Three Thoughts on TCU’s 30-28 Win Over Baylor
The Baylor Bears (7-2) entered the game ranked 12th in the College Football Playoff Top 25 and had everything to play for. A Big 12 Championship game appearance and even a potential playoff berth were among the prizes on the line if Baylor could dispatch TCU in the Revivalry.
TCU (4-5) went into the game just trying to give its slim bowl hopes alive and spoil a magical season for its rival in the Horned Frogs’ first game in two decades without Gary Patterson, the iconic head coach who parted ways with TCU on Sunday. Not only was TCU guided by interim coach, Jerry Kill, but its second-string quarterback, Chandler Morris, got the start ahead of Max Duggan, who has struggled with a nagging injury for several weeks, and second-string running back, Kendre Miller, started for the second consecutive game in relief of the injured Zach Evans.
Despite having all that going against them, the Horned Frogs showed up to play against Baylor and Morris was electric as he threw the ball all over the field. After absorbing an early punch from the Bears on Baylor’s first possession, TCU bounced back to take a 16-14 lead into halftime. TCU extended its lead to 23-14 in the third quarter and then 30-21 early in the fourth before Baylor cut the Horned Frogs’ lead to two, 30-28, with 5:04 left to play. TCU’s Griffin Kell had his second missed field goal of the day with two minutes to play to give Baylor a final chance to steal the win. But Shadrach Banks ended Baylor’s hopes by picking off Gerry Bohanon with 1:03 left.
Here are three thoughts on TCU’s big upset of Baylor, 30-28.
CHANDLER MORRIS HAS A MONSTER DAY TO GIVE TCU HOPE
Morris, a Covid-Freshman and a transfer from Oklahoma, had an incredible first career start. Morris was accurate and efficient as he threw for 461 yards and two touchdowns and passing efficiency rating of 181.28. He added 70 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 11 carries, including a critical 26-yard scramble on TCU’s final meaningful possession of the game. Chandler’s performance bodes well for the rest of this season and the immediate future of the program as it searches for a new head coach.
A HUGE GAME IN WACO NEXT WEEK
Despite the loss, Baylor will still have a ton on the line when it hosts #8 Oklahoma (9-0) next week. A win next week, and Baylor will remain in the thick of the race for the Big 12 Championship game. Baylor would likely need to win out and have Oklahoma State, which has the head-to-head tiebreaker against Baylor, beat Oklahoma in Bedlam on the final weekend of the Big 12 season. Today’s loss was a big blow to Baylor’s championship ambitions, but the Bears are not out of it yet.
TCU’S BOWL HOPES REMAIN ALIVE
After falling to 3-5 last week with a loss to Kansas State, TCU’s bowl hopes appeared to be all but dead. However, today’s win moves the Horned Frogs to 4-5 with three games to go. While getting two more wins might be a lot to ask with Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Iowa State remaining on the schedule, TCU’s chances got a big boost behind Chandler and a gutsy win in a rivalry game. Regardless of how the season plays out from here, the Horned Frogs deserve a world of credit for the way they fought and won this game.
