Oklahoma escapes TCU after Horned Frogs miss 2-point conversion
TCU coach Gary Patterson’s aggressiveness didn’t pay off.
After his team scored a touchdown with 55 seconds left to pull within a point of Oklahoma on Saturday, TCU didn’t go for the tie. And as Bram Kohlhausen was flushed from the pocket, his pass to the end zone was batted down by Oklahoma’s Steven Parker. Oklahoma survived with a 30-29 win.
Throughout the majority of the second half, Oklahoma was the dominant team. On defense, anyway. Without quarterback Trevone Boykin and wide receiver Josh Doctson, not only the two best players on TCU’s team but perhaps two of the best players in the Big 12, TCU’s offense was sputtering. Quarterback Foster Sawyer had a tendency to throw 50/50 passes deep into coverage and they were turning into arm punts.
Sawyer was pulled after his third interception with the Sooners leading 30-13 and Bram Kohlhausen replaced him. Suddenly, TCU’s offense came to life. Kohlhausen hit Ke’Vontae Turpin for an 86-yard touchdown and found Emanuel Porter for the 14-yard touchdown that put TCU within an point.
The quarterback play was a turnabout from the previous week. After Boykin exited the game with an ankle injury — the same one that prevented him from playing against OU — he was replaced by Kohlhausen. He was ineffective and replaced by Sawyer, who sparked the offense and earned the start against Oklahoma.
But the reason Kohlhausen had a chance to bring Oklahoma back despite the impotence of the TCU offense earlier in the half is because Oklahoma’s offense had hit the skids too. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield exited the game at halftime after he was evaluated for a possible concussion. Mayfield was hit in the head in the first half but stayed in the game. With the Sooners up 23-7 at halftime, Mayfield was evaluated by team doctors, and according to OU coach Bob Stoops after the game, deemed unfit to play the rest of the way.
Mayfield was replaced by Trevor Knight, who was 5-of-16 passing for 76 yards and an interception. Oklahoma’s lone source of second-half offense came from a hobbled Samaje Perine, who had a 72-yard touchdown run. The run came after Perine was awkwardly tackled near the sideline and his left leg was rolled up on. Perine returned to the game after Joe Mixon, the man who took his spot at running back, limped off the field.
One could argue that Knight’s ineffectiveness would be an impetus for Patterson to kick the extra point and play for the tie after Porter’s touchdown. However, even without Mayfield on the field for OU, TCU was still climbing uphill against Oklahoma. Perine rushed for 188 yards overall. Could TCU have contained him in overtime? Patterson said after the game the venue played a role in the call.
We plead for coaches to be more aggressive, and Patterson’s call is one that will be judged solely on its outcome by many. Given the circumstances TCU was in, it was the right call. And had Kohlhausen’s pass been a bit higher, wouldn’t have been second-guessed at all.
(TCU failed on a two-point conversion in the third quarter that would have cut Oklahoma’s lead to eight. Patterson took responsibility for that call and said it was a mistake.)
Mayfield’s availability will be a big key for the Sooners, who are fighting for a possible berth in the College Football Playoff. After Oklahoma State lost to Baylor on Saturday night, a win over the Cowboys may not be as convincing as if it came over an undefeated OSU team.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
