STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — TCU felt ignored heading into its matchup with high-powered Oklahoma State.
The Horned Frogs can’t be overlooked anymore. Darius Anderson ran for a career-high 160 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 16 TCU upset the sixth-ranked Cowboys 44-31 on Saturday to stamp the Horned Frogs as a Big 12 contender.
“People can say what they want to say, but we know what we are, and we try to be the best team every day,” TCU defensive end Ben Banogu said. “But you don’t just get there after one big win, it’s throughout the season. If we can keep the ball rolling and keeping doing what we do, then we’ll find ourselves in that conversation.”
Kenny Hill passed for 228 yards for the Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who ran 52 times for 238 yards.
“We want to be relevant, you want to win enough to get noticed,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “It also was an advantage that no one was giving us a chance.”
TCU gave Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph time to throw, but he often couldn’t find enough open receivers and settled for short passes or threw the ball away.
Rudolph completed 22-of-41 passes for 398 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions.
James Washington caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown and Marcell Ateman caught six passes for 100 yards for the Cowboys (3-1, 0-1).
TCU focused on taking away the deep ball. The Horned Frogs got burned once, on an 86-yard touchdown catch by Washington. But most of the rest of their passes were underneath, and many required precise throws by Rudolph.
The Horned Frogs led 37-17 in the fourth quarter before the Cowboys rallied and cut the deficit to six points.
Anderson's 42-yard touchdown run with 2:37 remaining closed the deal.
Oklahoma State committed four turnovers to one for TCU.
“We didn’t play very smart and very disciplined, and really, we got outcoached,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “I thought that they had better plans, and their players executed their plans better than we did.”
Takeaways
TCU: The Horned Frogs controlled the clock against Oklahoma State’s previously stingy defense for much of the game. TCU ran 85 plays and kept the ball for just over 39 minutes.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys, who had been averaging nearly 200 yards rushing per game, were held to 101 yards on 31 carries. Rudolph, who had emerged as one of the favorites in the Heisman race, took a step back with the loss.
Poll Implications
TCU: Winning against a Top 6 team is rare, especially on the road. Add TCU’s reputation and unbeaten record, and the Horned Frogs should get a significant boost, possibly into the Top 10.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys likely will fall out of the top 10. Though TCU is a good team, Oklahoma State doesn’t have a quality nonconference win to soften the blow.
“We’re ready to win again,” Oklahoma State safety Ramon Richards said. “We’re ready to win. That’s our mindset, regardless of any game, whether we win or not. We always come prepared and ready to win.”