Football

7 takeaways from TCU’s 37-33 win over Oklahoma

Published Oct 7, 2014

TCU’s upset victory over a highly-ranked Oklahoma squad helped the Horned Frogs match their win total from all of last season. Here are seven things you should know about the Horned Frogs’ big win over the Sooners.

TCU is now 5-2 in its last seven games against top-five ranked opponents, an impressive record considering the quality of opponents the Horned Frogs have faced. (We’ll have more on this in an upcoming article.) By the way, the first game in this seven-game stretch? A 17-10 victory over the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in 2005.

TCU has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in all four games this season. The touchdown against Oklahoma was unconventional, as tight end/full back Cliff Murphy recovered Boykin’s fumble in the end zone. Coach Patterson joked about the quick starts of his offense at the Minnesota postgame press conference, saying he might implement a rule that if the fans aren’t in the stadium by the time the Frogs score their first touchdown, they shouldn’t be allowed inside.

TCU hadn’t beaten Oklahoma since the 2005 matchup in Norman, but the Horned Frogs came close on their last two occasions. With one minute left in the 2012 matchup, a game-tying Boykin rushing touchdown was called back by a holding penalty. After a 7-yard pass to Josh Boyce, the Frogs were stopped on fourth-and-13 from OU’s 15-yard line. Last season, TCU nearly completed a miraculous second half comeback. After failing to record a first down in the first half, the Frogs battled back in the second half but came up three points shy of a victory, losing 20-17.

For the first time in school history, TCU has opened the season with four games of at least 427 yards in total offense. The installation of the Air Raid attack seems to have done the Horned Frog offense wonders, as Boykin’s completion percentage and passer ratings are the best of his career. Boykin is the player who looks to have benefitted most from the scheme change. His touchdown to interception ratio is a career-best 5:1, with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. After four games, the junior quarterback’s 1,176 passing yards are just 22 shy of the 1,198 he accumulated all last season.

The sellout crowd last Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium of 47,394 is the fifth-largest in school history. It was the 16th sellout in TCU’s last 23 home games. The highest ever recorded attendance at The Carter is 50,307, which occurred in 2009 against the University of Utah.

TCU’s 37 points were the most the Horned Frogs have ever scored against the Sooners. The Horned Frogs previously hadn’t scored more than 20 points against the Sooners. TCU has played Oklahoma 14 times, winning five of those contests. Last Saturday’s victory was also the first for TCU over Oklahoma in Fort Worth.

Paul Dawson’s game-winning 46-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first pick six for a Horned Frog since Sam Carter’s 66-yard effort against SMU last season. Dawson also tallied 11 tackles in the victory, his second double-digit mark this season. For his performance, the senior Dawson was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.