TCU won a thriller in Lubbock, but Patterson remembers pitched water bottles

Does TCU coach Gary Patterson ever think about the heart-stopping ending of the last game his team played in Lubbock?

Perhaps sarcastically — no, definitely sarcastically — he answered, “Yeah, all the time.”

It ought to be a pleasant memory. Aaron Green’s catch off a tipped pass meant for Josh Doctson on fourth-and-goal in the final minute gave the Horned Frogs a 55-52 victory in 2015.

But don’t blame Patterson if he isn’t all that enthused.

He does remember the comeback ...

“And the frozen water bottle that hit me upside the head,” he said Tuesday at his midweek press conference. “And also Coach Meacham.”

Other people on the TCU sideline have said they were also hit or saw Patterson and then-co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham get hit.

“Everybody else gets tortillas, and we get frozen water bottles,” Patterson said. “It’s a lovely relationship that we have.”

Patterson smiled a little when he said that, but he can afford to smile right now. His team walked away victorious from one of the most amazing finishes in Big 12 history — a finish that almost topped itself when Jakeem Grant nearly returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

“You can’t hardly tackle him in a phone booth,” Patterson said after the game.

It remains one of the most amazing games in the series. The numbers and performances were eye-popping.

Doctson caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin threw for 485 yards. Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington ran for 188 yards and four touchdowns. Pat Mahomes threw for 392 yards and two touchdowns for Tech.

Tech wound up at 607 yards. TCU at 750.

It took that kind of performance for the Horned Frogs to break a four-game losing streak in Lubbock.

Saturday, they have a chance to put together back-to-back wins in Lubbock for the first time. They are only 6-18-3 in Lubbock in a series that began in 1926.

Their reward for a win Saturday would be a chance to all but clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship the following week by beating Baylor.

Hopefully nothing worse.

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 1:34 PM with the headline "TCU won a thriller in Lubbock, but Patterson remembers pitched water bottles."