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GoFrogs: No. 5 TCU Escapes Upset at Kansas, 34-30

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http://www.gofrogs.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/111514aaa.html
 
No. 5 TCU Escapes Upset at Kansas, 34-30

Trevone Boykin added 330 yards passing and a touchdown for TCU .
 
Final Stats |  Notes |  Photo Gallery 1 
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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - TCU coach Gary Patterson spent most of Saturday watching every bounce, blooper and bizarre play go against his team on a frigid afternoon at Kansas.
 
In the end, the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs did just enough to turn back a spirited upset bid by the Jayhawks and remain in contention for the inaugural college football playoff.
 
"A lot of people would have lost that ballgame," Patterson said after the 34-30 win. "There wasn't any style points here other than the fact that we fought back and won the game."
 
Aaron Green ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Cameron Echols-Luper returned a punt 69 yards for another score to pace the comeback from a 27-17 third-quarter deficit. Trevone Boykin added 330 yards passing and a touchdown as TCU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 4 CFP) avoided what would have been a catastrophic blow to its national title hopes.
 
The Horned Frogs won their fifth straight, even without top running back B.J. Catalon. And with a trip to Texas followed by a home game against lowly Iowa State, they may have the easiest road standing between them and the four-team playoff for the national title.
 
Still, even after Chris Hackett's interception with 3:26 left sealed the victory, the underwhelming performance could cost TCU its spot in the playoff committee's top four.
 
"We're not too worried about it," Boykin said. "It's not up to us. It's up to the committee."
 
Michael Cummings had 332 yards and two touchdowns passing for the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6), who were trying for their first regular-season win over a top-five team since beating Colorado in 1995.
 
Jimmay Mundine had 137 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Nigel King had 128 yards and a score as the Jayhawks nearly gave a sparse crowd of about 10,000 fans a reason to celebrate.
 
"We were a play or two away from probably a better day," Bowen said.
 
TCU did what most expected on the game's opening drive, going 67 yards in just over 2 minutes for a touchdown. But after that, nothing went as expected for quite some time.
 
After holding Kansas, TCU was flagged for roughing the punter. Later in the drive, the Jayhawks attempted a field goal and holder T.J. Millweard dropped the snap, scrambled to his left and threw a pass for a first down instead. Then, a TCU player batted a third-down pass and it was caught by the Jayhawks' Nick Harwell for another first down.
 
Finally, Corey Avery capped the bizarre 17-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
 
"We didn't get a lot of breaks," Hackett said with a smile.
 
Kansas held on fourth-and-1 at its 11 to get the ball back, and the Jayhawks promptly headed 89 yards the other way, with Mundine hauling in a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Kansas the lead.
 
By that point, the few thousand fans in Memorial Stadium were awaking from stunned silence.
 
Not everything went perfectly for Kansas. A 22-yard interception return for a TD was wiped away by an illegal substitution penalty, and a 16-yard pass into the red zone for a first down was taken away by a review that showed the ball had skipped off the turf. The Jayhawks wound up punting.
 
Still, they headed into the locker room with a 13-10 lead.
 
Kansas pushed the lead to 20-10 with an 82-yard drive to start the second half, and the Horned Frogs answered with a 72-yard drive that Green capped with a short touchdown run.
 
That set up one of the game's highlights: Cummings threw a pass to King down the sideline, and the big wide receiver caught the ball after three bobbles and ran 78 yards for the score.
 
There was still plenty of time, and the Horned Frogs showed plenty of poise.
 
After a quick drive downfield, Green's 24-yard touchdown run pulled TCU to 27-24. And after the Horned Frogs' defense forced a punt, Echols-Luper sliced through the coverage for his big return that gave them their first lead since the game's opening minutes.
 
TCU held on through a tense fourth quarter to avoid the upset bid.
 
"We knew it was going to be tough," Boykin said. "Everybody is going to be out for us because we're one of the teams at the top right now."
 
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TCU vs. Kansas Postgame Notes

Team Notes
*The Horned Frogs have opened with a record of 9-1 or better for the fourth time in the last seven seasons and sixth time in 14 years under head coach Gary Patterson.
*TCU improved to 27-3 when taking the field as a top-10 team under Patterson, including a 17-1 mark while ranked in the top 5.
*TCU had at least one sack and one interception in a nation's-best 12th straight game.
*TCU extended its nation's-best current streak to 12 consecutive games of scoring at least 30 points.
*TCU had a touchdown drive on its opening possession for the seventh time in 10 games this season.
*TCU scored for the 277th consecutive game. It's the nation's second-longest current streak and sixth all-time in NCAA history. The Horned Frogs haven't been blanked since Nov. 16, 1991 at Texas (32-0).
*TCU had its second-straight block of an opponent's PAT. Ranthony Texada had the block after Kansas' first touchdown, while Bryson Henderson blocked the extra-point attempt following Kansas State's final score last week.
*TCU's team captains were Trevone Boykin, Sam Carter, Joey Hunt and Davion Pierson.
*TCU wore its traditional all-white road uniform with a white helmet.
 
Individual Notes
*Trevone Boykin's 27-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Ty Slanina gave him a new single-season school record for total offense. Boykin now has 3,586 yards, breaking the Horned Frogs' previous mark of 3,292 by Andy Dalton in 2010.
*A 14-yard third-quarter completion to Slanina gave Boykin TCU's single-season passing yards record. He's now at 3,021 yards, breaking Casey Pachall's mark of 2,921 (2011).
*Boykin had a school record sixth career 300-yard passing game with his 330 yards today. The previous mark of five was shared by Dalton (2007-10) and Pachall (2010-13).
*Boykin's touchdown pass was his 24th of the campaign, tying him with Max Knake (1994) for third on TCU's single-season chart.
*Slanina totaled a career-high 95 yards receiving while tying a career-best with six catches, including his second scoring grab of the season and third of his career.
*Aaron Green topped 100 yards rushing for the third time in the last four games with his team-high 128 yards on 19 carries, including third-quarter scoring runs of 3 and 24 yards. He now has six rushing touchdowns on the season.
*Green had four receptions for 26 yards, all in the first half. He entered the game with five catches on the season.
*Chris Hackett recorded an interception for the fourth consecutive game. He leads the Big 12 with six picks on the season.
*Paul Dawson had his fifth sack of the season, tying Mike Tuaua for the team lead.
*Terrell Lathan recorded his third sack on the year.
*Cameron Echols-Luper's 69-yard punt return for a touchdown was TCU's first score in that manner since Deante' Gray went 70 yards against Grambling State in 2012.
*Jaden Oberkrom's 24- and 25-yard field goals made him 18-of-22 on the season. He has made 11 of his last 12 attempts.
*Ranthony Texada blocked a Kansas extra-point attempt. As a senior at Frisco (Texas) Centennial High School, Texada blocked five field goals.
*Hackett had his first career punt return for six yards.
*Buck Jones had his first two career kickoff returns for a total of 23 yards.
*Wide receiver Ja'Juan Story made his first collegiate start.
 
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