Neither team is at full strength, but the public clearly has their favorite when No. 15 TCU hosts No. 7 Baylor tonight at 7:30PM ET.
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The Horned Frogs got a measure of redemption against the Bears with a 28-21 double-overtime win, securing a 10-2 regular season and knocking No. 7 Baylor out of College Football Playoff contention. The Frogs protected the ball better, but quarterback Trevone Boykin was visibly slowed by an ankle injury that kept him out of last week’s Oklahoma game.
“When you see how many injuries we have on our roster, to be able to come out with 10 wins like we did is really something you’ll remember better than past year because of what we’ve been through”, Boykin said. “We knew the whole game, we just had to fight through the weather and the distractions and all the adversity and just play football”.
Baylor entered the game with the No. 1 offense in the nation at 644.1 yards per game, while TCU’s offense ranked third at 588.2. “This is one of the greatest feelings in the world. You just can’t have that many turnovers and expect to win the game, especially late in the year”. But we’re not done yet.
“We both had to play in it. I had a heavy jacket on and I just got soaked”.
In the second half, Chris Johnson fumbled with 14:13 left in regulation at the TCU 22. The Bears lost to the Sooners a few weeks ago, but an Oklahoma loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday would have all but handed the Bears the Big 12 title. Baylor’s junior wide receiver has been held without a touchdown the past two games after starting the season with a touchdown in every game. Chafin was, by far, the most effective offensive player on the field for Baylor on Friday.
Boy, the game on Friday night between the TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears was not what we all expected, but it still ended up being a classic game in its own right, even though it wasn’t a 61-58 shootout like last season. Then, in the second quarter, Josh Carraway managed to pick up a fumble for 56 yards and a touchdown to tie the game 14-14.
The Bears had four fumbles and five of the game’s seven turnovers.
Chafin had caught a 4-yard touchdown pass to complete the first Baylor overtime.
The Horned Frogs got the ball next, and also scored a touchdown, after Boykin ran it in from one yard out.
As the game progressed, though, and rain continued to soak the ball and field, neither team established much traction on offense. But Perry deserves the game ball, and probably a steak dinner, for pulling off the day’s most remarkable play. “It could have gone either way at the end”.
Johnson took the snap and plunged forward. “I thought Chris [Johnson] played hard, he played valiantly but it’s just hard to execute in those conditions”, said head coach Art Briles. He stripped the ball from Johnson with Baylor in the red zone in the fourth quarter.
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Kickoff was delayed by almost an hour due to inclement weather, and the elements did not exactly improve. The TCU band was on the field during the invocation and about to perform the National Anthem when the field was cleared because of that warning.
