No. 4 TCU dominates Iowa State to finish regular season perfect at 12-0
There was no need for a miracle field goal or a second-half rally against Iowa State.
No. 4 TCU played like a team that belonged in the College Football Playoff with a dominant 62-14 win over Iowa State on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Not only did the Horned Frogs finish the first regular season 12-0 under head coach Sonny Dykes, they also snapped a three-game losing streak to Iowa State.
“Really proud of our guys. I thought we had a great week of practice, best week we’ve had in a long time,” Dykes said. “The defense scored two touchdowns, we really played well in the kicking game. It was a fun night.”
TCU understood in order to beat an Iowa State team featuring one of the best defenses in the country, it would take their best effort offensively. Even without star wide receiver Quentin Johnston, the offense answered the call with four scores on their first four offensive possessions.
The Horned Frogs also had a pick six as Millard Bradford’s interception gave TCU a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“It was probably our most complete game,” Max Duggan said. “Both sides of the ball playing to their full potential and the defense making a ton of plays and getting turnovers and turning into points. Offensively, everyone was touching the ball and making plays.”
Iowa State showed signs of trying to make a comeback as Hunter Dekkers rolled to his left and threw a 15-yard touchdown to DeShawn Hanika to cut the Horned Frogs’ lead to 24-7 just two minutes into the second quarter. TCU then responded with 10 straight points, including a Kendre Miller touchdown run with 14 seconds before halftime.
Max Duggan completed a strike to a diving Savion Williams for a touchdown to open the second half to officially put the game out of reach. It was the first of three third-quarter touchdowns as the Horned Frogs extended their lead to 55-7.
The Horned Frogs should move up in the CFP Top 25 rankings since No. 2 Ohio State lost to No. 3 Michigan.
On Saturday, TCU looked every bit like it’s one of the three best teams in the country. The Horned Frogs enjoyed the blowout victory, but still know there’s work to do.
When asked what 12-0 meant to him, Duggan had an answer that perfectly sums up TCU’s mentality.
“It means we’ve got one more to play, for a championship,” Duggan said.
TCU will face Kansas State on the Big 12 championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Out the gate
Iowa State entered the day ranked No. 8 in the country in scoring defense as the Cyclones only allowed 16.5 points per game. The Horned Frogs matched that in less than a single quarter with a dominating first-quarter performance. The Horned Frogs struck first on their opening possession as Max Duggan found a wide open Geor’Quarius Spivey on fourth down for a 19-yard touchdown.
TCU settled for a field goal on its next drive, but added another touchdown as Kendre Miller scored a touchdown for the 13th straight game. On Iowa State’s next play, Hunter Dekkers was picked off by Millard Bradford. Bradford shed multiple tacklers to score TCU’s first defensive touchdown of the year. With just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter the Horned Frogs already established an insurmountable 24-0 lead.
“I think they ran the exact same play on the first play of the game,” Bradford said. “Seeing the play developing again it was just instincts to drop back, watch the quarterback’s eyes and the ball came right to me.”
Special teams advantage
TCU dominated in all three phases of the game, including special teams. That’s one area of the game that has plagued Iowa State all year and it happened again against the Horned Frogs. After Iowa State finally got on the scoreboard with a Hunter Dekkers touchdown pass, the Cyclones immediately gave up a 62-yard kick off return to Emari Demercado.
Starting at the Iowa State 36, the Horned Frogs didn’t pick up a first down, but Griffin Kell hit a 54-yard field goal that made it 27-7 early in the second quarter. It was the fifth-longest field goal in program history. A few possessions later Iowa State had a chance to hit their own field goal, but Jace Gilbert’s 45-yard attempt was no good. The Horned Frogs couldn’t capitalize as the offense went three and out after the miss, but the Cyclones weren’t done giving TCU gifts.
Once the Cyclones and were forced to punt, another blunder occurred as a bad snap led to TCU starting at the Iowa State 22. Kendre Miller walked in for his second touchdown of the day with just 14 seconds remaining in the first half to give TCU a 34-7 lead. Iowa State missed another field goal on its first possession of the second half to add to the misery.
“We scored a bunch of points, but didn’t have a lot of yards,” Dykes said. “All the other stuff was so important. Field position was really important. We had a couple nice kickoff returns and punt returns. We got some stops defensively to get short fields early. It helped us get in the end zone.”
Duggan’s Heisman resume
Max Duggan continued to add to his Heisman Trophy campaign by carving up the best defense in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country. Playing only three quarters Duggan threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. He completed 17 of his 24 attempts and had a passer rating of 186.3.
In the second half Duggan’s accuracy was impressive as he was forced to make throws in tight windows due to the coverage of Iowa State’s secondary. Whether it was his third touchdown pass of the night to Jordan Hudson or 37-yard fade to Savion Williams, Duggan was doing it all.
With Duggan leading the way, the Horned Frogs became the first offense to score 40 or more points against Iowa State this season. Without his favorite target, Johnston, Duggan spread the ball around with completions to 10 different receivers. Running backs, tight ends and his receivers all had their opportunities as Duggan looked the part of a point guard that Sonny Dykes wants for his offense.
“The great thing about is we’re so talented, so deep, these guys can play anywhere around the country,” Duggan said of his supporting cast. “We’re fortunate enough to have them on our team. Nobody complains about touches, no one complains about reps. Guys get in, when they do they make the most of it.”
The door opened wider for Duggan to become a serious threat in the conversation with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud struggling in the loss to Michigan. Stroud was the betting favorite, but the loss and the lack of a 13th game will severely impact his candidacy.
Injuries to Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Michigan’s Blake Corum also have to be accounted for. At this point, it’s becoming harder to deny Duggan deserves to be a finalist. Dykes reiterated that Duggan should be a finalist for an award. As for Duggan, an invite to New York City for the award ceremony would say more about his team than him.
“It would just mean I’m playing with a lot of great people and playing under a a great coaching staff,” Duggan said. “I think if it were to happen it would show more about those guys than me.”
TCU’s secondary balls out
The entire defense came to play, but it was the secondary that really stood out. Bradford’s interception stands out the most, but Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Josh Newton continue to show why they’re the top corner duo in the conference.
Big 12 leading receiver Xavier Hutchinson was held to just one catch for two yards as both corners had different moments shadowing the 1,000-yard receiver. Newton and Hodges-Tomlinson combined for three pass breakups as they blanketed whoever their matchup was.
“We have some true lockdown DBs, coming into the game we knew how good of a receiver he was,” Hodges-Tomlinson said. “We wanted to come out and showcase the DBs we have. I feel like we had success today.”
Newton added another defensive scorer after a pass bounced off the hands of an Iowa State receiver. Newton caught it and raced 57 yards for a touchdown. It was Newton’s third interception of the season.
“It felt good, their record didn’t speak to how they play. We told each other they’re not a 4-7 ball club,” Newton said. “We had to respect them and the game itself because football will humble you real quick.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2022 at 6:34 PM.
