Win eludes Cardinal in thriller in Texas
No. 15 TCU 39, No. 13 Stanford 37
SAN ANTONIO — In a wild Alamo Bowl, Stanford lost some key defensive players, and then it ran out of gas.
TCU nailed Stanford with a 93-yard touchdown pass and a long score on a punt return, then beat the Cardinal with a field goal by a Bay Area native Thursday night in the Alamo Bowl.
Cole Bunce, out of San Jose’s Bellarmine High, booted a 33-yard field goal for the decisive points with 3:07 left as the No. 13 Horned Frogs edged the No. 15 Cardinal 39-37 in one of the best bowl games this season.
“We all knew how this game was going to go,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “Two teams that fight and scrap and never quit. It was going to be whoever made the most plays. Once again, proud of our guys for how we fight. We just gave up too many plays.”
Kenny Hill, TCU’s quick and resourceful quarterback, passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and scored another on a pass from receiver Desmon White.
Before a crowd of 57,653 at the Alamodome, the Cardinal’s Bryce Love rushed 26 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Love broke Stanford’s single-season rushing record, held by Christian McCaffrey (2,019 yards in 2015), by finishing with 2,118 yards.
K.J. Costello, playing with an injured throwing hand, completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns, all of them to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
Cardinal safety Justin Reid went out in the second quarter with an injury and didn’t
come back. “To lose one of the best players in America at his position is difficult,” Shaw said.
Safety Frank Buncom, who had two interceptions, later left after a crushing hit by TCU running back Sewo Olonilua. The defense also lost outside linebacker Curtis Robinson.
“I’ll say it again and again and again,” Shaw said. “To sit there at 1-2 at the beginning of the season and fight back to get to the Pac-12 championship game … says a lot about the guys on this football team.”
The No. 15 Stanford (9-5) failed to reach 10 wins for the second time in Shaw’s seven years as head coach. His bowl record fell to 4-3.
On the first play of a drive in the first quarter, Hill rolled out and tried to find Jarrison Stewart, but Buncom picked off the pass and returned it 37 yards to the TCU 23.
Trailing 21-10 at the half, TCU scored on a trick play moments into the second half. Hill lateraled to White, who threw back to Hill, who ran down the left sideline for a 27-yard touchdown. The kick failed, so Stanford’s lead was 21-16.
Love, generally contained by TCU’s quick defense, finally broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He barely outraced cornerback Jeff Gladney to the left pylon, giving the Cardinal a 28-16 lead. It was Love’s 13th run of 50 yards or longer this season, extending his FBS record.
Later in the quarter, Hill, after keeping the play alive on a long scramble, hit White for an 11-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 28-23.
Jet Toner’s 27-yard field goal, set up by Cameron Scarlett’s 50-yard catch-run play, pushed the lead to 31-23 before TCU closed Stanford’s lead to 31-29 early in the fourth quarter on Hill’s 93-yard pass to Jalen Reagor. Passing from his own end zone, Hill connected with Reagor just past midfield, and the receiver beat cornerback Alameen Murphy and safety Ben Edwards down the sideline to the end zone. Guard Garrett Altman, lining up as an eligible receiver, couldn’t handle Hill’s pass for a two-point conversion.
“They’re a very tough offense to go against,” defensive lineman Harrison Phillips said. “They broke a lot of tendencies. Kenny Hill’s very dynamic. They’re very well coached.”
The Horned Frogs scored on another electrifying play a few minutes later when White returned a punt 76 yards, giving TCU the lead for the first time, at 36-31.
Costello’s third TD pass of the game to Arcega-Whiteside, a 4-yarder, gave Stanford a 37-36 lead with 6:42 remaining. On an attempt for a two-point conversion, Costello’s pass was too high for Kaden Smith.