TCU

FORT WORTH — There was no blown lead or need for a drastic comeback this time at Amon G. Carter Stadium as TCU handled Oklahoma State 38-13 on Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (6-4, 4-3) clinched bowl eligibility with the impressive win over the Cowboys (3-7, 0-7) and dominated the game from the start, jumping out to a 24-0 halftime lead.

“We needed to play well (at home),” coach Sonny Dykes said postgame. “We got off to a good start tonight and played pretty well most of the game. I thought it was a good, solid football game; I think the biggest thing for our football team is two weeks without turning the ball over. It’s good to see that.”

The Cowboys showed signs of life in the second half with two touchdowns on their first two drives that cut the deficit to 31-13. However, Jordyn Bailey delivered the game-breaking play as he took a reverse handoff 59 yards for a touchdown to put TCU back in front 38-13 with 13:02 remaining in the game.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed on the Cowboys’ next drive when Alan Bowman’s pass on fourth-and-9 sailed incomplete with just over eight minutes to go. It was TCU’s largest margin of victory over a Power Four conference opponent and arguably the most complete game the Horned Frogs have played this season.

Honed in Hoover

After a near-flawless performance last week against Baylor, Josh Hoover had another strong outing as he picked apart the Oklahoma State defense for 286 yards and a touchdown. In the first half alone, Hoover completed 20 of his 27 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns.

Hoover’s accuracy was on point at all three levels as he found receivers underneath on checkdowns, but also was successful in attacking Oklahoma State’s defense vertically. At the end of the first half when Hoover and the offense were backed up on third-and-12, Hoover was able to fit a pass to Eric McAlister through tight coverage for 21 yards. Hoover completed another long pass on third-and-15 when he showed a nice touch on a 34-yard completion to JP Richardson on a wheel route.

Beyond all the big-time throws, Hoover also avoided turnovers for the second straight week as he continues to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12.

“We’re just going out there making plays and throwing touchdowns,” Hoover said. “We’re just a bunch of fearless guys that go out there and make plays. We’ve got a bunch of ballers … I’m proud of our guys for playing fearless.”

Savion’s surge continues

Ever since the Horned Frogs started using Savion Williams, of Marshall, more in the backfield, the star receiver has taken his game to another level and that continued against the Cowboys. Williams received 10 touches in the first half and turned two of them into touchdowns as he continues to be a matchup problem for defenses.

With TCU leading 10-0, Williams helped break open the game with back-to-back catches that got TCU to the Oklahoma State 1-yard line. Two plays later, Williams took a direct snap and powered his way to the end zone to increase the lead to 17-0. Then on TCU’s final possession of the first half, Williams beat his defender with a nice inside release and reeled in a 6-yard touchdown with just seven seconds on the clock to give TCU an even greater lead.

Williams had another impressive highlight in the fourth quarter when he ripped off a 16-yard run and trucked a defender at the end of the run. Williams finished with 71 total yards (52 receiving, 19 rushing) and the two scores. He also helped set up Bailey’s touchdown as he was the one who tossed him the ball on the reverse.

“I love getting the ball right now and doing things with it,” Williams said. “If you watch my high school tape that’s all I did, the same thing I’m doing right now. For my offensive coordinator to notice I was producing and to do things like that, it’s a great thing and I love that he’s using me like that.”

Bud’s big day

The Horned Frogs’ defense came to play in the first quarter as the unit was led by team captain Bud Clark. The safety forced two key turnovers in the first half that helped TCU take a 24-0 lead into halftime. The first came with TCU leading 3-0 in the first quarter. The Cowboys were mounting a positive drive, feeding Ollie Gordon, but once the running back got to the TCU 37, Clark punched the ball out and it was recovered by Abe Camara.

The turnover would lead to a touchdown as TCU extended its lead to 10-0. On Oklahoma State’s next drive, the Cowboys once again got into TCU territory. However, on third down Clark came up with a huge play as he intercepted Alan Bowman to end the drive. It was Bowman’s ninth straight game with an interception and it led to another touchdown for TCU a few minutes later.

It was one of Clark’s best career games as he finished with eight tackles and the two forced turnovers.

“Big-time players make big-time plays,” Clark said. “Being around my teammates that help me feel like a big-time player helps me make the plays I need to make.”

An important game for JPR

Facing his former team, receiver JP Richardson had one of his best games of the season with a team-high seven catches for 100 yards on eight targets. Over half of Richardson’s receptions went for at least 15 yards, including his 34-yard reception at the end of the first half that helped set up a score.

Richardson, who spent two seasons with Oklahoma State before transferring to TCU in 2023, acknowledged that this game meant a lot to him personally, but it wasn’t because of any bad blood with his former teammates and coaches.

“This felt good for sure,” Richardson said. “I still have a ton of love for those guys, that’s what made it so fun, so good. I’m still great friends with a lot of those dudes and have nothing but respect for coach (Mike Gundy). I can’t say a single bad thing about that place. I love those dudes, but it felt good for sure.”

Undermanned defense steps up

The Horned Frogs were playing without three key players, with defensive linemen Markis Deal and Hakeem Ajijolaiya along with linebacker Cooper McDonald sidelined with injuries. Even without the key pieces, TCU held Oklahoma State to just 89 yards in the first half and just 3.7 yards per play.

The run defense also held up against Oklahoma State star running back Ollie Gordon. Gordon did finish with 121 yards on 25 carries, but most of those yards came in the second half when TCU was ahead by three or four possessions and trying to prevent big passing plays.

The Horned Frogs forced multiple turnovers, had four tackles for loss and NaNa Osafo-Mensah had a first-down sack as TCU shut down one of the most experienced offenses in the Big 12. Young players like Travis Jackson were able to get extended reps due to the score. Jackson made the most of it with an impressive interception in the fourth quarter.

“We won the turnover battle 3-0 and that’s a big reason we won the football game,” Dykes said. “It was good to play well at home, it seems like our guys were dialed in.”

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