TCU’s offense struggled in second half, but QB Max Duggan made winning plays late
Max Duggan wasn’t going to let TCU blow a 30-point lead at Baylor on Saturday.
The sophomore quarterback came through when it mattered most to preserve a 33-23 victory over the Bears in Waco. Duggan rushed for two first downs on the final drive, which allowed the Horned Frogs to run out the final 6 minutes, 24 seconds.
Duggan deflected credit on the final drive to his teammates afterward.
“That had a lot to do with our offensive line and our running backs. Our tight ends too,” Duggan said of his first-down runs. “That was just middle drill that we work on every single day. I think it showed a lot that they’ve been working really really hard.
“On the last drive, the running backs hit the hole hard, tight ends did great, receivers on the outside. It was everybody. It was a good last drive for us.”
That drive mattered more than any stat line as far as winning or losing. Duggan carried his team to victory on a day he had less than 200 yards of total offense (138 passing yards, 25 rushing yards).
Early in what became the last drive, Duggan rushed for 13 yards on a second-and-1 from the Baylor 48. Three plays later, with TCU facing a third-and-7 with more than 3 minutes, 30 seconds remaining, Duggan rushed for 10 yards and another first down.
TCU needed one more first down after that to run out the clock and got it on a 7-yard run by Emari Demercado on a fourth-and-1 play from the Baylor 13
Duggan finished with 25 yards rushing on nine carries for the game, but those two carries for 23 yards on the final drive were pivotal.
“Max did a good job,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “I was proud of the offense on the last drive. You’ve got to get the ball and don’t give it back to them. That’s how you close a ball game. You don’t give it back.”
Duggan and Patterson praised the O-line, which continues to show improvement. TCU finished with 247 yards rushing on 44 carries (5.6 yards per carry average).
As Duggan said, “Our O-line battled. They’ve been through a lot and I know a lot of people say a lot of things about them. But we’ve got a lot of guys up there who are warriors and they worked really really hard. I am proud of every single one of them that got in today. They did a phenomenal job.”
Duggan earned similar respect from his teammates. They know what those late runs meant in order to avoid a meltdown and leave with a victory.
“When Max pulls the ball and takes those hits, it shows you how he’s a warrior and a leader of our team,” receiver Derius Davis said. “When we’re aggressive, that’s when we are at our best.”
In the end, finding a way to win is all Patterson and TCU care about. The second-half stats certainly weren’t pretty after TCU jumped out to a 30-0 lead before being outscored 23-3 the final two-plus quarters.
Duggan, for instance, went just 4 of 10 passing for 19 yards in the second half. He was 10 of 13 for 119 yards and one TD in the first half.
Again, though, TCU left with a win and positive vibes going into next Saturday’s game against Texas Tech. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
“A win can do a lot. It just brings such a sigh of relief to a team that has been putting in a lot of work,” Duggan said. “To beat a great team like Baylor and you get a win just feels really, really good. ... The only thing that matters is that we won. It doesn’t matter how we do it.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
