TCU football stuns Baylor, winning the first game since Gary Patterson stepped down
Chandler Morris felt TCU football deserved a victory on Saturday.
The team had been reeling with three straight losses by double digits. The school’s all-time winningest coach Gary Patterson exited unceremoniously after being told he wouldn’t return in 2022. And star players Max Duggan and Zach Evans were out with injuries.
Well, thanks in large part to Morris, the Horned Frogs started the post-Patterson era with a victory. TCU stunned No. 14 Baylor 30-28 at Amon G. Carter Stadium with students storming the field afterward.
“That was huge,” Morris said. “I don’t know a team more deserving. Everything we’ve been through this week, obviously with Coach P, we were fighting for him. We deserved it. I truly believe it.”
Morris finished with 531 yards of total offense. He picked apart a Bears’ defense that had allowed just 209 yards passing per game. Morris finished 29 of 41 for 461 yards passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The 461 yards passing by Morris are the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
“My receivers, they’re making plays,” Morris said. “You saw them going up, just making me look good. What I stressed to them is that I’m going to put the ball in your vicinity and it’s your job to go make a play on the ball. It’s yours or nobody’s. I stressed that to them all week in this role. I’m so proud of them.”
TCU sophomore receiver Quentin Johnston led the way with five catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. Derius Davis had five catches for 81 yards, while Taye Barber finished with six catches for 78 yards.
The TCU defense delivered when it mattered most too. With Baylor driving inside TCU territory needing only a field goal to win late, linebacker Shadrach Banks came through with a game-sealing interception with one minute left.
Interim coach Jerry Kill joked that he was “numb” after Banks’ interception.
“I’ve been here long enough. I was worried, ‘OK, we got the interception. Let’s don’t mess it up here,’” Kill said. “I’m one of those guys. I’m not going to smile until the last snap. Everybody else celebrating, ‘What’s the matter with you coach? What’s the matter with you?’ I said, ‘It ain’t over yet.’”
That sounds like something Patterson might say in a similar situation. He didn’t hold back his feelings, posting on Twitter afterward: “Yesssssssssssssssss! Go Frogs!”
The end of the Patterson era happened abruptly, but the team has rallied around playing the season out for him and making a push for a bowl berth.
Cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson described a range of emotions when Patterson informed the team on Sunday.
“I didn’t know how to feel about it,” said Tomlinson, the nephew of TCU legend LaDainian Tomlinson. “I know everything he has done for this community and program. Growing up, I’ve always been around the TCU area because of my uncle and just always knowing Coach P has been around. That’s all I’ve seen growing up.
“I’m just thankful for him giving me an opportunity to play for him. I’ve seen the greatness in him. It’s always good to be around greatness. Coach P is a great coach, and I hope everything goes well for him. The team, we’re fighting for him. We want to come out and play hard.”
Patterson certainly would’ve liked the effort. The Frogs (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) didn’t look like a team reeling with three consecutive double-digit losses and Baylor (7-2, 4-2) didn’t play like a team contending for a Big 12 championship.
On top of everything that happened during the week, TCU was dealt an early blow when running back Kendre Miller sustained a game-ending injury in the first half. But nothing seemed to matter with Morris and the defense making timely plays all day.
On TCU’s two TD drives in the second half, Morris converted long third downs. In extending TCU’s lead to 23-14 in the third quarter, Morris converted on a third-and-15 with a 15-yard pass to Johnston and on a third-and-13 with a 29-yard pass to Barber.
That drive ended with a 5-yard TD pass from Morris to tight end Dominic DiNunzio.
Then, in extending TCU’s lead to 30-21 in the fourth quarter, Morris found Quincy Brown on a third-and-10 play and later a third-and-12 play. That drive ended with a 19-yard TD pass from Morris to Johnston.
“We knew we had a good third down plan all week,” Morris said. “It was up to me to execute it. My O-line gave me great time, and I just had to go perform and put the ball where it was needed.”
TCU travels to Oklahoma State next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Stillwater.
In the meantime, TCU is going to enjoy this moment in program history.
“Personally,” Kill said, “I don’t know if there will ever be anything able to match what these kids did on this Saturday against Baylor University. I just don’t think there can be because I’ve never seen this much adversity in the middle of a year as I’ve seen this week and throughout the game.
“I won’t say anything about some things because y’all already know what they are, but we overcame a lot in that game to win it.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 6:19 PM.
