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TCU had a crowd to impress Thursday night at Amon G. Carter Stadium -- a crowd that included NFL scouts, fans dressed in black and, of course, the little girl Trevone Boykin befriended at Iowa State, Abby Faber.
And that they did, as the Frogs beat the Mountaineers 40-10. TCU is still undefeated, now 8-0 on the season.
The first quarter had plenty for the highlight reel. TCU opened the game with two touchdowns in its first two drives. The first, a pass to Josh Doctson. The second, a Boykin run -- actually no, make that a FLIP into the end zone (Heisman moment, anyone?). Boykin had a similar move in last year's blackout against Kansas State. That makes two consecutive blackout games in which Boykin flipped into the end zone for a touchdown. Count that stat.
The defense did its part, too, causing West Virginia to either punt or turn the ball over on downs. By the end of the first quarter, TCU led 17-0.
A few slips let West Virginia score 10, but that was all the Mountaineers would do for the rest of the game. Jaden Oberkrom closed the half with a 57-yard bomb, breaking his own record for the longest field goal.
For the second half, Boykin's feet put on a show. Despite lots of pressure from West Virginia, Boykin was absolutely excellent at dancing out of the pocket and getting the first down on his own. It was enough to impress West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, who even high-fived Boykin following an impressive running play.
The Mountaineers, on the other hand, went scoreless for the rest of the game, failing another attempt to convert on fourth down in the third quarter.
The Frogs slowed down in the fourth quarter, eventually replacing Boykin with Bram Kohlhausen. So it's safe to say TCU successfully pulled out a blowout win but avoided running up the score, you know.
With that, here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Give the man a Heisman!
Boykin showed he is the total package -- accurate with throws, excellent at making reads after the snap, talented on his feet, not to mention kindhearted and gracious. Against West Virginia, he threw for 388 yards and 3 touchdowns, with one rushing (ahem, flipping) touchdown. TCU's toughest games have yet to be played, but c'mon, people. If you could give the Heisman to one person today, Boykin should be the one.
2. The defense is getting better, slowly.
So the defense isn't forcing turnovers left and right, but they are getting better at tackling and forcing opponents to punt. Defense also plays significantly better at home (recall TCU's 50-7 win over Texas the last time the Frogs were at the Carter, when Texas couldn't score until the fourth quarter).
3. Home is where the heart is.
TCU is truly a force at home. The Frogs know how to win, certainly. But at home, the Frogs know how to dominate.
4. Jaden Oberkrom still has the power to make Frog fans speechless.
Oberkrom is special enough to get a whole bullet point dedicated to him. He seems to have at least one "money moment" every year. In 2013, it was the 56-yarder. In 2014, it was the game-winner against none other than West Virginia. This year, Oberkrom broke his own record with his 57-yarder to close the first half. Wow. This lanky blonde may not be perfect, but when his spark of talent does happen, it's spectacular.
5. So can TCU move up from No. 5 now?
No close score. No drama. It was a classy win with impressive plays. Certainly TCU should move up the rankings, right? Right?