Game report: No. 5 TCU 34, Kansas 30
First quarter
Key play: A botched field-goal attempt turned into a positive when holder T.J. Millweard rolled out and hit tight end Trent Smiley for a first down. KU scored its first touchdown on the 17-play drive.
Key stat: KU held the ball more than 9 minutes.
Second quarter
Key play: KU cornerback JaCorey Shepherd had a pick-six that would have given Kansas a 20-7 lead, but the play was called back after KU was caught in a late substitution and had 12 men on the field.
Key stat: TCU had just 24 yards rushing.
Third quarter
Key play: KU receiver Nigel King made a circus catch on the sideline, then sprinted 78 yards for a touchdown. The Jayhawks led 27-17 with 8:27 left in the quarter, their largest lead of the game.
Key stat: KU had 305 yards passing through three quarters.
Fourth quarter
Key play: TCU converted a first down on fourth and short in KU territory and was able to bleed out the rest of the clock.
Key stat: TCU had 126 rushing yards in the second half.
Player of the game: Even in defeat, KU linebacker Ben Heeney was his usual brilliant self, finishing with 11 total tackles. In his final home game, Heeney led a KU defense that held TCU to 34 points, close to 11 points below its season average.
Reason to hope: While Kansas will lose most of its starting defense to graduation, quarterback Michael Cummings (332 yards passing) and receiver Nigel King (128 yards receiving) will return next year. That’s a start on the offensive side.
Reason to mope: Kansas will finish with road trips to Oklahoma and Kansas State. Can the Jayhawks maintain the emotion and momentum away from home?
Looking ahead: The Jayhawks will travel to face a suddenly vulnerable Oklahoma, 7-3, which had to rally to beat Texas Tech 42-30 on Saturday.
To reach Rustin Dodd, call 816-234-4937 or send email to rdodd@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rustindodd.
Report card
A | Offense | After years of anemic passing numbers under Charlie Weis, the last few weeks have been a breath of fresh air. Quarterback Michael Cummings threw for 332 yards, the most by a KU quarterback since Todd Reesing threw for 338 against Duke in 2009. The Jayhawks also had two receivers go over 100 yards for the first time since 2009. |
A | Defense | It’s hard to complain about this performance from the KU defense. The Jayhawks held TCU to 11 points under its season average. This is a Horned Frogs offense that put up more than 80 points against Texas Tech and scored 41 on K-State last week. Senior cornerback JaCorey Shepherd has become a star on defense. |
C | Special teams | Kansas had one very costly breakdown on special teams, allowing a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the third quarter. That ended up being the difference. They would never lead again. Punter Trevor Pardula outkicked his coverage, and TCU’s Cameron Echols-Luper found daylight. |
A | Coaching | The Jayhawks caught plenty of breaks and bounces Saturday. But one week after defeating Iowa State 34-14, Kansas went toe to toe with a top-five team that could end up in the College Football Playoff. A victory would have been huge for interim coach Clint Bowen, but a four-point loss that came down to a couple of possessions was still impressive. |
This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Game report: No. 5 TCU 34, Kansas 30."