The Bears have to win their last two games, and No. 5 Oklahoma has to lose Saturday at No. 9 Oklahoma State, where Baylor won last week. The game wasn’t the only thing ruined on Friday night though, as the loss effectively removes Baylor from College Football Playoff contention.
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In one of the ugliest first halves in recent memory, Baylor and TCU combined for 5 turnovers, two converted third downs, a ton of punts, and just 28 points.
Baylor head coach Art Briles was calling timeout as that play unfolded and was awarded the do-over.
“Crazy, man. It was like a 12-round fight, to be honest”, said Boykin, who threw an eight-yard TD pass to a wide-open KaVontae Turpin for the eventual game victor in the second OT. After coming out of the gate throwing dimes on TCU’s first drive, Boykin has showed that he’s clearly not 100%, particularly running the ball, and if that aspect of his game isn’t there, he’s not the same guy. He got us there, and he’s going to get us there again. Boykin missed TCU’s game against Oklahoma last weekend with an ankle injury, but was able to start, albeit with his ankle heavily taped.
Even though both teams have had star-crossed seasons, Baylor would have been very much alive for a Big 12 title had it won Friday, needing only Oklahoma State to beat Oklahoma on Saturday to be named outright champions. Billings, while clogging up the middle, also posted two sacks totaling 17 yards in losses versus the Cowboys. “I thought Chris played hard, I thought he played valiantly”, Briles said. The start of the game was delayed 50 minutes because of lighting. “It was something that we were fully prepared for to play to the end”.
Chafin had caught a 4-yard touchdown pass to complete the first Baylor overtime.
Johnson threw a jump pass that got Baylor on the board first in the first overtime and Boykin had a nice misdirection play that saw him waltz into the end zone for the tying score.
The first half started with the Baylor and TCU offenses swinging at each other like heavyweights. Boykin hit wide receiver Jarrison Stewart for the 25-yard touchdown. “You just can’t have that many turnovers and expect to win the football game, especially late in the year”.
“It was a real dogfight”, said defensive end Josh Carraway, who had a critical 56-yard fumble return for a touchdown to tie the game in the second quarter and score the final points of regulation. Much depends on what happens between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on Saturday, but the Horned Frogs appear to be headed for one more opportunity to close out the 2015 season in style.
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Neither team had over 200 yards of offense in the first half, and the second half wasn’t any better. The game was played in a driving rain with a wind chill in the mid-20s, which is just about the most miserable weather imaginable. Robert Merrill had 1,107 yards in 2003. One of them is Baylor scoring a touchdown on every game’s first drive this season. For the moneyline, bettors will find TCU is a +105 home underdog, while Baylor is a -125 favorite to win.
