USA TODAY International Edition
TCU FAILS TO IMPRESS
Kansas keeps game close vs. ailing team
Kansas always plays hard, at least, and seems to have improved with each passing game under first- year coach David Beaty. Regardless: KU has yet to win a game and stands two more losses shy of the first winless season in Big 12 Conference history.
So when the Jayhawks meet a College Football Playoff contender — say, TCU — it’s expected that the latter hands the former a lopsided, somewhat embarrassing defeat. That the Horned Frogs’ matchup against KU ended in a 23- 17 win won’t do wonders for the team’s Playoff hopes, already dinged by a loss at Oklahoma State a weekend ago.
That’s just the start. TCU also lost star quarterback Trevone Boykin to an ankle injury early in the second quarter. Boykin’s injury- caused departure is the latest blow to the Horned Frogs’ roster, which has dealt with ailments and attrition since the last weeks of fall practice. In the past two weeks, TCU has seen injuries sideline Boykin and wide receiver Josh Doctson, two heavy AllAmerica contenders heading into November.
With its championship hopes flagging, TCU needs a healthy Boykin to maintain its slim Playoff hopes, let alone reach a major January bowl. After struggling with Kansas, playing in another New Year’s Six bowl might be the Horned Frogs’ ceiling.
Other winners and losers from Week 11:
Winners
Navy: Navy continued its push for an access bowl by rolling past SMU, 55- 14, in its first game as a ranked team since 1979. Included in the scoring was a first- half scoring run by quarterback Keenan Reynolds, which broke former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball’s record for career rushing touchdowns. Reynolds’ play and Navy’s success has the senior in contention for the Heisman Trophy.
West Virginia: It was easy to dismiss West Virginia amid its 4- 4 start, but the Mountaineers are very much in line for eight wins in the regular season after a 38- 20 home victory against Texas. Remember that those four losses came to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU — the best teams in the Big 12. With that part of the schedule behind them, the Mountaineers should add wins against Kansas, Iowa State and Kansas State to finish above .500 in conference play.
North Carolina: UNC continued its under- the- radar charge for the Playoff by dismantling Miami ( Fla.), 59- 21, to move its record to 9- 1. The Tar Heels aren’t helped by a loss to South Carolina or two wins against Football Championship Subdivision competition, but the team’s winning streak should make them a somewhat credible threat to Clemson’s undefeated hopes in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. North Carolina’s nine- game win streak is the program’s longest since 1914.
Tennessee: Faint praise, I know, but Tennessee’s 24- 0 win against North Texas made the Volunteers bowl eligible for the second year in row. After a lost decade, Butch Jones is the first Tennessee coach since Phil Fulmer to make back- to- back bowl games.
Alabama: Alabama’s 31- 6 win at Mississippi State removed another hurdle from the Crimson Tide’s path for the Playoff. This might have been the toughest test left, based on Florida’s offensive woes since losing quarterback Will Grier in October. The offense attacked and loosened up the Bulldogs’ defense, leading to a long touchdown run by running back Derrick Henry to put the game away in the second quarter. The defense put Mississippi State in a vise, applying more and more pressure to wear down Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs’ attack.
Losers
Auburn: After notching an impressive win at Texas A& M on Nov. 7 to move within a win of bowl eligibility, Auburn looked listless and unmotivated in a 2013 home loss to Georgia. It’s a good win for Georgia, which can still nab double- digit wins despite all of the drama surrounding Mark Richt’s job security. It’s a terrible loss for the Tigers, who will get to six wins by beating Idaho next week but are a loss to Alabama away from potentially finishing last in the Southeastern Conference West Division.
Duke: One might suggest that Duke’s season ran off the rails the moment ACC officials upheld Miami’s lateral- driven touchdown return to beat the Blue Devils on Oct. 31. Since then, Duke has lost to rival North Carolina and Pittsburgh by the combined score of 97- 44. Though they’ve already secured a bowl berth, the Blue Devils’ collapse has been reminiscent of the program’s long run at the bottom of the entire Football Bowl Subdivision.