TCU Defeats Kansas State 20-10 at Amon G. Carter Stadium

TCU defeated Kansas State 20-10 on Saturday afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs improved their season record to 5-5, while the Wildcats fell to 5-6 in the contest.

Kari Ashley gave TCU an early lead in the first quarter with a 19-yard rushing touchdown. The play put the home team ahead 7-0. Kansas State had limited preparation time before the game because a Federal Aviation Administration ground stoppage prevented their team from flying in on Friday night. The Wildcats departed Manhattan on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Central Time and arrived at the stadium around 10:30 a.m. for the 1:05 p.m. kickoff.

TCU extended its lead to 10-0 by halftime. Sonny Dykes, the TCU head coach, credited the defensive unit for limiting big plays. "It’s been a while I think since our run defense was really good," Dykes said. "Overall our defense played well and did not give up a bunch of big plays."

After the break, TCU drove 75 yards on nine plays. Jaden Craig completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Jacobe Hayes to increase the lead to 17-0. Dillon Duff later connected with Jaron Tibbs on a 53-yard touchdown pass to narrow the deficit to 17-10. Duff finished the game with 244 passing yards and one touchdown. Craig accounted for 225 passing yards and a touchdown.

Collin Klein, the Kansas State head coach, acknowledged the offensive struggles. "You know, we were sleepwalking on offense in the first half. That is the best way to say it," Klein said. He added that the team faced penalties and assignment errors that resulted in negative field position. "Abysmal start on offense," Klein noted. He praised the defensive mentality for taking a step forward.

Jordan Dwyer led TCU with 85 rushing yards. Dwyer praised the team's effort during the game. "Just being gritty, we talk about it all the time," Dwyer said. "He wasn’t going to come out of the game because we play for our brothers. We appreciate him being gritty and playing through stuff."

TCU will host No. 2 Utah next Saturday. Kansas State will travel to play No. 23 Arizona on the same day.