TCU Gets Revenge on Baylor in Eyesore of a Game Only Gary Patterson Could Love

FORT WORTH, Tex. — It was the worst of times, and it was the worst of times. It was a game of no wisdom in an age of offensive foolishness.

A season after combining for the game of the year in 2014, Baylor and TCU’s much anticipated rematch of epic proportions turned out to be for nothing more than an advertisement for The Weather Channel.

There were a combined 8-of-39 on third downs. Seven turnovers. Four sacks. Two overtimes. One monsoon.

But at the end of a sloppy, slow, prodding game where the only thing of note for most of it was how hard it was raining, the Horned Frogs found a way to avenge last year’s only loss and topple the Bears 28-21.

“We both had to play in it. I had a heavy jacket on and I just got soaked. I was frozen,” a clearly exhausted Gary Patterson said. “It’s frustrating because it’s the end of the year and you have two really good football teams and you just want for everybody to see the best of everything.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

“But today was a survival game. It was who was going to make less mistakes and who was going to finally make a couple of plays."

In contrast to last year’s fourth-quarter collapse against Baylor, Patterson’s squad did just that. Despite only 119 yards of offense after halftime, TCU found itself in a winnable game in extra frames and seized it.

Quarterback Trevone Boykin, playing at only 70 percent or so according to his head coach, did just enough to find a wide open KaVontae Turpin in the back of the end zone for what proved to be the deciding score. Combining with true freshman corner Julius Lewis, redshirt linebacker Ty Summers set a new record for tackles by a player under Patterson with his 23rd, which sealed the deal by tripping up Devin Chafin on 4th down.

That was all that was needed to send what was left of the rain-soaked crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium over the walls and onto the field.

“I don’t think anybody likes the rain and the cold. I didn’t like it to be honest,” junior defensive end Josh Carraway said, before noting the Horned Frogs found something extra at the end thanks to last year’s 61-58 result. “When somebody was not hustling, we’d say, ‘Baylor is at the end of the season, get ready.'

“It was a little extra motivation that fueled us in the offseason.”

TCU scored on their first offensive possession of the game, and then didn’t find the end zone again until the first overtime. It was a minor miracle that the team tied a national record with a touchdown in the first quarter for a record 25th consecutive game.

The defense contributed with a fumble recovery that was scooped and scored by Carraway in one of the rare plays that injected life into a game that could have doubled as an encore of Weekend at Bernie’s given the blend of comedic elements interspersed with comatose drives. 

Baylor’s normally prolific offense was held back by the conditions even more than the home team. The Bears found the end zone twice before heading to overtime, the first time helped by two personal-foul penalties and the second on a seven-play march that showed signs of life.

Other than that, the star of the show was likely punter Drew Galitz with a 40.1 average on 10 kicks that kept field position mostly in their favor.

“I think the elements had a whole lot to do with our play,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “I thought (third-string quarterback Chris Johnson) played hard, I thought he played valiantly. It’s just hard to execute in those conditions.”

Indeed, given those elements, it was a game that only a defensive-minded head coach like Patterson could appreciate.

And while the win was no doubt sweeter because of last season’s loss and the ensuing back-and-forth war of words between Fort Worth and Waco, it also marked the culmination of perhaps the legendary Patterson’s best coaching job of his career. 

10-2 may not have been the record the Horned Frogs wanted when 2015 started, but it’s a minor miracle they finish up there given an injury list that wiped out nearly the entire defense and cost several star offensive players time.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

“When you see how many injuries we have on our roster, to be able to come out with 10 wins like we did is really something you’ll remember better than last year because of what we’ve been through,” Boykin said. “We’re happy to be sitting where we’re at. We wish things could have been better and we have more guys, but you won’t hear us complain.”

While he didn’t place the win up there with such notables like the Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin or stopping Adrian Peterson at Oklahoma, the veteran head coach still marveled at finishing the journey like he did Friday night.

Rain-soaked and as exhausted as he’s looked all year, Patterson walked back to the locker room with a sly smile on his face.

It wasn’t just an expression of happiness, though. It was a sense of relief knowing that he came out a winner in a clunker like that one. 

They're not all pretty, but in this day and age, you take what you can get.

Bryan Fischer is a national college football columnist. You can follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.