Texas Christian pulls away after long weather delay
KaVontae Turpin ignited sluggish Texas Christian by returning a punt 78 yards for a touchdown before adding a 42-yard scoring catch, and the 16th-ranked Horned Frogs pulled away for a rainsoaked 42-12 victory over Dallas-Fort Worth rival Southern Methodist that ended early Saturday morning.
The start of the game Friday night between former Southwest Conference foes was delayed nearly two hours by lightning, and a steady rain fell until halftime.
The Horned Frogs (2-0) finally secured their first seven-game winning streak in the 98-game Iron Skillet series after midnight, winning comfortably after struggling early for the third straight year. TCU has outscored SMU 83-14 in the second half the last three meetings.
The Mustangs (0-2) led 9-0 early in the first home game for coach Sonny Dykes, but had just 167 yards total offense after Braeden West’s 51-yard scoring run on the fifth play of the game.
TCU squandered its first two chances to take control by committing turnovers before Alec Dunham picked up a fumble by SMU quarterback Ben Hicks in stride and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and a 21-12 lead.
Cancer battle
Vanderbilt tight end Turner Cockrell has been battling cancer for the last year. The Commodores announced Cockrell’s health issues on the athletic department’s website.
Cockrell, a sophomore, noticed two lumps on the right side of his neck last fall. He was diagnosed with melanoma in November, underwent surgery in December to remove cancerous lymph nodes from his neck and later had radiation therapy. After a full-body scan showed unusual growths in Cockrell’s lungs, doctors said in July that his cancer had spread.
QB’s status unclear
Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton’s availability for Saturday’s game against Southern Utah remains unclear.
Luton left the opener at Ohio State with concussionlike symptoms after the first series. Luton practiced as much as he was allowed this week.