TCU aces a tough test on the road against Razorbacks

Sure, TCU made the grade against Jackson State in its opener. But what about a test against a Southeastern Conference school ... on the road?

Pffft, not a problem.

In most ways, the No. 23 Horned Frogs dominated for the second consecutive week with a 28-7 takedown of Arkansas. To do it in front of a sell-out crowd of 73,668 at Razorback Stadium, however, was impressive. The seven total points allowed through two games are the fewest for TCU since holding Grambling State and Kansas to six the first two weeks of 2012.

Offense

B — Not a ton of flash but it wasn’t necessary in what became a battle at the line of scrimmage. TCU’s offensive line led the way to 361 yards, including 195 yards rushing. Darius Anderson had a 106 yards, including a 14-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter. Kenny Hill completed 21 of 31 passes for 166 yards and an interception and also rushed for 35 yards. He spread it around, too, completing passes to eight receivers. Desmon White and KaVontae Turpin led the Frogs with five catches each. A fumble by center Patrick Morris on a snap at the Arkansas 3 squandered a scoring chance on TCU’s first drive of the second half.

Defense

A+ — Seventeen Horned Frogs recorded tackles, including a team-high eight by Ridwan Issahaku, who had one of three sacks and two of the six tackles for loss by TCU. Ben Banogu and Innis Gaines each forced fumbles. The defense was more dominant than the final statistics indicate. After the Razorbacks gained 137 yards in the first quarter, they were held to 130 the final three quarters, including just 10 in the second quarter.

Special teams

A — The kickoff coverage team iced the game after the Frogs took a 21-7 lead with 2:18 to play. Innis Gaines forced a fumble that Sammy Douglas recovered at the Arkansas 13. Sewo Olonilua scored from there out of the Wildcat formation to give the Frogs a commanding 28-7 lead. Jonathan Song converted his four point-after attempts. Turpin returned two kickoffs for a combined 60 yards, including a long of 37 yards

Extra credit

Defensive end Ben Banogu’s sack and forced fumble on Arkansas’ first series of the game forced a punt and set a tone TCU maintained the rest of the day. He had seven tackles and a sack in each game.

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 7:58 PM with the headline "TCU aces a tough test on the road against Razorbacks."