TCU Horned Frogs @ New Mexico Lobos Football Recap

TCU 66, New Mexico 17

The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs won a game by 49 points. They didn’t look good doing it. They don’t care.

Such was a wild afternoon at University Stadium in Albuquerque, made different by events that transpired a few states away roughly 14 hours before this game began.

Yes, TCU struggled, believe it or not, against the New Mexico Lobos and head coach Mike Locksley. The Horned Frogs and their own sideline boss, Gary Patterson, bolted to a 21-0 lead in just eight minutes and 22 seconds of game time, but in the middle of the second quarter, TCU found itself leading by only 14 points, 31-17, after New Mexico sacked Horned Frog quarterback Andy Dalton and forced a fumble that it subsequently returned for a touchdown. TCU, leading by a modest total on the scoreboard, had to call upon a backup signal caller, Casey Pachall, to run its offense.

For a moment, the unthinkable – a one-loss New Mexico team actually beating 11-0 TCU on the final day of the Frogs’ regular season – seemed at least a little bit possible. As the game wound its way into the middle of the third quarter, TCU experienced a 21-minute scoring drought and had no real assurances of being able to stick the ball into the end zone. A 14-point game with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter is very much a contest. For a Mountain West matchup in which TCU had the ability to win by 80 or 90 points if it really wanted to, the first two and a half quarters threw everyone in Albuquerque a big, fat curveball.

> Find a great selection of TCU Horned Frogs apparel & merchandise online as well as the MWC Football Scoreboard!

Finally and fortunately, though, TCU regained its footing in the final 23 minutes of play. Pachall threw one touchdown pass but then spent the entirety of the fourth quarter handing the ball off to a stable of running backs within a conservative offensive framework. The Horned Frogs rolled up their sleeves and punched the Lobos in the mouth. By the time the second half was over, TCU accumulated 35 points in those last 23 minutes, and that’s why the final score came to be as lopsided as it ultimately was. New Mexico put up a much better fight than any of the final numbers might actually indicate.

It’s true that Dalton’s injury affected the nature of this contest, but what also influenced the trajectory of the afternoon in the Land of Enchantment was the fact that Boise State – the non-automatic brother school of TCU who had been neck-and-neck with the Frogs throughout the season in the BCS standings – lost at Nevada on Friday night. Suddenly, TCU didn’t need to make a huge statement in this game to leapfrog Boise in the BCS. Since Auburn and Oregon also played – and won – on Friday, TCU knew that when it took the field, it only needed to win by a respectable margin. As long as the Tigers or Ducks lose on Dec. 4, TCU now knows it can – and probably will – play for the national championship of college football.

Good enough, TCU. Good enough indeed.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer