TCU’s Comeback Over Kansas Needed More Than Timely Bursts

TCU’s first half contained 80 yards of promise and no points. The Horned Frogs drove 13 plays from their own 19 to the Kansas 1, then came up short on fourth-and-2 when Jaden Craig’s pass to Jacobe Hayes reached only the 1-yard line. Kansas led 13-0 at halftime, and the Jayhawks had earned that cushion with a cleaner, more dependable afternoon.

TCU still escaped with a 22-16 victory Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, moving to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12. The comeback was clever in spots and impressive at the finish. It was also built around two very short scoring bursts and one late possession that finally looked like a complete drive.

Eight punts and 286 total yards leave little room for pretending the offense found a permanent answer.

Kansas controlled the early terms by making possessions last. Cole Ballard completed 20 of 35 passes for 285 yards, Cam Pickett caught 10 passes for 113 yards and Nahzae Cox finished with 145 receiving yards. The Jayhawks ran 46 times for 166 yards and held the ball for 38:57, compared with TCU’s 21:03.

Martin Connington made field goals from 34, 42 and 27 yards, while Ballard’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Pickett gave Kansas a reward for one of its first-half possessions.

The Jayhawks nearly made the halftime advantage more imposing after the break. Kansas went 10 plays and 71 yards, reaching the TCU 1 before Ballard was stopped on fourth-and-2. TCU’s defense had finally delivered a goal-line stand.

The offense answered with three plays, three yards and another punt. That is a difficult way to turn a stop into momentum; it is more like receiving a gift and immediately misplacing the receipt.

Max Carroll changed the arithmetic without fixing the underlying problem. Kansas faced fourth-and-5 at the TCU 39, and Ballard’s pass was intercepted by Carroll, who returned it 60 yards for a touchdown. TCU still trailed 13-7.

The play mattered because it supplied seven points without requiring Craig to build a drive from scratch, especially on an afternoon when TCU had not created much continuity. It was a rescue contribution, not an offensive breakthrough.

The next Horned Frogs score arrived with comparable speed. After Kansas punted, TCU needed three plays and 1:15 to cover 72 yards. Craig began with a 36-yard completion to Kari Ashley, then ran for 15 yards before Ace Theus broke a 28-yard touchdown run.

Theus had two carries for 30 yards and a score. TCU led 14-13, having produced its first 14 points through an interception return and a three-play possession.

Kansas responded with a drive that explained why the game remained unsettled. The Jayhawks traveled 83 yards in nine plays, converted fourth-and-1 from the TCU 33 and took a 16-14 lead on Connington’s 27-yard field goal. TCU had just gained three yards and punted.

Kansas then made its possession continue through the middle of the field and into scoring range. Its 451 yards were not decorative, even though the Jayhawks repeatedly failed to turn them into touchdowns.

At last, TCU produced the kind of possession its defense had been waiting to receive. Starting at its own 16 with 4:54 remaining, the Horned Frogs drove 84 yards in 13 plays over 3:43. A 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty helped extend the series, but the decisive work came afterward.

Craig ran for first downs, connected with Ed Small for 17 yards on third-and-10 from the TCU 41, and found Jordan Dwyer for seven yards on third-and-4 from the Kansas 36. On third-and-5 from the Kansas 24, Craig kept the ball for seven yards. On the very next play, he ran 17 yards for the touchdown.

A successful two-point conversion made it 22-16.

That final drive was the afternoon’s most encouraging offensive sequence because TCU answered several situations that usually produce another punt. It also stood out precisely because so much of the game had not looked like that. Craig completed 13 of 29 passes for 141 yards with no touchdown and no interception.

He added 87 net rushing yards on 15 carries, making his running a central part of the winning possession. His contribution was substantial, but an offense that repeatedly needs its quarterback to manufacture the next first down is working with a narrow margin.

Kansas had one last possession and moved to midfield, but TCU forced an incompletion on third-and-15 with six seconds remaining. The clock expired before a fourth-down play could occur. That finish secured the win along with Carroll’s return, Theus’ sudden run and Craig’s late burst.

Those moments were enough against Kansas. They were not enough to make eight punts and 286 yards comfortable. TCU preserved the afternoon by finding points in clusters; sustaining drives is what will keep the next one from becoming another escape.

Sources

TCU: official game book and play-by-play