Ty Zentner kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime as No. 10 Kansas State defeated No. 3 TCU 31-28 in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game. Participate in a four-team college football playoff.
The Wildcats set up the winning field goal after TCU (12-1) got the opening possession of overtime, and Kendre Miller was stopped on back-to-back plays from within one.
Deuce Vaughn ran for 130 yards and a touchdown, and Will Howard threw two touchdown passes for the Wildcats (10-3). point.
It was one of five games the Horned Frogs (12-1) won with a draw after half-time. However, they could not do it again as they could be the first non-Oklahoma Big 12 team to make the playoffs.
“We lost today, but it’s out of our hands right now, and that’s what we wanted to do,” said TCU quarterback Max Duggan. “All we can do is watch.”
TCU is the first Big 12 team to finish the regular season undefeated since Texas in 2009 and could make the playoffs. Their case was helped when he lost to No. 11 Utah by 47-24 in Friday night’s Pac-12 championship game when he lost to No. 4 USC (11-2). Frogs will have to wait until his final CFP rankings come out on Sunday.
Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yeomark said he believes TCU deserves to be in the playoffs.
“I don’t think they should be penalized for participating in the Big 12’s championship game. I don’t think the conference’s championship game is designed to punish teams and prevent them from participating in the playoffs. said Dykes. “we [No.] 3 last week. I’d like to stay at 3 and tee up and see how it goes. ”
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Yeomark before Saturday’s game.
Kansas State coach Chris Kleeman agreed after his team achieved 10 wins for the first time since 2012, when the Wildcats won the Big 12 title and had no championship games.
“TCU should be in the CFP, they are one of the best four teams,” says Klieman. “We played them on equal terms. I thought we could face them and find a way to win. It was an extraordinary football game.”
Duggan, now a potential Heisman Trophy finalist after losing his job as TCU’s starting quarterback entering the season, threw for 251 yards and a touchdown, ran for 110 yards, and scored 1 for 8 yards. :51 remained in regulation. .
Stretching for another touchdown when TCU had the ball in regulation, he was quickly stopped and when he looked up and didn’t see the touchdown signal, I dropped my helmet face down onto the grass. After a replay review, the spot was preserved, and two plays later, the quarterback played with his hands on his helmet when Miller, who had a 6-yard touchdown, was stopped short to pass the ball to Kansas State. I was standing alone far behind. .
Vaughan’s 44-yard touchdown included an open-field move that led to a defensive back a few yards from him, making it 28-17, after Julius Brentz intercepted a Duggan pass in the first endzone. , capped the set-up drive in the 4th quarter play.
However, TCU scored the final 11 points in regulation, including Griffin Kell’s 42-yard field goal with 7.5 minutes remaining. The kick ended a drive that Duggan kept alive with a 16-yard pass to Taberbur for 4 and 10.
Duggan took a knee in the end zone, clearly exhausted after an 8-yard touchdown run late in regulation. It happened just after he sprinted down the left sideline for 40 yards after escaping from the pressure of the previous play.
He also scored runs of 15, 13 and 19 yards on drives. These were his longest of the three, near midfield he achieved 4 yards and he achieved 2 yards. He then appeared to throw a 38-yard touchdown pass, but Jordan Hudson was called for offensive pass interference as he pushed out to make the catch.
TCU went 92 yards on 13 plays on the opening drive of the game and went 7–0 on Duggan’s 1-yard pass to Barber, but scored only 3 points on their next six drives by halftime. did not.
Kell missed a 55-yard field goal attempt on the Frogs’ ensuing drive, and Kansas State capitalized on Howard’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Ben Sinnott and never trailed again. Howard went 14-7 with a 1-yard TD run in the second quarter.
As in the first season of the 2014 four-team playoffs, TCU entered the final game before the final rankings in 3rd place, with Ohio State in 5th place.
Even after the Buckeyes beat Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title game later in the day, making the playoffs and winning the national title by 7 touchdowns over Iowa State in the regular season finale. , the TCU was left behind.
This year, the Buckeyes (11-1) missed out on the conference title game after losing to Michigan last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
