TCU vs. Kansas: Score and Twitter Reaction

In the space of a little over a minute, everything unraveled for the Kansas Jayhawks. A 27-17 lead over the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs quickly turned into a 31-27 deficit near the end of the third quarter.

Kansas never recovered, and the Horned Frogs locked it down in the final frame to close out the 34-30 win in Lawrence.

Things were going well for the home team after a 78-yard touchdown pass from Michael Cummings to Nigel King gave the Jayhawks a 27-17 lead with 8:27 left in the third quarter. Cummings' pass was tipped up in the air, and King hauled it down with one hand before scampering to pay dirt.

Fox College Football's Twitter account posted video of the incredible catch-and-run:

That play pretty much summed up how the night was unfolding for Kansas. Fox Sports Southwest's David Ubben felt that catch was one of a few different plays throughout the game that signaled a Jayhawks upset:

TCU running back Aaron Green trimmed the deficit to three points, 27-24, with a 24-yard touchdown run. With 3:48 still remaining in the third quarter, Sports On Earth's Matt Brown felt that the Horned Frogs had more than enough time to get in a position for the win:

His tweet was incredibly prescient just moments later.

Fortunes took a turn toward disastrous for Kansas on the very next drive, as Cameron Echols-Luper returned a Jayhawks punt 69 yards for the go-ahead score. Echols-Luper's touchdown came a mere 70 seconds after Green's run, noted by Fox College Football:

Jaden Oberkrom added a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give TCU a 34-27 lead.

Kansas had a great chance to tie the game after Horned Frogs return man Trevorris Johnson fumbled a punt inside the red zone. The Jayhawks recovered the ball on the away team's 10-yard line. The TCU defense held strong, however, and limited Kansas to a 23-yard Matthew Wyman field goal.

The Jayhawks had one last chance for a potential game-winning drive with 4:09 to play after getting the ball on their own 11-yard line. But they only managed one first down before TCU safety Chris Hackett intercepted Cummings to secure the victory.

While he wasn't great, Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin likely bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy following the win. He threw for 330 yards, one touchdown and an interception on 26-of-36 passing.

Boykin is now the first QB in school history to have six career 300-yard passing games, per TCU Football:

Green also played extremely well for the Horned Frogs in place of the injured B.J. Catalon, carrying the ball 19 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

On the other side, the lack of a steady running game was one of the Jayhawks' biggest problems. They gained just 76 yards on the ground as a team. As a result, Cummings didn't have much offensive support and his 332-yard passing performance wasn't enough.

Despite the disappointing result, there's no question that this Kansas team was miles better than the one that lost 41-3 to Duke and 23-0 to Texas earlier in the year.

Before the game, Cummings talked about the impact interim head coach Clint Bowen had on the program. 

"When he initially took over, the atmosphere around the facility changed; the mojo of the team changed," the junior QB said, per ESPN.com's Brandon Chatmon. "It was like a 180, in a positive direction."

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

The old Jayhawks likely would've folded after surrendering a touchdown a little under 2:30 into the game.

TCU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after Boykin found Ty Slanina in the end zone from 27 yards out. Kansas made it 7-6 after a two-yard touchdown run from Corey Avery. The Horned Frogs blocked the point-after attempt to retain a slim advantage.

With 12:02 left until halftime, Kansas took its first lead following a TD pass from Cummings. A field goal from Oberkrom made it a three-point game, 13-10, heading into the second half. The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter before Green sparked TCU's comeback attempt.

Considering how badly this season's gone for the Jayhawks, a win over a Top Five team would've provided some much-needed joy to the Kansas fanbase.

Still, the fans should be encouraged by the team's performance, and Bowen took a major step toward shedding his interim tag, an assessment Andrew Baker of 6News-TV agrees with:

With the win, TCU keeps itself firmly in the playoff picture. A loss almost certainly would've eliminated the Horned Frogs from contention. It also still remains unclear as to what will happen in the event both Baylor and TCU finish with one loss.

The Bears own the head-to-head advantage, which would position them, according to ESPN's Jake Trotter, as the conference champion for playoff purposes in the event of a tie. However, the Horned Frogs have a slightly tougher nonconference schedule, which could sway the selection committee their way when the four-team playoff is announced.