TCU Knocks Off Oklahoma State

TCU and Oklahoma State entered the week as two of the best teams standing at the top of the Big 12 standings. But with TCU’s thrilling 43-40 overtime victory over the Cowboys on Saturday, the Horned Frogs now hold the No. 1 spot in the conference.

How it Went Down

It was clear both teams would be energized heading into Fort Worth. The offenses battled back and forth all day long as both teams looked to remain undefeated.

TCU’s Max Duggan and the Cowboys’ Spencer Sanders entered the day atop the conference in terms of quarterbacks, but Duggan won the battle Saturday. He ended the day with 286 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Sanders was still very impressive in the loss, throwing for 245 yards and a score. He also rushed for two touchdowns.

TCU’s biggest advantage was their skill players, running for 224 yards. The ground game was led by Kendre Miller, and wide receiver Quentin Johnston had a tremendous day on the receiving end, catching eight passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

I think TCU WR Quentin Johnston is solidifying himself as a first-round lock.

Coming off of a 206-yard game against Kansas, he has 5 catches for 100 yards in the third quarter today. Dude’s a stud. pic.twitter.com/7wP55RYW2v

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) October 15, 2022

Oklahoma State took an early 14-0 lead toward the end of the first quarter and the Cowboys grew the lead as high as 17.  They held a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Duggan and TCU flipped the switch.

Miller punched in a score with nine minutes to play in regulation and the Horned Frogs kept the momentum going with an incredible 94-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 30. Duggan led the offense to the endzone in just over three minutes.

The teams alternated punts to end regulation, and the game headed to overtime.

TCU’s Overtime to Remain Undefeated

The Horned Frogs started overtime with the ball and took just two plays to find endzone. Duggan connected with an open Johnston for his second score of the day and an overtime lead.

Oklahoma State needed a touchdown to extend the game and was almost stopped as they faced a fourth and long. However, Sanders was able to connect with Braydon Johnson for a first down to extend the drive, and the Cowboys punched it in on the next play to even the game and send it to double overtime.

TCU held Oklahoma State to a field goal on their ensuing drive, which meant a touchdown for the Horned Frogs would end the game.

Six plays later, on a drive that consisted of six run plays, Kendre Miller surged into the endzone to secure 43-40 win for TCU.

TCU BALLGAME https://t.co/jgmTmwCQuK

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 15, 2022

Big 12 Impact

No. 8 TCU advances to 6-0 after the win, with a 3-0 record in the conference. Meanwhile, No. 11 Oklahoma State falls to 5-1 and are now 2-1 in the conference.

Both teams still have their eyes on the Big 12 Championship Game, although the Horned Frogs certainly have a leg up as they lead the conference and have the head-to-head advantage. Additionally, TCU has three consecutive ranked victories including a big win on the road against Kansas. Since the return of the championship game in 2017, there has not been an undefeated team in the game.

https://twitter.com/Big12Conference/status/1581704369451384832

The upcoming matchups for both teams are fierce, however. TCU hosts a tough Kansas State team next week and still has away matchups against Texas and Baylor looming in the distance.

Oklahoma State has back-to-back ranked matchups in Texas and Kansas State, as well as an always energetic Bedlam meeting with the Sooners.

TCU remains the conference’s largest chance for a playoff berth, although Kansas State and Oklahoma State still hold hope as one-loss teams. The nation will see how the playoff committee views all of these teams on Nov. 1, when the first CFP rankings are released.