By STEPHEN HAWKINS, AP Sports Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Max Duggan and No. 13 TCU found themselves in a rush in their biggest game yet under coach Sonny Dykes.
When it all ended against eighth-ranked Oklahoma State, the Horned Frogs were being swarmed by their fans after needing some extra time to wrap up an impressive comeback.
“It shows the culture of this team,” Duggan said.
Kendre Miller scored on a 2-yard run in the second overtime as TCU won 43-40 in a matchup of the last remaining undefeated Big 12 teams on Saturday. The Frogs quickly fell behind after quarterback Spencer Sanders had TD runs on Oklahoma State’s first two drives, and TCU was still down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
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“Big win for our show,” Dykes said. “We made every mistake humanly possible in the first half, and the guys kept fighting and I really thought we had a good mindset at halftime. … Then we went defensive in the second half and played hard.”
The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, and the receivers spread wide for big plays.
Duggan threw a wide-open 25-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston on the second play of overtime for TCU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12). The Cowboys were then meeting on fourth-and-9 when Sanders found Braydon Johnson alone for a 23-yard gain to the 1-yard line, setting up Dominic Richardson’s tying touchdown run.
Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1), which beat TCU 63-17 without Duggan last November, got the ball to start the second overtime. But the Cowboys had to settle for Tanner Brown’s fourth field goal, 52 yards, after a waiting call and three consecutive incomplete passes.
It was pure chaos when Miller reached the end zone for his second touchdown. He finished with 104 yards rushing on 22 carries, including another TD on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Duggan completed 23 of 40 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnston had eight receptions for 180 yards.
Sanders completed just 16 of 36 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception after not practicing all week. He bruised his right (pitching) shoulder late in their win over Texas Tech last week, but insisted he was fine and lack of practice wasn’t the problem.
“It’s just football at the end of the day,” Sanders said. “I had to go out physically and play better.”
The Cowboys led 24-7 five minutes into the second quarter after an incredible 22-yard touchdown reception by John Paul Richardson, who tangled with cornerback Josh Newton, extended his right hand and shoved the ball into his chest.
TCU used a little trick to tie the game at 30-30 with 1:57 left in regulation. After a change in the backfield for running back Emari Demarcado to take the shotgun throw, he returned the ball to Duggan, who found tight end Jared Wiley wide open in the right flat for a 10-yard touchdown. Wiley had a 13-yard reception two plays before that on that eight-play, 94-yard drive.
That followed a sequence when Sanders threw an interception with 7:18 left on a deep pass to Johnson, who appeared to be pushed by Bud Clark before the safety came down with the ball at TCU 8. The Horned Frogs went three and three. out, but then Oklahoma State followed suit before TCU’s tie-breaking campaign.
“We know we’re better than that, but I think that’s where the frustration comes in,” said Cowboys linebacker Mason Cobb, who had 16 tackles. “We still have a lot more games to play, so we have to keep going.”
Oklahoma State: After taking the big lead in the second quarter, the Cowboys managed just two more field goals from Brown and didn’t score another touchdown until overtime. … Oklahoma State had won six straight since its loss in the Big 12 championship game, and had won 11 of 12 overall.
TCU: Duggan, the senior who lost his starting job starting the season with the new coaching staff, has thrown for the Big 12, the best 16 touchdowns in his five starts since he regained the job after Chandler Morris left. sprained his left knee in the season opener. .
“Max Duggan continues to play as well as any quarterback he’s ever been with,” Dykes said.
Oklahoma State and TCU could potentially cross paths in the new poll, with the Cowboys going down and the Frogs going up. Regardless, Oklahoma State will most likely extend its streak of consecutive top-15 rankings to 19 consecutive polls.
Sanders, whose touchdown runs covered 29 and 8 yards, finished with 68 yards on 11 carries and clinched the Oklahoma state record for career rushing yards for a quarterback. His 1,874 yards pushed him four yards past Brent Blackman’s career mark.
Oklahoma State hosts No. 22 Texas (5-2, 3-1) next Saturday in its only home game in four weeks.
TCU returns home next Saturday night to play No. 17 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0), which had an open date this weekend.
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