Frog Recap: What we learned from TCU’s road victory over Kansas

The Horned Frogs made key defensive stops in the second half and overcame three turnovers on offense.

It wasn’t pretty for TCU, but the Horned Frogs emerged from Arrowhead Stadium with a 38-27 win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday afternoon. TCU overcame three turnovers on offense, rallying behind a special teams gem from JP Richardson as well as an improved defensive display during the second half. The Horned Frogs also turned in arguably their best rushing performance of the season, with Jeremy Payne and Cam Cook combining for 126 yards on the ground. Jack Bech and Eric McAlister shouldered the load in the passing game, with each receiving catching a touchdown and going for 100 or more yards. Josh Hoover completed 28-of-37 passes for 356 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Saturday’s win over the Jayhawks was the first Big 12 Conference win of the season for the Horned Frogs, who will face Houston at Amon G. Carter Stadium this coming Friday. Here are three of the biggest things we learned from TCU’s road victory against Kansas.

Jeremy Payne needs to become a bigger part of the offense

The true freshman running back and former four-star recruit was impressive on Saturday, carrying the ball a season-high eight times and posting a season-best 65 rushing yards. Payne’s longest carry of the game was a 16-yarder through the middle, which became the longest run of the season for a TCU running back. Cam Cook will remain a factor in the backfield for the Horned Frogs, but it’s clear that Payne deserves a larger workload going forward. Arkansas transfer Dominique Johnson only ran one time for two yards, while Trey Sanders didn’t receive a single carry on Saturday. TCU has struggled to run the football this season, but after rushing for 153 yards against the Jayhawks, perhaps the Horned Frogs have found their new rotation with the sophomore Cook and the freshman Payne.

Jack Bech is WR1. Could Eric McAlister be WR2?

Bech continued his dominant start to the season on Saturday, catching 10 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. But the former Boise State transfer McAlister turned in his second consecutive 100-yard outing and made one of the more important plays of the game against the Jayhawks, catching a pass from Hoover and juking out two Kansas defenders en route to a 59-yard touchdown. After recording six catches for 119 yards and a score last weekend, McAlister hauled in four catches for 100 yards against the Jayhawks, outperforming starting wide receiver Savion Williams, who had four catches for 47 yards. Williams has been a starter since the season began, but it’s hard not to notice the strong play from McAlister, who could earn a starting role the same way Bech did earlier in the season. McAlister is averaging 20.1 yards per reception, which leads the offense.

TCU’s run defense took a step in the right direction

While Kansas finished with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, most of that damage came during the first half, where both Daniel Hishaw and Devin Neal were equally effective. However, TCU stepped up during the second half, where the Horned Frogs limited Kansas to 73 rushing yards. Jamel Johnson and Johnny Hodges both stood out with their play on defense, combining for 15 tackles including 14 solo tackles. With TCU stopping the Kansas rushing attack throughout the second half, Jalon Daniels was forced to make plays through the air. Daniels struggled in that department, though, completing just 44.1 percent (15 of 34) of his passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and a game-ending interception to TCU cornerback LaMareon James. TCU also managed to step up on defense without linebacker Namdi Obiazor, who departed with an injury. It wasn’t perfect, but the defensive performance from the Horned Frogs was one the team can build on.