TCU rallies behind Josh Hoover to shock Texas Tech in Big 12 thriller
TCU stormed back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Texas Tech, 35-34, in an old-fashioned Big 12 shootout Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
“It was not pretty, we had some moments in the game that were not good,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “We just couldn’t get much going, but then we finally settled in and made some plays.”
The Horned Frogs were able to cut the Red Raiders’ lead to 34-28 midway through the fourth quarter after Josh Hoover threw a strike to DJ Rogers for an 8-yard touchdown. It was a major moment for Hoover, whose three turnovers led to TCU falling behind.
The defense then did its part forcing two straight incomplete passes to get the Horned Frogs the ball back with 5:46 remaining in the game.
Hoover then made another high level pass on a back shoulder fade to Eric McAlister, who then raced 84 yards to the end zone as TCU retook the lead, 35-34, with 5:10 remaining in the game. The Horned Frogs’ defense had a chance to potentially clinch the game after forcing Texas Tech into a 4th-and-2, but the defense couldn’t get any pressure on Will Hammond, who converted easily with a quick scramble.
Texas Tech was able to get into field goal range and while trying to run the clock out on third down, Hakeem Ajijolaiya hit Hammond hard to force a fumble that was recovered by Markis Deal with 1:36 remaining in the game.
“I think defensively we really did a good job of hanging in there and making it so that we could come back,” Dykes said. “We kind of just struggled a bunch offensively and hurt ourselves. Wasn’t real pretty, but it was a good win against a good football team.”
It was TCU’s first win at home against a FBS opponent this season and brings the program one game closer to its goal of reaching a bowl game.
Hoover’s response
After committing three turnovers in the second and third quarters, it would’ve been understandable if Sonny Dykes wanted to turn to Ken Seals or Hauss Hejny, but Dykes opted to stick with Hoover and Hoover quickly showed why that was a good decision. After throwing the interception in the third quarter, Hoover would complete nine of his next 11 passes, including some high level throws that showed off his arm talent.
The best of the day was the 52-yard post route to Jack Bech where Hoover put the ball in a place where only Bech could make a play on it despite being tightly covered. He fit throws into tight windows and made a number of throws off platform to keep TCU’s offense moving. Hoover locked in mentally after the careless errors had TCU on the verge of giving another game away.
But in the end Hoover was clutch when it mattered most as he threw for more than 300 yards for the fifth time this season. Hoover finished the game 21 of 32 for 344 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Once things like (turnovers) happen, you’ve just got to move on and worry about it later,” Hoover said. “I think we did a great job of moving on, being resilient, continuing to fight and run our offense and not panic. The defense did some great things in the second half getting stops for us to come back.”
QB change sparks, then sinks Tech
When Behren Morton went down with an injury in the second half, Texas Tech didn’t panic. It turned to promising freshman quarterback Will Hammond. Hammond immediately led a scoring drive as he completed all three of his passes for 56 yards including a 13-yard goal line fade to Coy Aiken that made it 24-14 at the 13:01 mark in the third.
Hammond would lead another scoring drive after another mistake by Hoover. While rolling to his right Hoover launched a pass to Jeremy Payne into double coverage and the pass tipped and then picked off Chapman Lewis. Hammond then marched the offense down field in nine plays and capped the drive with a touchdown on a read option to make it 31-14 with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Hammond completed his first nine passes, but his youth showed in the fourth. After TCU cut it to 34-28, the Red Raiders were moving the ball well until Hammond fumbled the snap on first down and put the offense behind the chains. Hammond’s next two passes were off the mark as TCU got a much needed stop. That sequence along with Hammond’s fumble was exactly what TCU needed to shock the Red Raiders.
When the game turned
TCU got off to a hot start with a 14-3 lead over Texas Tech as the offense moved the ball at ease against the Red Raiders lackluster defense while the Horned Frogs’ defense picked up where it left off against Houston with another strong effort. Things began to change at the start of the second quarter when TCU had an opportunity to extend its lead to three possessions.
Instead, Josh Hoover made a critical mistake as he held onto the ball too long and fumbled when he took a sack inside TCU’s own five-yard line with 14:08 remaining in the second quarter. Four plays later, the Red Raiders would use a crafty fake field goal to score a touchdown and cut the lead to 14-10.
TCU gained 163 on its first three drives, but after Hoover’s fumble the offense gained just 43 on its final five drives of the half. One of those possessions also ended in another Hoover interception, his seventh in the last four games. The Red Raiders would go on a 28-0 run until a Jeremy Payne touchdown stopped the run in the fourth quarter and cut it to 31-21 late in the third quarter.
Savion’s hot start
The season hasn’t gone quite the way TCU receiver Savion Williams anticipated as he entered Saturday’s game just fourth on the team in receiving. But in the first half Williams reminded everyone why he’s the most talented player on the roster with a number of highlight plays that had TCU surging early.
In the first quarter, TCU lined Williams up at quarterback and he proceeded to take a direct snap 35 yards for a touchdown on TCU’s first drive. He broke the run open by hitting a smooth spin move against a Texas Tech defender. After the Red Raiders cut the lead to 7-3, the Horned Frogs responded as Josh Hoover hit a wide open Williams in the middle of the Texas Tech defense for a 75-yard touchdown. In the first quarter Williams combined for 121 total yards as TCU seemed on the brink of blowing out their rivals.
However, Texas Tech limited Williams impact in the second and third quarter as he was held to just 16 yards a 14-3 lead turned into a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter. Williams did his part late as he helped set up the Rogers’ touchdown with a powerful run that got TCU to the Texas Tech 7. Williams also picked up a crucial first down on TCU’s final offensive possession, allowing the Horned Frogs to melt the clock.
Williams finished with 72 rushing yards and 81 receiving along with his two touchdowns.
“I think this is just them getting the ball in my hands and letting me do things,” Williams said of his new role in the backfield. “I can do things that I guess other people can’t do. It means a lot, when we kept using it last week against it felt like I was getting back into my groove.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2024 at 6:18 PM.
