No. 4 TCU will continue pushing for its first berth in the College Football Playoff when it opposes Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas.
TCU (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) is coming off a 17-10 win at then-No. 18 Texas that secured the Horned Frogs a berth in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 3. Baylor (6-4, 4-3) is looking to bounce back from a 31-3 home loss to then-No. 19 Kansas State on Saturday.
“Nobody had any expectations for this football team at all, other than ourselves,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “We understand that’s the way it is. Our deal has been, ‘Hey, bring it on.’ If we’ve got to win ’em all, fine. Let’s try to win ’em all.”
The Horned Frogs took a 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter against the Longhorns, but TCU had to convert a key third down to run out the clock on its final drive after Texas’ Jahdae Barron scooped up a fumble and returned it 48 yards to cut the gap to 17-10 with 4:25 left.
TCU’s Max Duggan completed 19 of 29 passes for 124 yards and a score against Texas, while Kendre Miller rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Quentin Johnston had three catches for 66 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown.
TCU, which concludes the regular season with a home game against Iowa State on Nov. 26, is led by Duggan. The senior quarterback has completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,531 yards, with 25 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Miller has averaged 6.6 yards per carry while running for 1,147 yards and 13 touchdowns. Johnston has 45 receptions for 716 yards and five scores.
“They are playing with confidence, and they are playing with belief,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “There have been multiple times when they’ve been down, but they are never out. They have the ability to strike quickly, and that ability to flex like that adds to that confidence.”
Baylor, the defending Big 12 champion, saw its three-game winning streak end last week. The Bears fell behind 17-0 in the second quarter against the Wildcats and never recovered. Baylor was outgained 405-306 in total yards and committed the game’s only two turnovers.
While Baylor isn’t eliminated from making the Big 12 title game, the Bears will need to win their final two games and get help. Baylor ends the regular season at Texas on Nov. 25. The Bears already have lost to Kansas State and No. 22 Oklahoma State, which are also fighting for a berth in the Big 12 title game.
Bears quarterback Blake Shapen, who threw for 203 yards with two interceptions on 22-for-38 passing against Kansas State, has thrown for 2,154 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.
Richard Reese has rushed for 852 yards and 13 scores on 165 carries, while Gavin Holmes has 22 receptions for 470 yards and three touchdowns and Monaray Baldwin has 24 catches for 407 yards and four scores.
TCU has defeated Baylor in the past two meetings and in six of the past seven. The Horned Frogs lead the all-time series 57-53-7.
–Field Level Media