NCAAF

TCU Horned Frogs at Kansas Jayhawks

· NCAA - Football
3-2, 2-1 Away
Final
38 - 27
1-4, 1-2 Home

Jack Hoover throws for 356 yards, three TDs as TCU beats Kansas 38-27 at Arrowhead Stadium

'How'd he do it?!' LaMareon James comes down with one-handed INT to seal TCU win

Jack Bech had 131 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and Cam Cook had a touchdown run, helping the Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) improve to 11-1 against the Jayhawks (1-4, 0-2) since they became conference rivals 12 years ago.

“We just kept fighting. There was no panic,” said TCU coach Sonny Dykes, whose defense had just allowed a 101 combined points in back-to-back losses to UCF and SMU. “Guys stepped up and they were tougher and grittier and more determined to win, and sometimes teams that lose two games in a row don't respond that way.”

The Horned Frogs shut down Jalon Daniels, who was 15 of 34 for 179 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Daniel Hishaw and Devin Neal had TD runs for Kansas, but they were unable to carry the load alone.

The Jayhawks, who have lost four straight, are playing their home Big 12 games at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. And their current losing streak may have been a big reason why there were plenty of empty red and yellow seats.

“Extremely down, but why wouldn’t you be? We put all this time in and we’re not making it happen,” Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold said. “It starts with the head coach. I’m not getting it done and I need to be better.”

Leipold spent much of the second half livid with referee Michael VanderVelde. The officials first overturned a long third-down catch by the Jayhawks after discussing the play, and the on-field call stood upon video review. A few minutes later, Hoover was hit from behind and fumbled, but VanderVelde overturned that call and gave TCU the ball back.

“Did it drastically change the momentum of the game? Yes. Did we still need to make plays and didn’t? Yes,” said Leipold, who spent several minutes blasting the officiating. “They can fine me today. I don’t really care.”

Kansas was fortunate to be within 21-17 at halftime thanks to a couple of TCU turnovers — a fumble on the opening series that Daniels turned into a touchdown pass to Luke Grimm, and a pick by O.J. Burroughs that turned into a field goal.

Otherwise, the Jayhawks were unable to slow down Hoover and the Horned Frogs.

The prolific sophomore was 21 of 26 for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. His favorite target was Bech, who had seven catches by that point, including a 35-yard TD reception and a 7-yard scoring strike with 12 seconds to go.

The teams swapped scores to start the second half — Hishaw had a TD run for Kansas, Richardson answered with his punt return to retake the lead for TCU. But ultimately, mistakes and missed opportunities doomed the Jayhawks once again.

Their biggest missed chance came early in the fourth quarter, when the Horned Frogs were clinging to a 28-24 lead. Kansas had to settle for a field goal, rather than take the lead with a touchdown. Two plays later, Hoover hit Eric McAlister near the sideline, and he slipped tackles by Burroughs and Mello Dotson on his way to a 59-yard touchdown reception.

“We had some adversity today and fought through,” Hoover said. “I'm really proud of our guys.”

Kyle Lemmermann atoned for an earlier miss with a 29-yard field goal with 3:02 remaining to put the game away.

“I can't say enough about our players,” Dykes said. “I'm proud of them for how hard they worked all week. They never blinked, just with all the stuff last week, having my back personally. I really appreciate it.”

The takeaway TCU overcame three turnovers thanks largely to a defense that was able to clamp down on the Kansas passing game. "Very seldom do you win a football game when you turn the ball over three times," Dykes said. “We were very fortunate that way.”

Kansas only had six penalties for 50 yards, but they came at especially bad times. And when open players are dropping passes and the defense is blowing assignments, the accumulated mistakes became too much to overcome.

Up next TCU returns to face Houston on Friday night.

Kansas heads to Arizona State on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks?
  • TV Channel: Horned Frogs at Jayhawks 2021 College Football, week 5, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Jayhawks: 61.1%
Horned Frogs: 38.9%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

KU TD 1st Period 10:18 Luke Grimm 15 Yd pass from Jalon Daniels (Tabor Allen Kick)
TCU TD 1st Period 8:29 Jack Bech 35 Yd pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann Kick)
KU TD 1st Period 3:59 Devin Neal 2 Yd Run (Tabor Allen Kick)
TCU TD 2nd Period 13:59 Cam Cook 3 Yd Run (Kyle Lemmermann Kick)
KU FG 2nd Period 2:57 Tabor Allen 24 Yd Field Goal
TCU TD 2nd Period 0:17 Jack Bech 7 Yd pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann Kick)
KU TD 3rd Period 8:58 Daniel Hishaw Jr. 8 Yd Run (Tabor Allen Kick)
TCU TD 3rd Period 1:46 JP Richardson 89 Yd Punt Return (Kyle Lemmermann Kick)
KU FG 4th Period 12:07 Tabor Allen 41 Yd Field Goal
TCU TD 4th Period 11:20 Eric McAlister 59 Yd pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann Kick)
TCU FG 4th Period 3:02 Kyle Lemmermann 29 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2628.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTCU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2305.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKU
26 1st Downs 20
5-11 3rd down efficiency 9-17
1-1 4th down efficiency 0-1
507 Total Yards 346
356 Passing 179
28/37 Comp/Att 15/34
9.6 Yards per pass 5.3
151 Rushing 167
35 Rushing Attempts 34
4.3 Yards per rush 4.9
5-52 Penalties 6-50
3 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
2 Interceptions thrown 1
28:24 Possession 31:36

Game Information

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Location: Kansas City, MO
Attendance: 47,928 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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