TCU holds off upset-minded Kansas
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Having faced five ranked teams in its last six games, TCU was supposed to have an easier time down the stretch.
Saturday's contest against lowly Kansas was anything but.
Trevone Boykin threw for 330 yards and a touchdown, Aaron Green ran for a pair of scores filling in for B.J. Catalon and the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs staved off the upset-minded Jayhawks, 34-30.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TCU ripped off 17 consecutive points after Kansas went up 27-17 midway through the third quarter, with its defense allowing minus-seven yards on the Jayhawks' next three possessions.
The Horned Frogs ran the remaining 3:26 off the clock after Chris Hackett intercepted Michael Cummings' 3rd-and-10 overthrow intended for Jimmay Mundine along the left seam. Boykin kept it himself off left tackle on a 4th-and- inches to gain a first down and seal the outcome.
"It never felt out of reach. It was interesting, I'll tell you that," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "We found a way to go win the ballgame."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas started the game 5-of-7 on third down, but finished 2-of-11.
Boykin was 26-of-36 with an interception, Green carried the ball 19 times for 128 yards and caught four passes for 26 yards and Ty Slanina had six receptions for 95 yards and a score for TCU (9-1, 6-1), which has won five straight since its lone loss at Baylor on Oct. 11.
The Horned Frogs were ranked fourth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Catalon has missed the last two games since injuring his upper torso on the final play prior to TCU's game-winning field goal against West Virginia two weeks ago.
Following last Saturday's 41-20 win over then-No. 9 Kansas State, TCU's final three games -- including Saturday -- are against unranked teams. It faces Texas and last-place Iowa State to close the year.
Cummings was 19-of-37 for 332 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Mundine posted seven catches for 137 yards and a score and Nigel King added 128 yards and a touchdown on five receptions for the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6), who picked up their first conference win last week against Iowa State.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"One-on-one matchups. That was something we emphasized all week, winning your one-on-one battle play by play, and that's what we were out there doing," Cummings said.
Kansas took its 27-17 advantage after King hauled in a tipped pass along the right sideline and galloped the rest of the way for a 78-yard score.
It didn't take long for the momentum to shift.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boykin hit Slanina in stride on a square in and he picked up the necessary yardage after the catch for a 26-yard gain to move the chains on a 3rd- and-20. Green broke off a 24-yard TD run off left tackle to complete the 80- yard march to pull TCU within 27-24 late in the third.
Cameron Echols-Luper then returned a punt 69 yards for a score following a quick Kansas three-and-out, taking off along the left sideline before cutting it back to put TCU in front.
Jake Oberkrom booted through a 25-yard field goal after the Jayhawks were unable to move the chains again to make it 34-27.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas settled for a Matthew Wyman 23-yard field goal following a Trevorris Johnson fumble as he tried to fight for extra yardage midway through the fourth, pulling Kansas within 34-30.
Earlier, Boykin hit Slanina for a 27-yard score on the game's opening drive before Kansas answered back on its first touch, needing 17 plays to travel 76 yards.
The Jayhawks were aided by a roughing the punter penalty on a 4th-and-12, then converted a fake punt on a 4th-and-8 when T.J. Millweard hit Trent Smiley for a 10-yard completion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nick Harwell came down with a tipped pass from TCU safety Sam Carter to move the ball to the 2 on a 3rd-and-11, and Corey Avery plunged in from two yards out a play later. The extra point was blocked as the Horned Frogs held a 7-6 edge.
Green was stuffed for no gain on a 4th-and-1 at the KU 11 on TCU's next series and the Jayhawks found the end zone again.
Cummings took off for an 18-yard dash on a 3rd-and-10 and later found Mundine for completions of 20 and 17 yards in a span of four plays before hitting him in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard score and a 13-7 advantage early in the second.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas cornerback JaCorey Shepherd intercepted Boykin at the 2 midway through the second. TCU's defense forced a three-and-out and Oberkrom nailed a 24-yard field goal to get the Horned Frogs within 13-10 heading into the break.
Game Notes
Hackett has at least one interception in four straight games and 11 overall since the start of the 2012 season ... TCU was 8-of-16 on third down ... The Horned Frogs outgained the Jayhawks 463-418.