TCU rallies for win over K-State

Manhattan, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–The scene was set for an upset on Saturday at Bill Snyder Stadium, as the N0. 2 team in the country TCU looked to remain undefeated and in the hunt for not only a Big 12 title, but stay in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. K-State executed nearly everything right to pull off the big win, but the Horned Frogs put up 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a 55-yard pass play from Trevone Boykin to Josh Doctson with 1:10 remaining to win 52-45 over the Wildcats in front of 53,671 fans, the third largest crowd in stadium history.

It took only 14 seconds for the Horned Frogs to get on the board. On the first offensive play of the game, Aaron Green went up the middle 86 yards for a touchdown to give TCU the early 7-0 lead. Kansas State responded though, as quarterback Joe Hubener punched it in from two yards out to tie the game at seven with 9:39 left in the opening quarter. The Horned Frogs took only 1:42 to retake the lead, as Josh Doctson hauled in a spectacular ball from Trevone Boykin from 32 yards out to give them the 14-7 lead after one period.

K-State (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) tied the game early in the second quarter on a Hubener 17-yard run with 12:51 left before halftime. Just a little over a minute later, it was TCU getting back on the board with a Jaden Oberkrom 50-yard field goal to give them a 17-14 lead. The Wildcats would be fired up for the last seven minutes of the half. They took the lead on a 28-yard run by Charles Jones to go up 21-17 with 6:56 left in the half. Jones would score again four plays after an Elijah Lee interception on a seven yard run with 4:56 remaining in the second quarter. to give the Cats a 28-17 lead. K-State was not done though. Hubener picked up his third rushing touchdown of the half on a one-yard rugby-like scrum to give them a 35-17 halftime lead.

As much momentum as Kansas State had in the first half, it quickly shifted in the third quarter for a second straight week. It started when Derrick Kindred picked off Hubener, and returned the interception 60 yard to pull TCU (6-0, 3-0) to within 35-21 nearly two minutes into the third quarter. The Horned Frogs would strike again in the period. Aaron Green rushed in from eight yards out with 7:14 left in the quarter to pull them to within 35-31 heading into the final quarter.

The final period would be full of drama. K-State scored their first points of the half on a Joe Hubener one-yard run with 12:21 left in the game to give the Wildcats a 42-31 lead. TCU responded with a flury of points. Trevone Boykin showed signs of being a Heisman candidate in the final quarter, as he scored from 14 yards out to pull the Horned Frogs to within 42-37 with 7:55 remaining. After holding K-State three and out, Boykin put TCU in front with a 69-yard run to give them a 45-42 lead with 6:07 left in the game. The Wildcats marched down the field and tied the game on a Jack Cantele 37-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining. The Horned Frogs took the lead for good 37 seconds later on the second Boykin to Doctson pass. TCU would sack Hubener late in the game and recover his fumble, and escape Manhattan with the 52-45 win.

TCU had 543 yards of total offense, and only possessed the ball for 20:15. Trevone Boykin rushed for 124 yards and passed for 301 yards with four total touchdowns. Aaron Green rushed for 121 yards and two scores, while Josh Doctson had eight catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

K-State had 385 yards of offense, 228 coming on the ground. Joe Hubener had four rushing touchdowns and 111 rushing hards on 26 carries, and was 13-33 for 157 yards through the air. Deante Burton caught five passes for 65 yards. The Wildcats had the ball for 39:45 and were 6-6 in red zone scoring chances.

TCU visits Iowa State Saturday at 6 pm, while Kansas State hosts Oklahoma at 2:30 on Saturday.

Head Coach Bill Snyder Postgame