TCU holds off Oklahoma State on the road: 3 takeaways

Here’s what we learned from the No. 16 TCU Horned Frogs upsetting the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday afternoon on Stillwater.

The Big 12 no longer appears to be a two-team race after the No. 16 Horned Frogs took down the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys in an impressive 44-31 victory on Saturday in Stillwater.

TCU wasn’t intimidated by raucous Boone Pickens Stadium early on, and managed two field goals on a pair of long drives to take a 6-0 lead near the end of the first quarter. Gary Patterson’s team did an excellent job of keeping the ball away from Mason Rudolph, as the Cowboys ran just six offensive plays in the first 12 minutes.

Of course, Oklahoma State’s offense has the rare ability to completely change a game in an instant, and Rudolph connected with All-American James Washington on an 86-yard touchdown thirty seconds later. The Horned Frogs responded less than three minutes later themselves on a Darius Anderson touchdown catch, with two Oklahoma State personal fouls aiding the cause.

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Following a rare turnover by Rudolph on a fumble, the Horned Frogs stretched the lead to 20-7 on Kenny Hill’s short touchdown pass to John Diarse. Despite an ugly interception from Kenny Hill, Oklahoma State managed only one more field goal before half to make it a 20-10 contest.

Chris Bradley kept the TCU rolling early in the second by picking off Rudolph, and Anderson scored six plays later to put the Horned Frogs up 17. Rudolph recovered quickly by the leading the Cowboys on a quick three-minute drive and connected with Dillon Stoner to cut the deficit to 10 once again.

While the Horned Frogs pushed the lead as high as 20 with an effective ground game, Oklahoma State refused to go away and made it a 37-24 game with 9:44 to go on a Justice Hill touchdown catch. Oklahoma State really had some hope after a Calvin Bundage sack forced a TCU three-and-out, but receiver Jalen McCleskey threw an interception on an ill-advised double pass near the red zone.

McCleskey atoned for his mistake moments later with a long catch to set up Hill’s touchdown, cutting the deficit to just six points with 3:03 remaining. Horned Frogs star KaVontae Turpin then made his first impact play of the day on a long return, and Anderson broke off a 42-yard touchdown to seal a 44-31 victory that will have TCU in the early-season playoff discussion.

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Here’s what we learned from the Horned Frogs’ impressive road win on Saturday.

1. Gary Patterson and Sonny Cumbie crafted the perfect gameplan.

Patterson’s strategy to limit the Cowboys offense was simple enough yet effective, and the Horned Frogs did a brilliant job of keeping the ball away from Rudolph and company.

The first quarter set the tone, as TCU aimed to control the time of possession while letting Anderson and its defense win the game. Cumbie didn’t ask mistake-prone quarterback Kenny Hill to do much other than throw quick slants and make plays with his legs, and the Texas A&M transfer only made one costly error with the bad interception in the second.

TCU held the ball for over 39 minutes behind Anderson, who tallied over 200 total yards and three touchdowns even with backfield mate Kyle Hicks out due to injury. Patterson has proven an ability to adapt to any game situation from a defensive slugfest in the win over Arkansas to last week’s up-tempo offensive attack to overwhelm SMU, which will be an advantage for TCU throughout Big 12 play.

2. Oklahoma State has to clean up the self-inflicted mistakes

The Cowboys have no margin for error if they are to make a major bowl game this year, and will need to cut down on unforced errors in order to beat the likes of Oklahoma or West Virginia later in the year.

Oklahoma State was penalized eight times for 77 yards in the game, more than triple TCU’s total, and committed a number of infractions in crucial situations. Two unnecessary personal fouls led to a TCU touchdown in the second quarter, and an offensive pass interference stalled a drive that could have cut the deficit late in the fourth.

Rudolph, who threw all of four interceptions a year ago, was picked off twice and failed to sense pressure from behind after holding the ball too long on a fumble in the second quarter. McCleskey’s interception capped things off, as Oklahoma State’s play-calling got way too cute given all the talent they have on offense.

3. The Horned Frogs’ defense is playoff caliber

After two rare down years that were plagued by injuries, Patterson’s defense again appears to be one of the nation’s elite units, which gives TCU a chance to run the table in Big 12 play.

Patterson is widely regarded as one of the best secondary coaches in college football, and it showed on Saturday. Ranthony Texada and company held Rudolph to a pedestrian 22-of-41, 398-yard performance, and Oklahoma State didn’t generate many splash plays outside of Washington’s long touchdown until it was too late.

The secondary was expected to be good, but TCU’s less proven defensive line was even more impressive. TCU pushed Oklahoma State’s offensive line around at the line of scrimmage and held the Cowboys to 101 rushing yards while harassing Rudolph all afternoon.