The Frogs keeps rolling: No. 7 TCU football remains undefeated, take down Tech 34-24

Esau Rodriguez

Derius Davis against Texas Tech. He opened the game with an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. Nov. 05, 2022.

By Micah Pearce, Staff Writer
Published Nov 5, 2022

No. 7 TCU survived another opponent to improve to 9-0. This time, they beat Texas Tech 34-24 after trailing them 17-13 going into the fourth quarter.

TCU’s offense started slow again, letting the Red Raiders hang around until the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Derius Davis’ punt return was the only touchdown TCU managed to score in the first half.

The Frogs put 6 more points on the board before the break, but it came from the leg of kicker Griffin Kell.

“When you can roll your kicker out there and have a lot of confidence, it’s a big deal,” said head coach Sonny Dykes.

In the first half, the Frogs totaled 74 rushing yards and 132 passing yards. TCU rarely starting in a good position certainly didn’t help. The Frogs started most of their drives inside their own 25-yard line.

Running back Kendre Miller tallied 41 rushing yards by halftime. He woke up in the second half, running for 121 yards and finding holes opened up by Duggan’s ability to throw the ball.

“We got the passing game going so, later, that opened up the ground game for Emari [Demercado] and Kendre [Miller],” said Davis.

Dykes also talked on the importance of Miller and his running.

“I don’t know that we’ve had anybody as good as Kendre [Miller],” said Dykes. “He finishes runs, has tremendous balance and competes really hard… everything that makes a great running back.”

Early in the game, the Frogs had the chance to take a 3-point lead over the Red Raiders.

However, they decided to go for a fourth-and-2 conversion 20 yards away from the end zone. It came back to bite them as the Red Raiders scored on their next drive, tying it up at 7-7.

“On second thought, I would have kicked that field goal earlier because it would have made a difference for us down the stretch,” said Dykes.

The Frogs were kept off balance by Texas Tech’s fast-paced offense. TCU had a drive that was 7 plays long that ended in a field goal, but it took them 3:00. They had another 6-play drive that took them 3:42. Compared to Tech, TCU held the ball for a long time.

Besides a garbage-time touchdown with 1:48 left in the game, the defense held Texas Tech’s drives in the fourth quarter to a punt, two turnovers on downs and an interception.

“They played hard, gave us a contest and we rose to the occasion,” said linebacker Johnny Hodges.

In the fourth quarter, a string of penalties against Texas Tech moved the Frogs down the field, where they would score on a 2-yard rush by Miller, which turned the tide for the Frogs.

The Frog defense came out and stopped the Red Raiders on fourth down for a turnover on downs on the Texas Tech 34 yard line. It was the best starting position the Frogs had on a drive. Their previous best was on their own 49.

With the win, Duggan improves to 4-0 against the Red Raiders. He went on to finish the game with 6 yards rushing and 195 yards passing for two touchdowns. Barber led in receptions with 3 for 62 yards. Davis was right next to him with 3 receptions for 36 yards and 1 touchdown.

As usual, the Frogs are looking to their next game, which will be against Texas in Austin with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.