TCU Escapes Texas With Crucial Win, Earns Big 12 Title Game Berth

The Horned Frogs faced a tough road test in Austin and inched closer to a potential College Football Playoff berth.

No. 4 TCU escaped a defensive struggle with No. 18 Texas 17–10 on Saturday night in Austin to clinch a trip to the Big 12 title game next month and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Behind a suffocating defensive effort, the Horned Frogs took a 3–0 lead into halftime. With both teams struggling to find offense, TCU running back Kendre Miller broke a 75-yard touchdown run with 5:08 to go in the 3rd quarter to extend TCU’s lead to 10–0.

After a Texas field goal late in the third made it a one-score game once again, Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan hit star receiver Quentin Johnson for a 31-yard touchdown to go up 17–3 with 12:36 to play in the game.

Texas struggled all night to find any semblance of offense, so a defensive score with 4:25 to go gave the Longhorns late life. TCU’s Duggan and Miller fumbled the ball on a read option play that was picked up by Texas’s Jahdae Barron and returned 48 yards for a touchdown to once again make it a one-score game.

For as well as Texas played defensively all night, it couldn’t get off the field when it counted. The Longhorns elected to kick the ball away to TCU, and the Horned Frogs’ offense picked up three first downs to burn the final 4:25 of game time to escape Austin with a crucial victory. 

TCU is now 10–0 for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, Texas is now 6–4 on the season, and despite showing progress in year two under Steve Sarkisian, will need to finish the year strong to avoid yet another disappointing season.