West Virginia upsets TCU 24-20 as a late strip-sack stops the Horned Frogs at the 14

West Virginia’s defense saved its best for the last 40 seconds. With TCU at the Mountaineers’ 14-yard line and the clock winding down, an all-out blitz forced a Jaden Craig fumble, linebacker Ben Cutter recovered it, and West Virginia held on for a 24-20 road upset on Saturday afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

The game is final. TCU came in as a 10 1/2-point favorite, according to West Virginia’s athletics site, and dominated the stat sheet. It still lost its homecoming game, and its fourth one-score game of the season.

How the final drive ended

TCU had one timeout and the ball at the West Virginia 14 inside the final 40 seconds when defensive coordinator Zac Alley called an all-out blitz. Craig was hit as he tried to pass, the ball came loose, and Cutter fell on it at the 23. West Virginia only had to kneel to run out the clock.

The official play-by-play credited Nate Gabriel with forcing the fumble, though West Virginia’s site wrote that highlight clips showed defensive tackle David Afogho coming off the edge to make the hit. It was the third turnover the Mountaineers forced on the day.

West Virginia vs. TCU score by quarter

Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook carry the offense

West Virginia’s passing game never got going. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. completed 7 of 15 passes for 79 yards, and the school noted a couple of drops that could have added big plays. But Hawkins ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns, and he threw the go-ahead score.

Running back Cam Cook, a former Horned Frog, added 90 yards on 18 carries and caught that decisive touchdown. Both players were performing in front of family and friends; Hawkins is from Dallas.

Key moments for the Mountaineers:

• Opening drives: Jack Cassidy hit a 54-yard field goal, and a 31-yard Cook run set up Hawkins’ 2-yard touchdown for a 10-7 edge.
• Third quarter answer: after the teams went to halftime tied 10-10 and a TCU field goal made it 13-10, Hawkins found Prince Strachan for 21 yards and then broke loose on a 36-yard touchdown run, his 16th of the season, for a 17-13 lead.
• Go-ahead score: after TCU went back in front 20-17, West Virginia drove 75 yards in 14 plays, helped by an unnecessary roughness penalty and a fourth-down conversion by Cook. Hawkins hit Cook down the seam for a 13-yard touchdown with 11:28 left.

TCU’s yards didn’t turn into points

By the numbers, TCU should have won. The Horned Frogs outgained West Virginia 484 to 265, according to TCU’s game recap, held the ball nearly 15 minutes longer and picked up 29 first downs to West Virginia’s 17.

Craig was outstanding for long stretches. He completed 33 of 47 passes for 372 yards and a touchdown, opened the game with 12 straight completions (tied for the third-longest streak in program history) and ran in a 2-yard score that put TCU ahead 20-17 late in the third quarter. Receivers Jordan Dwyer and Kari Ashley each topped 100 yards; it was Dwyer’s 12th career 100-yard game, the second most of any FBS player, per TCU. Ka’Morreun Pimpton caught a 6-yard touchdown.

What cost TCU was everything around those yards: three turnovers, including a fumble recovered by Cam Torbor and an interception by Chams Diagne in the first half, a missed 43-yard field goal by Nate McCashland, and eight penalties for 81 yards. Defensively, Jamel Johnson had 11 tackles and Hudson Hooper had nine.

What it means for both teams

West Virginia improved to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, and it has now won four straight times in Fort Worth dating to 2019. The Mountaineers are idle next Saturday, then face a stretch in which three of their final four games come against ranked opponents, including No. 8 Texas Tech on Nov. 7. Texas Tech lost 37-24 to Cincinnati on Saturday.

TCU fell to 3-4 and 1-3 in conference play after beating Baylor in its rivalry game a week earlier.

FAQ