Lightning Can’t Stop Them: TCU defeats Kansas State 26-6

TCU’s weather delayed game turned out in their favor in the end, as the Frogs knocked off Kansas State 26-6. It wasn’t pretty at times, but key Frogs stepped up, and the defense as a whole held Kansas State and backup QB Alex Delton to just 216 total yards of offense.

Kenny Hill finished the game completing 27 passes on 37 attempts for 297 yards. He also ran for a touchdown in the game. Kyle Hicks was back, and was his old self, as he finished the game with 21 touches (16 carries, 5 catches) for 108 total yards.

KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Reagor led the way for TCU from the receiver position, combining for nine receptions and 119 yards.

After a three hour weather delay, TCU opened up the scoring in the first quarter on their second drive of the game, which featured nothing but runs. Kyle Hicks carried the ball five consecutive times, before Kenny Hill dropped back, and then ran seven yards into the endzone.

Jonathan Song tacked on a 39-yard field goal to give TCU a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and the Frogs would carry that lead into the second.

Defensively, the Frogs were a force early and often, keying on Kansas State’s running game, while making backup Wildcat QB Alex Delton look uncomfortable. Delton completed just four of his first 14 attempts on the day, as TCU regularly applied pressure and tipped his passes. Mat Boesen’s sack fumble midway through the second quarter ruined KSU’s best scoring chance to that point.

Unfortunately, TCU’s offense also sputtered in the first half. Darius Anderson fumbled, quickly ending a TCU possession (right after the Frogs had forced a Kansas State fumble), and the Frogs consistently found themselves in third and long situations.

At the half, it looked like it was destined to be a defensive struggle, as the Frogs led 13-3.

Kenny Hill was 12-18 in the first half for 133 yards, while Kyle Hicks looked quite like his old self, running the ball nine times for 45 yards. Meanwhile, TCU held Kansas State to 71 first half yards.

TCU looked determined to break the game open on their first possession of the third quarter, as they marched 75 yards on 13 plays, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Sewo Olonilua to put the Frogs up 20-3. A KSU field goal would bring it to 20-6, and then TCU’s offense would sputter a bit once more.

This time though, the theme would be dropped passes. Two consecutive drops, from the normally sure-handed Ty Slanina and KaVontae Turpin, ended a promising TCU drive and forced a punt.

Early in the fourth quarter, the weather would return. Lightning would strike near the stadium with 12:49 remaining in the game, causing another delay. This delay would last about an hour. That brought the total weather delay to three hours and 56 minutes, longer than the average college football game.

TCU would force a Kansas State punt out of the delay, before driving down the field and scoring again on another Sewo Olonilua touchdown run. Jonathan Song would miss his first extra point of the season though, and TCU would take a 26-6 lead.

The Wildcats’ last ditch effort came on 4th and 7 with just over two minutes left, and Delton’s pass fell incomplete. Shawn Robinson would come in and help the Frogs run the clock out.

TCU moves to 6-0 on the season, in the midst of a weekend full of upsets and crazy games. They’ll head home to take on Kansas next weekend for Homecoming, before hitting the road to face Iowa State in Ames.