TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
GoFrogs: TCU Comes Back to Win Valero Alamo Bowl
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Kenny Hill passed for two touchdowns, ran for another and even caught one as No. 13 TCU rallied from a big early deficit to beat 15th-ranked Stanford 39-37 in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday night.
Cole Bunce's 33-yard field goal with just over 3 minutes to play won it for the Horned Frogs (11-3), who trailed 21-3 before storming back behind big plays from Hill and a 76-yard punt return from Desmon White. TCU rallied from 31 down in to beat Oregon in the 2015 Alamo Bowl.
Stanford (9-5) running back Bryce Love, a Heisman Trophy finalist, rushed for 145 yards and had a 69-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. K.J. Costello had three touchdown passes to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the last one giving Stanford a 37-36 lead.
Hill then drove TCU to Bunce's game winner. The Horned Frogs defense sealed it with an interception by Innis Gaines with 2:01 left.
Hill finished with 314 yards passing, a team-high 60 yards rushing and caught a 27-yard TD pass from White in his final game.
Love finished with the season with 2,118 yards rushing, the school's single-season record.
THE TAKEAWAY
TCU: The Horned Frogs defended Love about as well as anyone this season despite the long touchdown run. Most important, they didn't let him take over the game in the second half, which let Hill and the offense rally. When the running game wasn't working, the TCU defense could get after Costello, who struggled under pressure after his quick start.
Stanford: The Cardinal were doomed by the big play just when they had a chance to put the game away. After pinning TCU deep, Hill connected with Jalen Reagor on a 93-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. White, who earlier had a costly fumble, then gave TCU its first lead with his punt return touchdown.
ON TO NEXT YEAR
TCU: Coach Gary Patterson has his program humming with 40 wins over the last four seasons, and the Horned Frogs expect to remain Big 12 title contenders even as Hill moves on after his final game. The Horned Frogs will have to find a new quarterback to do it, but Patterson's teams always play some of the best defense in the league.
Stanford: Love will have to decide his future and whether that will mean another year of school for the biology major and aspiring pediatrician with an interest in stem cell research, or a jump to the NFL. The trend has seen top players leave early, but Love already bucked the latest fad by choosing to play in his team's bowl game as he ponders his decision.
Coach David Shaw said this week hopes Love will return next season. If he does, pencil in the Cardinal as a Pac-12 favorite again.
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No. 15 TCU vs. No. 13 Stanford
Valero Alamo Bowl
Dec. 28, 2017
San Antonio, Texas - Alamodome
Attendance: 57,653
No. 15 TCU 39, No. 13 Stanford 37
Team Notes
* TCU reached 11 wins for the 10th time in the last 15 seasons under head coach Gary Patterson. It's also the third time in the last four years.
* TCU tied for its second-largest comeback victory (18 points, 21-3) under Patterson. TCU also trailed by 18 points before wins at BYU (2005) and Kansas State (2015) before its 31-point comeback in a 47-41 triple-overtime victory over Oregon in the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl.
* TCU trailed 21-10 at the half. In its previous Valero Alamo Bowl appearance, the Horned Frogs were down 31-0 at halftime to Oregon before rallying for a 47-41 triple-overtime victory that tied for the largest comeback in bowl history and second-largest in an FBS game.
* TCU played in the Valero Alamo Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
* Over the last four seasons, TCU's 40-13 overall record and 26-10 conference mark rank second in the Big 12.
* The Horned Frogs played 14 games in a season for the first time in program history.
* TCU played in the 33rd bowl game in its history and is now 16-16-1.
* The Horned Frogs improved to 10-6 in bowl games with Patterson as head coach and 12-6 with him on the coaching staff.
* Patterson improved to 6-0 against Pac-12 opponents, including a 3-0 record against Stanford. TCU previously defeated the Cardinal in 2007 and 2008.
* TCU improved to 25-22 against ranked opponents under Patterson.
* The 39 points scored and 488 yards of total offense were the third-most in a bowl game for TCU.
* TCU's 341 yards passing and 28 completions were the second-most in a bowl game in program history.
* TCU scored for the 320th consecutive game. It's the nation's second-longest current streak and fourth all-time in NCAA history. The Horned Frogs haven't been blanked since Nov. 16, 1991, at Texas (32-0).
* TCU's team captains were Ben Banogu, Kenny Hill, Travin Howard and Matt Pryor.
* TCU wore a black jersey with purple pants and a purple helmet.
Individual Notes
* Kenny Hill was named the Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player.
* For the second time in his career, Travin Howard was selected as the Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player.
* Howard, also the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP, had a team-best 10 tackles to reach double figures in stops for the 16th time in his career. He added two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
* Howard finished the season with 108 tackles, becoming the first Horned Frog in history to top 100 stops in three consecutive seasons.
* Howard's 343 tackles in his career are the most by a player in the 17-season tenure of head coach Gary Patterson.
* Hill's third reception of the season, and second scoring grab, came on a 27-yard pass from Desmon White.
* Hill had a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown. It's the second time he's accomplished the feat this season. All other FBS players have combined to do it once.
* Hill set a TCU bowl record with 401 yards of total offense (314 passing, 60 rushing and 27 receiving).
* Hill's 314 passing yards and 27 completions were the second-most in a bowl game by a Horned Frog.
* Hill had touchdown passes of 11 and 93 yards to give him 23 on the year, tying him with Andy Dalton (2009) for sixth in a season in TCU history.
* Hill's 93-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor tied for the fourth-longest play in TCU history.
* White accounted for touchdowns via passing, receiving and a punt return.
* White's 27-yard touchdown toss to Hill came on his first collegiate pass. He was a quarterback at DeSoto High School.
* White's 76-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first of his career and the ninth-longest in TCU history.
* White added an 11-yard touchdown catch.
* Reagor had his first career 100-yard receiving game with five catches for 169 yards. The 169 receiving yards were a TCU bowl record and rank third all-time in Valero Alamo Bowl history.
* Reagor tops all true freshman nationally with eight touchdown catches this season.
* Kyle Hicks tied a career-high with eight receptions to give him 102 in his career.
* John Diarse had two receptions for 32 yards, giving him at least one catch in 27 of the last 28 games.
* Diarse's 32 yards receiving put him over 1,000 in his two-year TCU career. He finished with 1,017.
* Nick Orr recorded his team-best third interception. His nine career picks are the most among active Horned Frogs.
* Innis Gaines registered his first career interception to seal the game in the fourth quarter.
* Ben Banogu's tackle for loss put him at 16 1/2 on the year, tying for eighth on the TCU season list.
* L.J. Collier had a sack to give him four on the season.
* Cole Bunce's first quarter 38-yard field goal and go-ahead 33-yard fourth quarter field goal made him 6-of-7 on the season.
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Kenny Hill passed for two touchdowns, ran for another and even caught one as No. 13 TCU rallied from a big early deficit to beat 15th-ranked Stanford 39-37 in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday night.
Cole Bunce's 33-yard field goal with just over 3 minutes to play won it for the Horned Frogs (11-3), who trailed 21-3 before storming back behind big plays from Hill and a 76-yard punt return from Desmon White. TCU rallied from 31 down in to beat Oregon in the 2015 Alamo Bowl.
Stanford (9-5) running back Bryce Love, a Heisman Trophy finalist, rushed for 145 yards and had a 69-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. K.J. Costello had three touchdown passes to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the last one giving Stanford a 37-36 lead.
Hill then drove TCU to Bunce's game winner. The Horned Frogs defense sealed it with an interception by Innis Gaines with 2:01 left.
Hill finished with 314 yards passing, a team-high 60 yards rushing and caught a 27-yard TD pass from White in his final game.
Love finished with the season with 2,118 yards rushing, the school's single-season record.
THE TAKEAWAY
TCU: The Horned Frogs defended Love about as well as anyone this season despite the long touchdown run. Most important, they didn't let him take over the game in the second half, which let Hill and the offense rally. When the running game wasn't working, the TCU defense could get after Costello, who struggled under pressure after his quick start.
Stanford: The Cardinal were doomed by the big play just when they had a chance to put the game away. After pinning TCU deep, Hill connected with Jalen Reagor on a 93-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. White, who earlier had a costly fumble, then gave TCU its first lead with his punt return touchdown.
ON TO NEXT YEAR
TCU: Coach Gary Patterson has his program humming with 40 wins over the last four seasons, and the Horned Frogs expect to remain Big 12 title contenders even as Hill moves on after his final game. The Horned Frogs will have to find a new quarterback to do it, but Patterson's teams always play some of the best defense in the league.
Stanford: Love will have to decide his future and whether that will mean another year of school for the biology major and aspiring pediatrician with an interest in stem cell research, or a jump to the NFL. The trend has seen top players leave early, but Love already bucked the latest fad by choosing to play in his team's bowl game as he ponders his decision.
Coach David Shaw said this week hopes Love will return next season. If he does, pencil in the Cardinal as a Pac-12 favorite again.
++++++++++++
No. 15 TCU vs. No. 13 Stanford
Valero Alamo Bowl
Dec. 28, 2017
San Antonio, Texas - Alamodome
Attendance: 57,653
No. 15 TCU 39, No. 13 Stanford 37
Team Notes
* TCU reached 11 wins for the 10th time in the last 15 seasons under head coach Gary Patterson. It's also the third time in the last four years.
* TCU tied for its second-largest comeback victory (18 points, 21-3) under Patterson. TCU also trailed by 18 points before wins at BYU (2005) and Kansas State (2015) before its 31-point comeback in a 47-41 triple-overtime victory over Oregon in the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl.
* TCU trailed 21-10 at the half. In its previous Valero Alamo Bowl appearance, the Horned Frogs were down 31-0 at halftime to Oregon before rallying for a 47-41 triple-overtime victory that tied for the largest comeback in bowl history and second-largest in an FBS game.
* TCU played in the Valero Alamo Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
* Over the last four seasons, TCU's 40-13 overall record and 26-10 conference mark rank second in the Big 12.
* The Horned Frogs played 14 games in a season for the first time in program history.
* TCU played in the 33rd bowl game in its history and is now 16-16-1.
* The Horned Frogs improved to 10-6 in bowl games with Patterson as head coach and 12-6 with him on the coaching staff.
* Patterson improved to 6-0 against Pac-12 opponents, including a 3-0 record against Stanford. TCU previously defeated the Cardinal in 2007 and 2008.
* TCU improved to 25-22 against ranked opponents under Patterson.
* The 39 points scored and 488 yards of total offense were the third-most in a bowl game for TCU.
* TCU's 341 yards passing and 28 completions were the second-most in a bowl game in program history.
* TCU scored for the 320th consecutive game. It's the nation's second-longest current streak and fourth all-time in NCAA history. The Horned Frogs haven't been blanked since Nov. 16, 1991, at Texas (32-0).
* TCU's team captains were Ben Banogu, Kenny Hill, Travin Howard and Matt Pryor.
* TCU wore a black jersey with purple pants and a purple helmet.
Individual Notes
* Kenny Hill was named the Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player.
* For the second time in his career, Travin Howard was selected as the Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player.
* Howard, also the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP, had a team-best 10 tackles to reach double figures in stops for the 16th time in his career. He added two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
* Howard finished the season with 108 tackles, becoming the first Horned Frog in history to top 100 stops in three consecutive seasons.
* Howard's 343 tackles in his career are the most by a player in the 17-season tenure of head coach Gary Patterson.
* Hill's third reception of the season, and second scoring grab, came on a 27-yard pass from Desmon White.
* Hill had a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown. It's the second time he's accomplished the feat this season. All other FBS players have combined to do it once.
* Hill set a TCU bowl record with 401 yards of total offense (314 passing, 60 rushing and 27 receiving).
* Hill's 314 passing yards and 27 completions were the second-most in a bowl game by a Horned Frog.
* Hill had touchdown passes of 11 and 93 yards to give him 23 on the year, tying him with Andy Dalton (2009) for sixth in a season in TCU history.
* Hill's 93-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor tied for the fourth-longest play in TCU history.
* White accounted for touchdowns via passing, receiving and a punt return.
* White's 27-yard touchdown toss to Hill came on his first collegiate pass. He was a quarterback at DeSoto High School.
* White's 76-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first of his career and the ninth-longest in TCU history.
* White added an 11-yard touchdown catch.
* Reagor had his first career 100-yard receiving game with five catches for 169 yards. The 169 receiving yards were a TCU bowl record and rank third all-time in Valero Alamo Bowl history.
* Reagor tops all true freshman nationally with eight touchdown catches this season.
* Kyle Hicks tied a career-high with eight receptions to give him 102 in his career.
* John Diarse had two receptions for 32 yards, giving him at least one catch in 27 of the last 28 games.
* Diarse's 32 yards receiving put him over 1,000 in his two-year TCU career. He finished with 1,017.
* Nick Orr recorded his team-best third interception. His nine career picks are the most among active Horned Frogs.
* Innis Gaines registered his first career interception to seal the game in the fourth quarter.
* Ben Banogu's tackle for loss put him at 16 1/2 on the year, tying for eighth on the TCU season list.
* L.J. Collier had a sack to give him four on the season.
* Cole Bunce's first quarter 38-yard field goal and go-ahead 33-yard fourth quarter field goal made him 6-of-7 on the season.
