Seven punts had carried TCU through most of a frustrating afternoon against Kansas. Then, in 1 minute 15 seconds, the Horned Frogs moved 72 yards in three plays that advanced the football and took the lead. Ace Theus supplied the finish, but Kari Ashley’s reception and Jaden Craig’s legs made the sudden change possible.
Theus’ 28-yard touchdown run put TCU ahead 14-13 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter. The Horned Frogs later beat Kansas 22-16 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Saturday, surviving an afternoon in which their offense produced eight punts and 286 total yards. The score belonged to TCU.
The shape of the comeback belonged to a pair of explosive moments and one long closing possession.
The Theus drive began at TCU’s 28 after Kansas punted. On the first snap, Craig found Ashley on a deep-middle completion caught at the Kansas 47 and carried to the Jayhawks’ 36 for a 36-yard gain.
It was TCU’s longest completed pass of the game, and it immediately moved the offense from ordinary field position to a place where one more successful play could change the score.
The next listed pass was incomplete, but Kansas was penalized for pass interference, moving the ball to the 33. Craig then ran 15 yards to the Kansas 18. A holding penalty erased the following TCU rush and sent the ball back to the 28. Theus took the next snap, ran right and reached the end zone.
Two penalties made that three-play drive less straightforward than its quick duration suggests. Kansas’ infraction helped TCU, then the Horned Frogs’ holding call cost them ground. Ashley’s catch, Craig’s run and Theus’ touchdown still combined to cover the field. TCU finally strung together field-flipping actions instead of asking another punt to solve the afternoon.
Theus’ run was his first carry of the game. He finished with two carries for 30 yards and one touchdown, so the 28-yard score accounted for nearly all of his rushing production. It also supplied the kind of immediate offensive jolt TCU had been missing.
Craig had been the Horned Frogs’ more reliable runner, but Theus turned one touch into the game’s most efficient scoring answer.
Kansas still owned the broader statistical argument. The Jayhawks finished with 451 total yards, held the ball for 38:57 and completed 20 of 35 passes for 285 yards. TCU had 141 passing yards, and Craig completed 13 of 29 attempts without a passing touchdown or interception. Kansas moved the ball more consistently; TCU simply made its scarce clean bursts count more heavily.
The Jayhawks’ missed chance near the goal line came before Theus’ score. Kansas drove 71 yards in 10 plays during the third quarter and reached the TCU 1, but Cole Ballard’s fourth-down run gained only 1 yard. That stop left Kansas ahead 13-0 and gave TCU the ball at its own 1.
