South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs TCU Horned Frogs Match Player Stats On Sep 03, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 4, 2016

FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU hasn't left much to chance against lower-level FCS opponents in coach Gary Patterson's previous 15 seasons.

The Horned Frogs lost a shocker at home to Northwestern (La.) State in 2001, Patterson's first season. Lesson learned, and TCU has cruised to a 9-0 mark against FCS (formerly Division I-AA) teams.

But the top FCS teams don't mess around anymore, and South Dakota State was Exhibit A on Saturday night. The FCS' eighth-ranked Jackrabbits brought speed, unexpected pace on offense and a refusal to go away.

That heat kept coming on No. 13 TCU, but new quarterback Kenny Hill, a junior transfer from Texas A&M, eventually settled in and led the Horned Frogs to a harrowing 59-41 victory at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Hill threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns and ran for three more for TCU (1-0), which pulled away after dogged SDSU (0-1) tied the game at 31-31 in the third quarter.

After a second-quarter rally force a 24-24 tie at halftime, TCU needed a spark to open the second half. It came when Hill found Jaelen Austin for a 60-yard touchdown.

SDSU then drove up the gut of TCU's defense, forging a 31-31 tie on Taryn Christion's 16-yard throw to Dallas Goedert. With approximately 10 minutes to go in the third, TCU and SDSU nearly had 700 combined yards of offense.

Tailback Kyle Hicks capped another long TCU drive with 3-yard touchdown run for 38-31. As Hill's rhythm improved, he led another long TCU drive, spreading the ball to several receivers before he took it the last six yards for 45-31 lead late in the third.

Christion (333 yards, three TDs) kept connecting with wideout Jake Wieneke, who hauled in a 34-yard score to end the third quarter with a 45-38 deficit. Wieneke reeled in eight catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jackrabbits inched closer with a field goal but still trailed 45-41. SDSU knocked again after another long strike to Wieneke, but TCU's James McFarland sacked Christion to minimize damage.

The cushion TCU needed came as Hill's long pass to Dez White went off the latter's fingers into the grasp of teammate Taj Williams for a 46-yard touchdown and a 52-41 lead with 8:36 left.

TCU and South Dakota State punched and counter-punched for a half, and the Horned Frogs' late field goal produced a 24-24 halftime tie after a dizzying two quarters.

New TCU kicker Ryan Graf's 32-yard try banged off the left upright and through as time expired.

TCU needed big plays on special teams and defense to fight its way back from a 10-point deficit against the Jackrabbits for a 21-17 lead that didn't hold up.

Wieneke caught a 31-yard touchdown pass, capping a long Jackrabbits drive for a 24-21 lead with 49 seconds remaining before halftime.

TCU's Montrel Wilson picked up fumble Christion, setting up a 4-yard scoring run by Hill to give TCU a 21-17 lead.

Hill's score eased the sting of his two first-half interceptions that led to 14 South Dakota State points in less than two minutes and a 17-7 Jackrabbits lead at 9:55 in the second quarter.

Momentum shifted back TCU's way when speedster KaVontae Turpin's 81-yard punt return cut SDSU's lead to 17-14.

The Jackrabbits took a 10-point lead with 9:55 to play in the first half. TCU, sitting at the SDSU 2, looked set to go up 14-3, but a penalty and Makiah Slade's interception on the goal-line wiped that out.

SDSU's Isaac Wallace then hit a hole in TCU's defense and went 87 yards for the touchdown and a 10-7 lead.

Hill was picked off again on a second straight attempt to set up a short field for SDSU's offense. Christion's 12-yard TD run put SDSU up 17-7.

TCU took an early 7-0 lead on a crisp opening drive. Hill was 5-for-7 to four different receivers in the drive, and running back Kyle Hicks finished off the last 15 yards for the score.

South Dakota State drove into TCU territory on its first three drives but didn't score until the third trip. TCU's defense held again Chase Vinatieri's 25-yard field goal cut TCU's lead to 7-3 after one quarter.

NOTES: South Dakota State entered Saturday's game 1-7 against the Big 12, its only victory coming against Kansas to open the 2015 season. The Jackrabbits won in Lawrence 41-38. SDSU and TCU had never met. ... TCU K Jonathan Song is out at least two games with an injury, so walk-ons Cole Bunce and Ryan Graf shared kicking duties on Saturday. P Nunez, a redshirt freshman, also made his debut.