TCU football gets back on track, whipping Kansas 51-14 to open Big 12 play

TCU running back Darius Anderson could only help but smile. His feelings following this year’s Kansas game were entirely different compared to last season.

“One hundred times better,” Anderson said. “Way better. That was the worst feeling. Yeah, I feel way better.”

There won’t be any talk of a “butt fumble” or KU pulling off an improbable upset. Instead, TCU handled its business in dominant fashion with a 51-14 victory Saturday afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Anderson shined once again on offense, topping the 100-yard rushing mark for the third consecutive game. TCU had 625 yards of total offense — 319 on the ground and 306 through the air.

Talk about TCU (3-1) bouncing back in style following a disappointing loss to SMU. It’s the Frogs’ most offensive yards since they had 688 against Baylor in 2016.

“We went into practice this week with a chip on our shoulder,” said Anderson, who becomes the program’s first player with three consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts since Lonta Hobbs in 2002.

“Just kept working and grinding. Some of the best practices we’ve ever had, so just going in with the same mentality to keep pushing and pushing. It’s a great feeling, knowing what we can do.”

TCU got off to a much-desired “fast start” for the first time, jumping out to a 38-0 lead in the first half.

Quarterback Max Duggan completed 5 of 6 passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. This is the same guy who completed just 1 of 10 passes for 22 yards in his starting debut against SMU.

And Duggan wasn’t even TCU’s leading passer in the opening half. Fifth-year senior Alex Delton came off the bench with the Frogs ahead 28-0 midway through the second quarter.

Delton led a TD and field goal drive, completing 7 of 9 passes for 115 yards in the first half.

“I thought Delton looked a lot more comfortable to be honest with you,” coach Gary Patterson said of the quarterbacks.

Patterson pointed to the first offensive series. Even though TCU scored a TD for the first time on an opening drive this season, Duggan made a questionable decision on what became a 26-yard TD pass to junior Dylan Thomas.

“Probably shouldn’t have threw into double coverage,” Patterson said. “(Thomas) just made a good play. Really should have checked down to the back. There wasn’t anybody on the back.”

Thomas agreed Duggan shouldn’t have thrown that ball, but he always embraces an opportunity to bail his quarterback out.

“You always appreciate it when your quarterback has some faith to give you a chance to make a play,” Thomas said. “When it comes your way, you’ve just got to capitalize.”

Patterson mentioned a couple more plays in which Duggan missed the open receiver.

“He’s just got to keep progressing,” Patterson said. “You can’t force the offense. One of the things about being a great quarterback is you let the offense run itself. He’s got to calm down. You don’t need great plays. You just need to make the plays you’re supposed to make. And he will. He’s just going to keep getting better.”

Duggan and Delton each saw action in the second half, and junior Mike Collins even got QB snaps late in the fourth quarter. Duggan finished the game 8 of 11 for 100 yards with two TDs, while Delton was 10 of 15 for 186 yards.

But TCU played much better in all phases in the opening half compared to the second half. The offense scored on all of its possessions, Jalen Reagor produced a special teams touchdown with a 73-yard punt return and the defense pitched a shutout.

It wasn’t as clean in the second half with Kansas scoring a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“What I told them downstairs was this: Good first half; I wasn’t particularly happy with the second,” Patterson said. “You want to be a great football team, then you’ve got to finish.”

Cornerback Jeff Gladney agreed.

“It’s a 60-minute game,” Gladney said. “Not a 30-minute game.”

Overall, though, there’s little to complain about.

The defense did its part much of the game, limiting KU to just 159 yards of total offense. The Frogs are now 45-0 when holding opponents to less than 200 yards in the Patterson era.

It helps when the offense has the ball for 39:35 compared to KU’s 20:25. And, of course, turning those possessions into a big lead.

“It was definitely fun to bounce back,” sophomore free safety Trevon Moehrig said. “It was really important for us to make that decision, like (linebacker Garret Wallow said), either come back or fold up.

“Today we came back with a lot of energy and played as one.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2019 at 2:28 PM.