Big 12 Notebook: Decimated TCU escapes upset

Typically Josh Doctson catches just about anything thrown his direction.

He did against Texas Tech, snagging 18 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns. But when his chance for a fourth TD caromed off his fingers on a fourth down pass in the red zone, the third-ranked Horned Frogs appeared to be doomed.

“My heart sunk,” Doctson said.

However, out of thin air, running back Aaron Green traced the deflection and caught the ball in the back of the end zone and TCU climbed to 4-0 with a frantic 55-52 victory at Texas Tech.

“You never know. Someone could drop the ball or they could fumble, anything like that,” Green told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “So I knew there was a chance, but you know, Josh Doctson pretty much catches everything. But I knew there was a chance that he might not catch it. I did what I was told. I saw the ball and followed it the whole way.”

The victory preserved an undefeated start for TCU, which has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. The trip to Tech figured to be the toughest test to date and was, as the Red Raiders generated 607 yards. The Frogs responded with 750.

The teams combined for 70 first downs and swapped the lead 10 times. Just to make it interesting, the Red Raiders used a series of laterals on the game’s final play — time had already expired but a TCU defensive penalty gave Tech one last snap — to progress from midfield before WR Jakeem Grant was finally stopped at the TCU 8-yard line.

The issues that have left the TCU defense without seven starters seemed to be eating at Gary Patterson’s team on the road trip.

“I didn’t think they believed they could win this game,” the TCU coach said. “All the people who have gone down, all the emotional leaders and everything. … No matter how the rest of the year goes, you have to give this group a lot of credit.”

BAYLOR (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Baylor 70, Rice 17. The Bears generated 700 yards for the third time in as many games, gaining a season-high 793 while handing the Owls their 25th consecutive defeat against a Top 25 opponent. QB Seth Russell completed 12-of-16 passes for 277 yards and tied a Baylor record with six touchdown strikes. Three of those scores were to WR Corey Coleman as the Bears built a prohibitive halftime margin. The win was the 18th in a row at home for Baylor, which is now 8-0 at McLane Stadium, which opened last year.

Takeaway: Distractions dogged Baylor throughout fall camp and then continued into the early stages of the season when two assistants were suspended for one game because of violations committed while recruiting. Before that, a transfer who had been booted out of Boise State for domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, DE Sam Ukwuachu, was convicted of sexual assault. The case created a national firestorm.

Meanwhile, Baylor still had to play football and coach Art Briles noted after the Rice game that he probably did not handle issues in the best fashion.

“It’s been extremely difficult. It’s been personally difficult,” Briles said. “My job is not to be personal, it’s to be professional. I had to quit acting like a baby and act like a man. I’m back to doing my job, which is whatever I can do to help these guys be the best on and off the field that they can be.”

Not a moment too soon, either. With Big 12 play looming, the Bears needed “close to a complete game” — the term Briles used to describe the win over Rice. Baylor meets Texas Tech, which took TCU to the wire on Sept. 26, in an Oct. 3 game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

“Penalties are a little bit of an issue,” Briles said of the 14 infractions Baylor committed for 145 yards. “Other than that, this was a pretty good team win. We understand the competition is going to get higher, and the stakes and the emotions are going to get higher. But what helps us is we’ve been on those high notes the past few years.”

Baylor struck for 39 first downs, while balancing its attack. In addition to the big gains Russell managed averaging 14.6 yards per attempt, the Bears had two 100-yard rushers. Junior Shock Linwood provided 158 yards on 16 carries, while freshman Terence Williams added 111 yards on 19 attempts.

Next: vs. Texas Tech (at Arlington, Tex.), Oct. 3.

IOWA STATE (1-2, 0-1)

Game: Idle.

Next: vs. Kansas, Oct. 3.

KANSAS (0-3, 0-0)

Game: Rutgers 27, Kansas 14. The Jayhawks dropped their 31st consecutive road game, and 34th outside of Lawrence, by failing to capitalize on 10 penalties against Rutgers and also three turnovers they forced against the Scarlet Knights. QB Deondre Ford, a junior college transfer, drew his first start. He was replaced by the usual regular, Montell Cozart, who was reported to be suffering from flu-like symptoms. Neither sparkled as Kansas generated 342 yards and went just 6-of-16 converting third and fourth downs.

Takeaway: The talent shortage at Kansas was clearly obvious again. Playing with a depleted roster that is 24 scholarship players short of the limit, the Jayhawks could not stop basic run plays.

Rutgers came into the game reeling because of disciplinary issues including head coach Kyle Flood serving a three-game suspension. Yet the Scarlet Knights were content to begin the second half with 19 run calls on the first 20 snaps, while finishing with 312 rushing yards. Interim coach Norries Wilson approved the plan Rutgers used.

“That’s a Big Ten football team, and they’re built a lot differently than we are,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “They’re built to run right behind those big dudes up front. I don’t blame Coach Wilson. I probably would have had the same plan, to run right at us because that’s what they’re built for.”

Numerous breakdowns hurt the Jayhawks, including three on critical fourth downs they failed to convert. The defense improved enough to keep the game even in the second half, but Kansas still managed just one touchdown and could not rally behind Cozart, who completed 13-of-18 passes for 193 yards. RB Ke’aun Kinner, who had hit the 100-yard mark in each of his first two starts, was limited to 30 yards on 15 carries as Rutgers dared Kansas to throw.

“We’ve just got to continue to understand those situations are what make good teams great, and average teams not very good,” said Beaty, who was bidding to become the first new coach at Kansas to win his first road game since 1975. The Jayhawks have not beaten a nonconference opponent on the road since a 2009 win at UTEP.

Next: at Iowa State, Oct. 3.

KANSAS STATE (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Idle.

Next: at Oklahoma State, Oct. 3.

OKLAHOMA (3-0, 0-0)

Game: Idle.

Next: vs. West Virginia, Oct. 3.

OKLAHOMA STATE (4-0, 1-0)

Game: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27. PK Ben Grogan connected on field goals of 41 and 40 yards in the final 93 seconds as the Cowboys claimed their fourth straight win at Texas. QB Mason Rudolph was not sharp, completing 22-of-34 passes for 290 yards but was intercepted twice including one that.was returned for a touchdown. Texas also scored on a fumble return. The Cowboys were limited to 103 yards rushing and were led by RB Rennie Childs, who provided 54 yards on 21 carries.

Takeaway: The chance for Grogan to win a game was an opportunity the junior accepted following a slow start to the season.

Grogan had missed two of the five field goals he attempted in the first two games and also missed two PATs on low kicks. Those misses drew the ire of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy who pinned the blame squarely on his kicker.

Still, Grogan never sensed anything disruptive in the locker room.

“I don’t think anyone ever doubted me for a second,” he said.

With his confidence apparently restored, Grogan made both late field goals at Texas, even though his team almost sabotaged the last opportunity. The Cowboys were called for delay of game with 10 seconds remaining, but because they had a time out left, they avoided the automatic 10-second runoff stipulated in the timing rules.

“You can’t let anything else get the better of you or change anything you do,” Grogan said. “I just go through my normal routine, kick a couple and then just hang out. Wait for my turn to do my job.”

Next: vs. Kansas State, Oct. 3.

TCU (4-0, 1-0)

Game: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52. WR Josh Doctson caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first TCU receiver since his quarterback, Trevone Boykin, to produce double-digit receptions in a game. Boykin completed 34-of-54 passes for 485 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Aaron Green, who added 162 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, caught a pass in the back of the end zone for the decisive touchdown with 23 seconds left after it bounced off Doctson’s hands.

Takeaway: Throughout nonconference play, when TCU learned how to cope with the loss of seven defensive starters, coach Gary Patterson stressed that the Frogs had to eke out wins in shootouts when necessary.

The approach has been far different for the defensive-oriented Patterson, who came to TCU as defensive coordinator under Dennis Franchione and is now in his 15th season as head coach.

“I’ve gone from one baby aspirin to two,” Patterson said after watching the Frogs allow 607 total yards. “I may go to extra strength Tylenol. Jiminy Christmas.”

Veterans on the TCU squad learned to take nothing for granted last year when a 21-point lead was blown in the fourth quarter at Baylor. TCU has won 12 straight since that 61-58 defeat, which caused the Frogs to officially share the Big 12 title a year ago with the Bears.

“Seeing what happened in that Baylor game and finishing was our main thing,” Boykin said. “We really just never wanted that feeling again. Since that day, we’ve been on the grind and pushing each other. This is the result.”

The push will not get any easier for the short-handed Frogs.

Still, they prevailed over Texas Tech in a tough road environment, largely behind the playmaking capabilities of a loaded offense that Boykin engineers.

“You guys kill me,” Patterson told the press. “If I win 17-10 I have no offense. Now I win 55-52 and you’re going to say we’re going to have to ride Doctson and Trevone. There have been a bunch of guys in this league that have had great wide receivers and great quarterbacks and been doing it. … I’m just glad we’re here at 55-52 and we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and try and get better and see if we can find a way we can beat Texas by one point.”

Next: vs. Texas, Oct. 3.

TEXAS (1-3, 0-1)

Game: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27. Texas scored two touchdowns off defensive takeaways, a fumble return by DT Hassan Ridgeway and an interception return by DB Holton Hill, but problems on special teams again arose. One week after Jerrod Heard drew his first start at quarterback and responded by setting a school-record for total yardage, the Longhorns were limited to one offensive touchdown. The start for Texas is its worst since 1956, the year before legendary Darrell Royal took over as coach.

Takeaway: A missed extra point cost Texas a chance to send a game one week earlier into overtime as it lost 45-44 to Cal. This time, it was the failure of executing a punt in the final seconds of regulation that cost the Longhorns.

Punter Michael Dixon, a freshman who formerly played Australian Rules Football, dropped a snap, then hurried to get off a punt that netted just 10 yards and gave Oklahoma State possession on the Texas 18-yard line with 36 seconds remaining. Ben Grogan, who tied the game with a field goal with 1:33 remaining, tacked on the game-winner for the Cowboys from 40 yards out.

“Two straight Saturdays you had it right there in your hands and let it slip away,” Texas coach Charlie Strong said.

Strong contributed to the miscues by drawing a personal foul for complaining to the referees. The penalty helped set up the game-tying field goal by Grogan from 41 yards. Strong’s infraction came after a holding call against the Longhorns caused his frustrations to boil over.

“I probably shouldn’t have got the call I got, but I got upset and I’ve got to learn to just control my composure,” said Strong, who now is 7-10 overall in his second season as Texas coach.

Hill’s interception return was the only score the Longhorns managed in the second half. A double-pass play the Longhorns executed for a 53-yard gain was ruled illegal. In addition, an interception return into Oklahoma State territory was called back because DT Poona Ford roughed the passer.

Mistakes such as those continue to affect the slim margin of error the Longhorns are playing with and tilt it in favor of opponents.

Next: at TCU, Oct. 3.

TEXAS TECH (3-1, 0-1)

Game: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52. QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 392 yards and two touchdowns despite injuring his left knee early in the first quarter. RB Deandre Washington shouldered more of the load for the Red Raiders, rushing for a career-best 188 yards on 24 carries. Tech allowed a touchdown on a tipped pass with 23 seconds left, but nearly pulled out a miracle with a series of laterals downfield following a 24-yard completion on the game’s final play before WR Jakeem Grant was finally pushed out of bounds at the TCU 8-yard line.

Takeaway: Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was quick to credit his quarterback for a “gutsy performance.”

“He wasn’t his normal self, I think you could see that,” Kingsbury added.

Although Mahomes was clearly hobbled and wore a knee brace for the remainder of the game following a hit he took on a 15-yard keeper, he did not play as if injured. At least not according to the stats which were accumulated in video game fashion as the teams opened Big 12 play by trading the lead 10 times.

Had protection issues materialized, Kingsbury said he would have summoned backup QB Davis Webb, who played in eight games last season and led the Red Raiders with 2,539 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. Yet Mahomes was sacked just once and had ample protection.

“He took a few shots,” said Kingsbury, “but no, never really got to (replacing Mahomes).”

The issue now for the Red Raiders will be bouncing back from such a disappointment after having the No. 3 team in the country on the ropes. The defensive matchup will get no easier on Oct. 3 when Tech travels to a neutral site, Cowboys Stadium, to face Baylor, which has generated 700-plus yards in each of its games during a 3-0 start.

“You get 12 opportunities a year guaranteed,” Kingsbury reasoned. “So you’d better get ready for each one, and that team we’re playing next week, I mean, is as good as anyone in the country. … Can’t fault our effort. We just didn’t execute the way we have been the previous weeks.”

Washington, who rushed for four touchdowns, put it this way: “We played that game to the end, and how it ended? I just feel like that is a tough one. But you know, we’ve still got a long season to go.”

Next: vs. Baylor (at Arlington, Tex.), Oct. 3.

WEST VIRGINIA (3-0, 0-0)

Game: West Virginia 45, Maryland 6. RB Wendell Smallwood rushed for a career-best 147 yards and the Mountaineers generated 601 yards of total offense, establishing a 38-0 halftime lead before punching the cruise control. QB Skyler Howard completed 21-of-33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns as West Virginia remained undefeated going into Big 12 play. The Mountaineers allowed only 23 points in nonconference play. The win over Maryland was the ninth in the last 10 meetings.

Takeaway: Sooner or later, Howard was bound to throw an interception. He did so in the second quarter, ending a string of 178 attempts without a pick.

“It was going to happen. It’s part of the game,” Howard said. “I’m not glad it happened, but I’m glad it happened (against a nonconference opponent).”

Any concern over the interception was mitigated by how West Virginia established control from the outset. Maryland can be credited for adding to the Mountaineers’ intensity. A late hit out of bounds on Howard by the Terrapins’ A.J. Hendy provided extra incentive.

“Not that we weren’t fired up,” said Howard, “because this was a big game with a big atmosphere, and obviously, we respect our opponent. But we don’t really care for them. I think that (late hit) fired everybody up, including me.”

The West Virginia defense made key stops, including interceptions in the end zone by S Karl Joseph and CB Daryl Worley to blunt Maryland scoring opportunities. Maryland QB Caleb Rowe passed for only 67 yards, going 10-of-27, before he was replaced by Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman, who engineered the Terrapins’ only touchdown.

The Mountaineers entered with a Big 12-best turnover ratio of plus-5, and boosted that to plus-10 with the six takeaways against the Terrapins. Five different Mountaineers snagged interceptions.

Next: at Oklahoma, Oct. 3.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Oklahoma State needed to alternate quarterbacks against Texas after starter Mason Rudolph struggled. Backup J.W. Walsh, the Cowboys starter to begin last season before an injury limited him to four games, played for most of the fourth quarter.

Not that the Cowboys were going to gamble much in that period. Their play selection prior to a 41-yard field goal by PK Ben Grogan that tied the game with 1:33 remaining consisted entirely of running plays that went nowhere. But after Rudolph had thrown two interceptions, one of which was returned for a third quarter touchdown, head coach Mike Gundy was going to be conservative.

“I thought our defense was playing good enough,” Gundy said. “We had already made mistakes and put ourselves in a difficult situation. We needed a field goal to try to get this thing in overtime, to try and regroup and try to put something together. I didn’t want to make another critical mistake and take ourselves out of the game.”

As it was, Texas made the critical error, failing to get off a good punt inside a minute and allowing Oklahoma State to take possession on the Longhorns 18-yard line. Grogan again was summoned and booted a game-winning 40-yarder.

That ending enabled Oklahoma State to overcome shaky play from Rudolph, a sophomore whose redshirt was stripped in the 11th game last season. He then delivered wins over Oklahoma and Washington.

Rudolph will remain the Cowboys starter. There is no quarterback controversy. He just needs to learn from his mistakes and move on after ineffective play caused him to be replaced by Walsh, a backup who has his own package of plays the OSU staff has designed.

“This was his seventh game,” Gundy said of Rudolph, “so he’s running out of it being early in his career. He needs to pick it up a little bit, but (Texas) is the best team he’s played this year. This team has speed. They’ve got size. They’ve got strength. … So that was (Rudolph’s) first challenge. It is early in his career, but he needs to play better. Period.”

–Texas Tech has often faced questions regarding its defense, dating back to when Mike Leach established his Air Raid system and the Red Raiders were at their best in the Big 12.

Following a 55-52 loss to TCU, the questions remain. Tech could not manage many stops, including the one they needed on a fourth down play with 23 seconds left when the Horned Frogs scored the decisive touchdown on a deflection RB Aaron Green snagged in the back of the end zone.

The connection capped a 750-yard effort by TCU, including 503 through the air. Texas Tech knew that kind of shootout was possible but could not capitalize on injuries that left seven TCU regulars out on defense. The Tech offense was able to move the ball, but the defense could never protect a lead.

“They just do a good job of doing what they do,” LB Micah Awe said. “They are No. 3 in the nation for a reason. They got a couple of run plays on us but at the end of the day we are a defense. We’ve got to stop them from making more points than our offense.”

Texas Tech ranked ninth in the Big 12 in total defense a year ago, permitting 513.4 yards per game. The unit appeared to be making strides through a 3-0 start against nonconference opponents. But TCU was a different animal, particularly with Boykin and WR Josh Doctson connecting for 18 receptions. Doctson was the Horned Frog who tipped the game-winning TD, which Green was alert enough to retrieve.

“They did everything they could,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said of his defense on the last touchdown. “They’ve got great players. (Doctson is) probably the only cat in America that could get his hand on that, and (Green) is a tremendous running back, does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield. Big-time play. They made a big-time play and our guys did everything they could.”

–West Virginia had its backs to the wall numerous times against Maryland, yet the defense delivered with two interceptions in the end zone. Another time, just when the Terrapins appeared to be headed in for a 55-yard TD run, CB Terrell Chestnut made a strip near the goal line and the ball bounced through the end zone for a touchback.

It’s still early and its possible West Virginia’s defensive fortunes have been the result of weak opposition. Going into Big 12 play, however, the Mountaineers will carry an impressive turnover ratio of plus-10 while allowing just 7.7 points through a 3-0 start that included a 45-6 rout of Maryland.

“Now it’s time to move on to the Big 12,” said defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, fully aware the Mountaineers face a stiff challenge traveling to Oklahoma on Oct. 3. “We still have to clean up a couple mistakes. We had a couple open-field tackles we missed.”

Otherwise, West Virginia was thoroughly dominant against Maryland. A 38-0 shutout was recorded in the first half before the Terrapins called on a backup quarterback, Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman, to execute their only touchdown march.

“Our guys came out and played hard; played hard for three quarters,” Gibson said. “I then put some backup guys in and we gave up a touchdown. That was disappointing because we didn’t get the shutout, but the ultimate goal is to win.”

Finding one outstanding stat line for a WVU defender would be difficult. Nine Mountaineers recorded tackles for loss, including three sacks. Their tackling leader, LB Jared Barber, was credited with five stops. It was a team effort, something West Virginia’s defense continues to build as a potential surprise team in the Big 12.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I didn’t expect anything different. Obviously I’d rather not have given up that many points, but if our job on defense this year is to hold them to one less, then that’s what we do. All we care about is every week we move forward and we win a ballgame. You’ve got to give it to coach (Kliff) Kingsbury. That’s a lot different (Texas Tech) football team than I saw a year ago. Played all the way to the end, and you know, they about didn’t come up short.” — TCU coach Gary Patterson.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 4 IN THE BIG 12:

1. TCU could be living on a borrowed time because of its defensive shortcomings. Still, QB Trevone Boykin gives the Horned Frogs a leader who never says die. He knows how to use his playmakers and did so in the clutch for a road win against much-improved Texas Tech.

2. Oklahoma State allowed touchdowns on returns of a fumble and interception by Texas, yet the Cowboys hung tough and claimed a road win in their Big 12 opener. PK Ben Grogan booted two field goals in the final 93 seconds to first tie the game and then win it and salvage a salty defensive effort.

3. Texas Tech did everything it could offensively to upset TCU, but the Red Raiders could not make a late stop as the Horned Frogs converted a tip drill for the decisive touchdown. The performance was still encouraging for Tech and also proof that Kliff Kingsbury could be on the right track as the Red Raiders coach.

4. Baylor enjoyed its best performance to date from all three units. It exceeded the 700-yard mark in total offense for the third time in as many games. The Bears rely on balance, something that goes overlooked sometimes because of the explosive capability of a passing attack led by QB Seth Russell.

5. West Virginia blew out Maryland to cap an unbeaten run through nonconference play. The Mountaineers boosted their turnover ratio to plus-10 with six interceptions, including two in the end zone to blunt Maryland opportunities. RB Wendell Smallwood is an underrated, but capable, rusher.