year.
- Cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tominson was honored with the 2022
Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back.
- Offensive lineman Steve Avila was named a Walter Camp Football
Foundation First-Team All-American. Walter Camp is the nation's oldest
All-America team.
- Avila was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, presented to the nation's best interior lineman on offense or defense
- Avila has accepted an
invitation to play in the 2023 Senior Bowl.
- Wide receiver Quentin Johnston was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which honors the top receiver in college football.
- Running back Kendre Miller was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the top running back in college football.
- Duggan, Avila, Johnston and Miller are semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, presented to a player who was either born in Texas, graduated from a state high school or plays at a Texas-based University.
- Tight end Dominic DiNunzio is a finalist for the Armed Forces Merit Award, which is presented by the Football Writers Association of America to an individual and/or a group with a military background and/or
involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football. DiNunzio attends TCU on an ROTC scholarship.
- Defensive lineman Dylan Horton has accepted an invitation to play in the 2023 Senior Bowl.
- Wide receiver/returner Derius Davis has accepted an invitation to play in the 2023 Senior Bowl.
- Dykes was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Coach of the Year.
- Dykes was named the Home Depot Coach of the Year.
- Dykes is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.
- Dykes won a “Herbie Award” as Coach of the Year.
- Dykes was named Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Coach of the Year.
- Dykes unanimously was voted as the Associated Press’ Big 12 Conference Coach of
the Year.
- Garrett Riley,
in his first season as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, won the
2022 Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football.
- Numerous players were named to the All-Big 12
Conference team and the Associated Press’ All-Big 12 team.
Big
12 Championship Game
The national
accolades and TCU being selected as one of the four playoff participants take
some of the sting out of the Horned Frogs' 31-28 overtime loss to Kansas State in the Dr.
Pepper Big 12 Conference Championship game.
The championship game
was played on December 3, in AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, with ESPN
GameDay in attendance for a third TCU game this season (previously in Lawrence,
Kansas, and Austin, Texas).
The upset victory
earned K-State (10-3 overall) its first outright Big 12 Conference championship
since 2003, and earned the Wildcats the right to play a pissed off Saban and
his Crimson Tide team in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The Wildcats finished
second to TCU in the Big 12 with a 7-2 record. During the regular season, on
October 22, in Fort Worth, TCU recorded a 38-28 comeback win over then
17th-ranked Kansas State.
Even though the Frogs
lost the game, the Big 12 Conference Championship Game was another national
stage for Duggan to display his talents, athleticism and resolute determination
to win.
With 4:47 left in the
game, TCU trailed K-State, 28-20. TCU had the ball at its 20-yard line.
With 1:51 left in the
game, Duggan scored a touchdown on an eight-yard run. The score climaxed a drive
that totaled 95 yards, since TCU had to endure an additional 15 yards on an
offensive pass interference penalty.
The most amazing
thing about the drive is that Duggan rushed for all 95 yards. His runs included
a 19-yarder on fourth down, and a 40-yarder that set up his eight-yard
touchdown run, after which he collapsed for a few moments from exhaustion.
At that point of the
hard-fought game, many of the Frogs were near the point of exhaustion. Many
fans were unaware that TCU had played its final 10 games of the season without
a bye week. The Frogs’ bye week came after their win over Tarleton State, which
was the second game of the season.
Still trailing, 28-26,
after Duggan’s touchdown run, TCU needed a successful two-point conversion to
tie the game and possibly send it to overtime.
Duggan delivered
again, on a pass to tight end Jared Wiley.
Neither team scored
in the final 1:51 of regulation.
On the opening
possession of overtime, TCU thought it had scored a go-ahead touchdown on a
second-down run by Duggan, but replays showed he was inches short of the goal
line when he went down.
Inexplicably, the
football was spotted at the one-yard line, rather than closer to the goal line.
That
one yard, unfortunately, would become the longest yard of TCU’s remarkable season.
On third down, Duggan gave the
football to running back Kendre Miller, who was declared down short of the goal
line, despite an apparent touchdown by Miller.
The Big
12 issued a statement after the game. The conference said replays showed the
ball was kicked out of Miller’s hands and recovered short of the goal line.
On
fourth down, rather than settle for playing for the lead and kicking a short
field goal, Dykes went for a touchdown.
Duggan
again gave the football to Miller. Again, he was stopped short of the goal
line.
Six
plays later, a 31-yard field goal by Ty Zentner won the game for Kansas State.
In the Dr. Pepper Big 12
Conference Championship Game, Duggan made his 41st career start and became the
first player with 250 yards passing and 100 rushing in a conference
championship game since Deshaun Watson in the 2015 ACC title game.
Duggan completed 18-of-36
passes for 251 yards and a touchdown. He threw one interception. He rushed 15
times for a team-best 110 yards, giving him 361 total yards in the game. He had
the one rushing touchdown.
Duggan's touchdown pass
gave him 30 on the season, third-most at TCU behind only Trevone Boykin (33,
2014; 31, 2015).
For the regular season,
Duggan completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,321 yards (third-most in TCU
history) and 30 touchdowns (third-most in TCU history). He threw four
interceptions. He added 404 yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Miller rushed 17 times for
82 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State. His touchdown run of six yards gave him a
rushing score in all 13 games thus far this year, breaking the TCU record for
the longest streak to begin a season. Pro Football Hall of Famer and TCU Board
of Trustees member LaDainian Tomlinson ran for a touchdown in all 12 games in
2000.
Miller's 14 consecutive
games with a rushing touchdown is the longest active streak in the nation and
ranks second all-time at TCU, behind only Tomlinson (15, 1999-00).
Miller has a team-best 17
rushing touchdowns, fourth-most in a season at TCU. His 26 career rushing
touchdowns rank eighth in TCU history.
Wide receiver Quentin
Johnston had four receptions for 139 yards, his third 100-yard game of the
season and eighth of his career. He had catches of 53 and 51 yards. He also had
a fumble, which was recovered by the Wildcats deep in Kansas State territory.
Wide receiver Taye Barber
had a one-yard touchdown catch on TCU’s opening series. It was his fourth
touchdown reception of the season and 10th in his career. Barber's three
catches in the game give him 156 in his career, the most among current Horned
Frogs.
Defensively, the
Frogs gave up 404 yards to K-State. The Wildcats had 205 rushing yards and 199
passing yards.
Kansas State running
back Deuce Vaughn ran the football 26 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. He
was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Kansas State
quarterback Will Howard completed 18-of-32 passes for 199 yards and two
touchdowns. He was sacked three times.
TCU linebacker
Shadrach Banks had a career-high and team-best 10 tackles, including a tackle
for loss.
Safety Bud Clark’s
eight tackles game him
a career high for the second consecutive game. He had six stops against Iowa
State.
Safety Millard Bradford tied
his season-high with seven tackles.
Defensive lineman Dylan
Horton had two sacks to give him 6.5 on the season, second on the team.
Linebacker Dee Winters had
a sack to give him a team-best 7.5 on the season. The sack was part of his eight
tackles on the day.
Kicker Griffin Kell had a
pair of 42-yard field goals. He missed a 55-yarder. Kell is 16-of-18 on the
season and 45-of-57 in his career.
After losing to Kansas
State, which now is the #9 team in the country, TCU must face the #2 team in
the country, the Michigan Wolverines, in a semifinal game of the 2022 College
Football National Playoff.
The Fiesta Bowl
In the Vrbo
Fiesta Bowl, the Horned Frogs and Wolverines will meet for the first time ever.
TCU’s last
game against a Big 10 opponent was a 34-13 win at Purdue in 2019.
TCU’s most
memorable win over a Big 10 opponent was the Frogs’ 21-19 win over Wisconsin in
the 2011 Rose Bowl.
This will be
TCU’s second Fiesta Bowl. The Horned Frogs dropped a 17-10 decision to Boise
State in the 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in Glendale, Arizona.
In its only
Fiesta Bowl appearance, Michigan
defeated Nebraska, 27-23, in the 1986 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, which was played in Tempe,
Arizona, in Sun Devil Stadium, which is the home of Arizona State University's football team.
The Michigan Wolverines
Head coach of the
Wolverines is Jim Harbaugh, who was a quarterback at Michigan from 1983-1986
and who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears.
Harbaugh has been
Michigan’s head coach since 2015. His record with the Wolverines is 74-24
overall, 51-17 Big 10.
Michigan has lost its last
five bowl games: the Orange Bowl in 2016; the Outback Bowl in 2017; the Peach
Bowl in 2018; the Citrus Bowl in 2019; and the Orange Bowl (semifinal playoff
game) in 2021.
The Wolverines’ 13-0
season includes these victims: Colorado State, 51-7; Hawaii, 56-10; UConn,
59-0; Maryland, 34-27; Iowa, 27-14; Indiana, 31-10; # 10 Penn State, 41-17;
Michigan State, 29-7; Rutgers, 52-17; Nebraska, 34-2; Illinois, 19-17; #2 Ohio
State, 45-23; and Purdue (Big 10 championship game), 43-22.
Offensively, Michigan
averages 40.08 points per game, and 453.5 total offensive yards per game; 243
rushing yards and 210.46 passing yards. The Wolverines’ offense has scored 38
rushing touchdowns and 22 passing touchdowns. They have allowed 13 sacks.
Michigan’s offense is led
by sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy (#9). He has completed 188-of-288
passes. He is averaging 182.77 passing yards per game. He has thrown 20
touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has a long pass completion of 75
yards.
Michigan’s top receiver is
graduate student wide receiver Ronnie Bell (#8). He has caught 56 passes for
754 yards. He has three touchdown receptions and a long reception of 49 yards.
Senior wide receiver Cornelius
Johnson (#6) has caught 30 passes for 469 yards and six touchdowns. He has a
long reception of 75 yards.
Fifth-year tight end Luke
Schoonmaker (#86) has caught 34 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns. He
has a long reception of 40 yards.
Roman Wilson (#14), a
junior wide receiver, has caught 20 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
He has a long catch of 61 yards.
Freshman tight end Colston
Loveland (#18) has two receiving touchdowns.
Junior running back Blake
Corum (#2) was Michigan’s biggest offensive threat during the season, but he
suffered a knee injury in the first half of Michigan’s win over Illinois, the
Wolverines’ 11th game of the season.
Corum, who finished
seventh in this year’s Heisman voting, attempted to play in Michigan’s final
regular-season game, against Ohio State. He took two carries for six yards
before withdrawing from the game due to his injured knee. Corum then underwent
season-ending surgery on the knee.
Corum had run 247 times
for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was averaging 5.9 yards per carry and
121.9 rushing yards per game.
Sophomore running back
Donovan Edwards (#7), 6-4, 204 pounds, now is Michigan’s main running back. He
has run 117 times for 872 yards, an average of 7.5 yards per carry and 87.20
yards per game. He has scored seven rushing touchdowns and two receiving
touchdowns. He has a long run of 85 yards.
In the Wolverines’ 45-23 win
over Ohio State, Edwards rushed 22 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns, one
on a 75-yard run and another on an 85-yard run. Both of the touchdown runs came
in the fourth quarter, to ice a game Michigan had been leading 31-23.
Michigan’s
offensive line is anchored by graduate student Olusegun Oluwatimi (#55), a 6-3, 307-pound
center. Oluwatimi has been honored this postseason with the 2022 Outland Trophy, which recognizes
college football’s
most outstanding interior lineman, and the 2022 Rimington Trophy, which recognizes college football’s outstanding center.
Michigan has one of the
best defenses in college football, allowing the fifth-fewest points per game
(13.4) and the third-fewest yards per play (4.45).
Michigan’s defense allowed
only 277.1 total yards per game. Opponents averaged 85.2 rushing yards per game
against the Wolverines, scoring seven rushing touchdowns. Michigan allowed 191.85
passing yards per game, giving up only nine touchdowns through the air. Michigan’s
defense recorded 36 sacks.
The Wolverines’ leading
tackler is sophomore linebacker Junior Colson (#25). He has recorded 95 tackles,
including six tackles for loss and two sacks.
Graduate student
linebacker Michael Barrett (#23) has 67
tackles, including four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also has intercepted
two passes.
Sophomore defensive back Rod
Moore (#19) has 59 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. He has intercepted
three passes.
Freshman defensive back Will
Johnson (#2) has intercepted three passes.
Junior edge rusher Jaylen
Harrell (#32), who is 6-4, 246 pounds, has 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Senior edge rusher Mike
Morris (#90), who is 6-6, 292 pounds, has 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
Senior defensive lineman Mazi
Smith (#58), who is 6-3, 337 pounds, has 45 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for
loss.
Despite a legal issue, Smith
is slated to play for the Wolverines in the Fiesta Bowl.
Smith,
a Michigan co-captain, recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapon charge as
part of plea deal that could allow him to avoid a criminal record. A felony
charge he faced was dismissed during the recent hearing.
Smith is
expected to be sentenced later this month under Michigan’s Holmes Youthful
Trainee Act. It allows young adults to avoid a criminal record if they
successfully complete all conditions given to them.
During his
hearing, Smith admitted to carrying a Glock 19 handgun in an illegal way when on
October 7 Ann Arbor, Michigan, police stopped his vehicle for speeding.
Harbaugh said that Smith remaining an
active member of the football team was a collaborative decision among the head
coach, school President Santa Ono and Athletic Director Warde Manuel.
Offensively and defensively, Michigan has been a
second-half team this season, with a plus 186-point differential after
halftime. That is the second-highest margin for any FBS team through 12 games
over the past 10 years.
Michigan’s punter is graduate
student Brad Robbins (#91). He is averaging 41.97 yards per punt. He has a long
punt of 62 yards. He has not had a punt blocked.
Graduate student Jake
Moody (#13) is Michigan’s place kicker. Last year, he won the Lou Groza Award,
which recognizes college football’s premier kicker. This season, Moody made
26-of-32 field goals, with a long field goal of 54 years. He had one field goal
blocked.
Huge Opportunity
Despite losing the
Big 12 Conference Championship Game on the first Saturday of December, the
Horned Frogs have an opportunity to close out this year with a much bigger win
over the Michigan Wolverines in a College Football Playoff semifinal game, and
then play for an even bigger championship – the national championship, which a
TCU football team has not won since 1938.
“I
wanted this one bad,” said Duggan about the Big 12 Conference Championship Game.
“I’m devastated about not bringing the (conference) title home to Fort Worth and TCU. “There’s nothing more we
wanted for each other and this school and we fell short. We’re sorry for that.
“I love
this school and our guys love this school. We’re going to give everything we’ve
got to give this school a (national) championship.”
If
Duggan and his Horned Frogs teammates are successful in the playoffs, what already
has been an incredible season will become even more remarkable.
The
betting line: Michigan is favored
by 9.5 points. The over/under is 59.5 points.
Midnite’s
prediction:TCU 30, Michigan 28
