FORT WORTH – A 21-point fourth quarter propelled TCU past a feisty Texas Tech squad, 34-24, to improve to 8-0 on the season and remain in the College Football Playoff discussion for at least another week. Texas Tech is now 4-5 and 0-4 on the road. Each of those road defeats came against ranked competition. 

The Horned Frogs entered the final 15 minutes trailing 17-13 and without an offensive touchdown. The only touchdown for TCU in the first three quarters was a punt return by Derius Davis. But the floodgates opened in the fourth quarter. TCU scored on a two-yard run by Kendre Miller with 13:25 left in the game. The drive was aided by three penalties. In fact, those three penalties accounted for 45 yards on the drive, while the offense only gained 15. 

The Horned Frogs never looked back after taking a 20-17 lead, scoring a few more times on short fields as the Texas Tech offense struggled to move the ball and failed on a pair of fourth down attempts. The Red Raiders were 3 of 16 on third down and 3 of 6 on fourth down. 

THREE THOUGHTS 

Survive and advance: The math is simple for TCU. Win out, including a victory in the Big 12 championship game, and the Horned Frogs will reach the College Football Playoff. Lose once along the way, and all hopes are gone for Sonny Dykes’ crew. That’s life in a four-team playoff as a member of the Big 12. The Big 10 gets one spot, as does the SEC. Another is reserved for Clemson if the Tigers go undefeated. That only leaves one spot, and the only way TCU gets it over the second place SEC team, or a one-loss USC, is to remain perfect. 

The offense struggled for most of the game. Garrett Riley’s offense didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. Miller, who ended up topping the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in seven games, was forced to fight for every single yard. The unit only managed 132 passing yards and 3.7 yards per rush in the first half. The group settled for two short field goals during that span. 

The passing attack suffered without Quentin Johnston in the game, who was sidelined with injury after the first drive. Max Duggan was 12 of 23 for 195 yards and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. Only two players – Taye Barber and Derius Davis – caught more than one pass. Barber was the only receiver with over 40 yards receiving. Miller led the way with 158 yards on the ground thanks to a 50-yard run in the second half. He scored a touchdown in his 10th consecutive contest, which is second in school history behind LaDainian Tomlinson. 

Defensive improvements: TCU would’ve lost this game in 2021 because its defense wouldn’t have played well for long enough for the offense to find its footing. The offensive improvements under Dykes’ staff get a ton of credit, but the improvements on the other side of the football shouldn’t go unnoticed. The run defense was especially atrocious last year with the unit allowing 220 yards per game and 5.8 yards per rush. Joe Gillespie was hired to install an odd-man front that put more big bodies in the trenches. 

The change is working. TCU allowed 35 points per game in 2021. That number is below 27 points per game in 2022 following the win over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders scored a late touchdown with the game out of reach, but before that, TCU only allowed 17 points despite its offense failing to control the ball and stay on the field. Texas Tech quarterbacks combined to go 16 of 32 for 163 yards through the air, including one interception. The rushing attack averaged fewer than five yards per carry and the defensive unit registered four sacks. 

Back to the drawing board: The home win over Texas probably provided Texas Tech and its fan base false hopes for the 2022 campaign. This was a rebuilding project for Joey McGuire and his staff, especially along the offensive line. The lack of consistency up front limits the Zach Kittley offense. They can’t keep a quarterback healthy, and there isn’t enough protection to call drop-back passes in obvious passing situations. The Red Raiders ran the ball on third-and-long multiple times to avoid putting Behren Morton or Tyler Shough in harm’s way. Morton was 7 of 10 before exiting with a lower leg injury late in the first half. Shough was 9 of 22 for 84 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in relief. 

The game plan kept Texas Tech in the game early, as the offense relied on the two-headed running back monster of Sarodorick Thompson and Tahj Brooks. Tech ran 33 plays in the first half – 22 were on the ground. Only 17 of the team’s 38 second-half plays were runs. And that was trending true before TCU built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. 

Kittley went away from the running game early in the second half, including running three straight pass plays to begin the first possession of the third quarter. That resulted in a three-and-out and a punt. Texas Tech had the ball up four with a chance to put real pressure on a struggling TCU offense but failed to capitalize each time due to an inconsistent passing attack.