TCU football came into Austin as double-digit underdogs and beat the Texas Longhorns 33-31 on Saturday. Sophomore quarterback Max Duggan completed 20 of 30 passes and rushed for two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Before the celebration ends and preparation for Kansas State begins, let’s wrap up what we saw from TCU on Saturday.
Penalties Penalties Penalties
Penalties and turnovers played a key role in the outcome of this ballgame. The contest started with two straight penalties on the opening kickoffs. In the first seven minutes of the game, there were eight accepted penalties. The Horned Frogs were called for 14 penalties totaling 114 yards. Texas fared slightly better, being called for 12 penalties totaling 92 yards. The refs were trigger happy trying to slow the game down any way they could. The game ended with a penalty and a safety.
TCU - Texas game is unwatchable thanks to the refs
Official review after official review. Flags every snap, some flags reviewed and picked up
LET THEM PLAY
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) October 3, 2020
Max Duggan Shines
It was only a few short weeks ago when Duggan was unsure he would be able to play in the 2020 season. Earlier this summer, Duggan was ruled out due to an irregularity found in the young quarterback’s heart. It was only last week Duggan was ruled eligible to play. In last week’s matchup against Iowa State, Duggan entered the game in the second half going 16 of 20 in the air but ultimately falling short to the Cyclones 37-34.
Saturday’s matchup went much differently as Duggan stepped on the Longhorns’ throats early and didn’t let up. The young quarterback totaled over 300 yards of offense. Duggan rushed for 79 yards for two touchdowns and passed for another 231 yards. TCU is legit when Max Duggan is under center. In his first two games, he completed 72% of his passes. Additionally, Duggan can hurt you with his legs. He rushed for 85 yards scoring two touchdowns along the way. If there were any doubts about his health, Duggan has silenced those rumors.
Texas isn’t back
After today’s loss, the Longhorns have fallen to TCU football in six out of their last seven meetings. The No. 9 ranked Longhorns saw their chances and possibly the Big 12’s final chance of making this year’s College Football Playoff fumble away. A Texas turnover with under 2:30 left made for very little chance for Texas to pull out a win. The loss comes just a week after it had to rally back in overtime to beat Texas Tech 63-56. After its second conference game, Texas is looking less and less like a contender for the conference title.
Up next for TCU
After its trip to Austin, the Horned Frogs come back to Fort Worth for two consecutive home games. The first is against rising Kansas State team that knocked Big 12 favorite Oklahoma in the comeback of the year last week. Kansas State is currently in a battle against Texas Tech as this article was published but could come to Fort Worth sitting at 2-1 on the year.
After their battle with Kansas State, the Horned Frogs will enter their bye week in preparation for their game against Oklahoma. In last year’s game, TCU fell to the Sooners as Oklahoma pulled out a win in a 28-24 slugfest. Oklahoma is on upset alert as it plays on Saturday night against the Cyclones of Iowa State, which have been a headache for the Sooners in recent times.
A shaky offseason seems far in the past as TCU football returns home with a W and helped solidify what everyone thinks every year. Texas still is not back.
Photo courtesy of Iowa State Athletics Communications
