Oklahoma State vs. TCU: Score and Twitter Reaction

TCU took notice of the Big 12 breaking wide-open early on Week 8 Saturday and took advantage, thrashing the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home, 42-9.

As usual, it was TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin leading the way offensively for the Horned Frogs. He had a career day through the air, going 26-of-39 for 410 passing yards with three touchdowns and 41 more yards on the ground.

ESPN SportsCenter tweeted the result:

Two touchdown tosses of over 75 yards in the first quarter set TCU up for a big offensive day, and three first-half field goals from the Cowboys weren't enough to stop the bleeding. The Horned Frogs kept piling it on in the second half, racking up 676 total yards in what was their third straight game against a Top 15 foe.

Here's a look at the final score line:

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Oklahoma State	3	6	0	0	9
TCU	21	7	14	0	42

Questions surrounded head coach Gary Patterson's defense after giving up a 21-point fourth-quarter lead at Baylor last weekend, and the defensive guru took blame for the performance, per TCU's official site, while acknowledging sometimes those games just happen.

"Obviously, I want to play great defense. You have to be able to even the playing field, and maybe we have to get used to winning 45-31. Sometimes you get into those ballgames. I don't know how you prepare for that to happen. There's only one person you can blame, and that's me."

But it ultimately comes down to the players, and Patterson's defense had his back by setting the tone early.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

TCU intercepted quarterback Daxx Garman—one of his two picks on the day—on Oklahoma State's second drive and also forced three first-quarter punts. Nearly every time the Horned Frogs gave the ball back to the offense early, it paid off.

B.J. Catalon turned the interception into a 34-yard touchdown two plays later. On their next drive, Boykin connected with Josh Doctson for 77 yards before hitting Doctson again for an 84-yard score on their ensuing drive.

Doctson was a star early, as ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg noted:

On the team's first four drives, three went for touchdowns, and the efficiency was even more impressive, as Grantland's Matt Hinton noted:

What's more, Boykin's banged-up wrist looked just fine, per ESPN's Jake Trotter:

Of course, it wasn't like TCU absolutely shut down Mike Gundy's team. The Cowboys did get into the red zone three times in the opening half.

But all three of those red-zone opportunities ended with field goals when touchdowns were needed to trim the gap. 

With the Cowboys going for field goal after field goal, the defense needed to tighten up. Instead, well, nothing changed other than TCU holding onto the ball a bit more before scoring. A seven-play, 85-yard drive ended with Catalon rushing in from 35 yards out late in the second quarter.

Boykin's greatness was at the center of TCU's success. He easily churned out first downs with his arm and legs. Ben Kercheval of Bleacher Report jumped on board:

Oklahoma State still had a slim chance down 28-9 at halftime, but that was quickly squashed on the opening drive of the second half. The Horned Frogs took it to their opponent via a 14-play, 79-yard drive that drained 5:11 off the clock and ended in a Deante' Gray touchdown catch to make it 35-9.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit liked what he saw from TCU in a bounce-back performance:

With the victory in hand, TCU's ridiculous offensive pace continued. The next time they got the ball, the Horned Frogs ripped off another five-plus-minute drive and took a 42-9 lead on Aaron Green's four-yard run.

TCU could have blown it open even more later on. The Horned Frogs entered the red zone twice in the fourth quarter, not scoring on both trips.

But it didn't much matter. By then, there was no doubt that they were going to win big, and the only question was how big. 

The victory spoke volumes for TCU's resume, but it also took some folks back who saw then-No. 1 Florida State struggle mightily against the Cowboys earlier this season, per James Crepea of The Montgomery Advertiser:

The TCU bandwagon was abandoned after the Baylor defeat. But with the results around them in Saturday's Big 12 slate, the Horned Frogs could be on the verge of a chance at the College Football Playoff after all. 

No. 4 Baylor was toppled by West Virginia on the road, the Bears' first loss of the season. Oklahoma was beat by Kansas State to fall to two Big 12 losses, leaving the Wildcats as the only team unbeaten in conference play. 

TCU will play Kansas State at home on Nov. 8. If the Horned Frogs are victorious there, all they need is one more Baylor loss, and they'll be in the Big 12 driver's seat. But first things first, the Horned Frogs face Texas Tech at home next weekend.

As for Oklahoma State, it still has plenty of chances to shake things up in the conference with meetings against Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma coming. The Cowboys could turn things around quickly against West Virginia next weekend, but they'll be licking their wounds after Saturday's beating.