Hill, Horned Frogs rally to take down Cardinal
SAN ANTONIO — No 31-point comeback was necessary this time. There was no triple-overtime thriller. Just plenty of drama. Desmond White’s electrifying 76-yard punt return in the fourth quarter gave No. 15 TCU its first lead, and the Horned Frogs held on for a 39-37 victory over No. 13 Stanford in the 25th Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday night at the Alamodome.
A crowd of 57,653 — the smallest since 2008 — saw Cole Bunce kick a game-winning 33-yard field with 3:07 left to give TCU (11-3) its second Alamo Bowl victory in three years.
In 2015, TCU rallied from a 31-point halftime deficit for a historic 47-41 victory over Oregon in triple overtime.
The Horned Frogs trailed 21-10 at the half Thursday.
Stanford (9-5) jumped to a 21-3 lead and appeared in control until TCU rallied behind quarterback Kenny Hill.
Hill, a senior playing in his final game, passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns. For the second time this season, he passed for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in the same game — the only player in the Football Bowl Subdivision to do so.
Hill was named offensive player of the game.
TCU, which racked up 488 total yards of offense, got 169 receiving yards from Jalen Reagor.
After White’s long punt return, Stanford came back to take a 37-36 lead on K.J. Costello’s 4-yard scoring pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
But TCU promptly drove 60 yards to the Stanford 15 before Bunce’s game-winning kick.
Love chips in two TDs
Bryce Love led Stanford with 145 rushing yards — his 12th game this season of 100-plus yards, a school record — and two touchdowns. Love had been hobbled the second half of the season with a sprained ankle.
Costello passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns — all to Arcega-Whiteside.
Innis Gaines’ interception at the Cardinal 44 sealed the victory for TCU.
Perhaps still feeling lucky from that triple-overtime win at the Alamo Bowl two years ago, Patterson decided to gamble early and often, first with a fake punt on the Horned Frogs’ first possession.
It didn’t work, as punter Adam Nunez gained a yard on a fourthand-5.
It was a foreshadowing of things to come.
Patterson pulled out another gadget play at the end of the opening quarter. But that didn’t end well either as Reagor, after receiving a lateral from KaVontae Turpin, juggled the ball and fumbled it out of bounds during a 40-yard run back.
But it would have been all for naught as the original lateral was ruled an illegal forward pass.
But the message was clear: Patterson was in it to win it.
Problem was Stanford was in it to win it, too.
The Cardinal took advantage of field position and a turnover to jump to a 21-3 lead.
Stanford’s first touchdown came after Hill was intercepted by Frank Buncom and returned to the TCU 23.
Love scored three plays later on a 15-yard run to put Stanford up 7-0.
TCU drove 58 yards in eight plays on its next possession, only to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Bunce.
The Frogs escaped trouble during the drive when a Hill pass in the end zone was dropped by Stanford’s Bobby Okereke.
Stanford strong in first half
But Stanford got an 18-yard scoring pass from Costello to Arcega-Whiteside with 1:51 left in the half to make it 14-3.
The two hooked up on a 14-yard scoring strike with 7:24 left in the half to make it 21-3.
Hill capped a 76-yard drive in nine plays with a 6-yard scamper around right end to make it 21-10 at the half.
Statistically, TCU outgained Stanford in total yardage the first half 167-160. TCU limited Love to 67 yards on 15 carries.