Photo from GoFrogs.com
Frog fans are pumped to face the Sooners once again Saturday for the Big 12 Championship game. But before getting there, TCU had one last hurdle to overcome — beating arch rival Baylor.
Okay, so the Bears have had one win all season. But TCU's dominating 45-22 win over Baylor was a big deal, and here's why.
1. First things first: Mat Boesen.
Senior defensive end Mat Boesen truly showed out this season and hit an exclamation point against Baylor when he set a new school record with 5.5 sacks in a single game. He's had 11.5 sacks total this year, which is tied for third most in a season for TCU.
2. Also, the Bears caught Kenny Hill on a good day.
Quarterback Kenny Hill has had some highs and lows this season, but the Baylor game was definitely a high point. There's a lot that can be talked about when it comes to Hill, whether they be weaknesses or strengths. Talk about his passing game — he had three passing touchdowns. Talk about his mobility — he scored one rushing touchdown. Talk about his accuracy — he threw no interceptions. He ended the day with 325 passing yards. The opponent has to be considered, of course, but like we've said all year, when Hill is good, he's good. And Friday was a good day.
3. Fighting is bad.
The one thing that happened Friday that was less fun: The ugly skirmish that took place in the third quarter. Because of that, safety Nick Orr will miss the first half of Saturday's championship game for "throwing punches at opposing players," Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. (Baylor players JaMycal Hasty and D.J. Artis also received suspensions that will carry into the first game of the 2018 season.) In the end, we live and learn.
4. The prize for beating Baylor: The Big 12 Championship game.
As it turned out, not all hope was lost after TCU fell to Oklahoma two weeks ago. Beating Baylor guaranteed TCU's spot in the Big 12 Championship game, where it will face Oklahoma once again on a neutral playing field. I have a feeling the Frogs will be out for some revenge.
5. Coach P is here to stay.
With so much talk of coaches moving around, coaches getting fired (e.g., Arkansas), it's nice that TCU has stability in head coach Gary Patterson. Following Friday's win, TCU announced Patterson's contract had been extended to 2024.
