West Virginia vs. TCU: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The one concern for the TCU Horned Frogs heading into Thursday's showdown with the West Virginia Mountaineers was the play of their young defense.

The defense did its part, which was all quarterback Trevone Boykin needed to take over in the second half.

TCU's Heisman Trophy hopeful threw for 388 yards and scored four total touchdowns as the No. 5-ranked Horned Frogs (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) trounced West Virginia (3-4, 0-3 Big 12) 40-10 on Thursday night.

Boykin completed 32 of 47 passes on his way to surpassing the 10,000-yard mark. He became the second quarterback in school history to surpass the number, joining Andy Dalton, per TCU Football.

The game didn't start the way West Virginia had hoped. The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdowns from Boykin. Meanwhile, West Virginia's offense couldn't capitalize when the chances were there.

Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard attempted two deep passes on the game's first drive, one to Shelton Gibson and the other to Jovon Durante, but both fell incomplete. The pass for Durante would've been a touchdown, but TCU freshman defensive back Julius Lewis knocked the ball out of the receiver's hands before it landed in the end zone.

Then, Boykin went to work.

Boykin and the Horned Frogs engineered a 12-play, 91-yard drive that was capped off by a 17-yard touchdown pass to star receiver Josh Doctson with eight minutes, 46 seconds left in the first quarter.

USA Today's Dan Wolken shared his thoughts on Doctson's grab:

The onslaught didn't stop there for TCU. After a West Virginia three-and-out, Boykin led the Horned Frogs on an efficient six-play, 81-yard drive that was capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Boykin to help put TCU up 14-0. The star quarterback ran for 84 yards on 11 carries in the game.

TCU Football's official Twitter account provided a clip of the score. If it were possible, Boykin would have received all 10s from the judges:

Just when it seemed as though West Virginia would fold, Howard finally connected on a deep ball against the young TCU secondary.

The junior quarterback from Fort Worth, Texas, who is playing against his hometown team for the first time, found Gibson on a post route for a 32-yard touchdown to help trim the Horned Frogs' lead to 17-7.

West Virginia Football's official Twitter account provided a clip of the touchdown, showing how Gibson got behind sophomore safety Nick Orr:

If not for penalties, West Virginia could have made the game more competitive. More importantly, the timing of the penalties doomed the Mountaineers. West Virginia bailed TCU out four times in the first half thanks to penalties on third down. The Mountaineers finished the game with nine penalties for 114 yards.

The TCU defense pitched a shutout in the second half. Howard finished the game with a rough 16-of-39 line for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Horned Frogs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions in the second half. One of those was a nine-yard pass to Doctson, who finished with 11 catches for 183 yards and two scores to lead TCU.

Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News was quick to pinpoint what the future looks like for Doctson:

The last three meetings between the two teams have gone down to the wire, but there was no need for dramatics this time. West Virginia did a good job hanging around through the first two quarters, but it was only a matter of time before Boykin and the offense got going.

TCU's defense needed a performance like this. The unit is young and needed a performance like this to head into a greuling four-game stretch that will ultimately decide what TCU is doing come January.

Postgame Reaction

Even on the enemy's side, Dana Holgorsen appreciated what Boykin did on Thursday night. 

With the game well in doubt and TCU on its way to a win, Boykin did this, from NFL Now host Marc Istook.

Yes, that is the West Virginia head coach giving the opposing quarterback a high-five in front of his players. There's got to be some unwritten rule about it somewhere. But when asked about it, Holgorsen was just being honest, per Allan Taylor of the West Virginia MetroNews:

TCU head coach Gary Patterson raved about his dynamic quarterback-receiver duo. Patterson compared Boykin's scrambling ability in a very unique way, to say the least, per Sports on Earth contributor David Ubben:

It ended up being a historic day for Doctson, as well. TCU's top receiver joined former Texas Tech standout Michael Crabtree in some illustrious company, per ESPN's College Football account:

The Horned Frogs are about to enter a crucial part of their schedule, starting next week in Stillwater, Oklahoma when they take on the No. 12-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. It'll be a stretch where TCU plays three ranked teams, all with a legitimate chance to win the Big 12.

After TCU felt it was robbed of a spot in the College Football Playoff last year, Patterson said he would not entertain the thought on talking to the committee this year, per Scout.com's Brad Hardcastle:

The Big 12 may be a conference that doesn't play defense, but Patterson can take satisfaction in knowing that his defense stepped up huge tonight. It's going to take a lot to stop Boykin and Doctson as is, but TCU may be fielding a quality defense at the right time as the Horned Frogs got a quality home win against West Virginia.