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Max Carroll's pick-6 and Jaden Craig's late touchdown lift TCU to 22-16 win over Kansas
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- Max Carroll's pick-6 and Jaden Craig's late touchdown lift TCU to 22-16 win over Kansas
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Max Carroll returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown, quarterback Jaden Craig ran 17 yards for the go-ahead score with 1:09 remaining and TCU beat Kansas 22-16 on Saturday.
The Jayhawks had gone ahead 16-14 on Martin Connington's 27-yard field goal after a 94-yard interception return by the Horned Frogs was wiped out by a pass interference penalty.
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Cole Ballard's desperation pass as time expired was incomplete as Kansas (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) couldn't hold a 13-0 halftime lead and dropped to 0-6 in Fort Worth since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012. Kansas was coming off a victory that ended a 14-game losing streak against Baylor.
Carroll's TD came after the Horned Frogs (4-4, 2-3) were held scoreless in the first half for the first time since a 10-7 victory over California in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
TCU's sixth straight victory over Kansas was its first one-score win this season after each of its four losses was by eight points or less.
"We're going to have to play better offensively, but I was really proud of the offense for driving down at the end of the game," TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. "We've had four opportunities this year to go either win or tie a football game, and at the end, we haven't been able to get it done. To their credit, we got it done tonight."
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The Horned Frogs were up 14-13 when Jamel Johnson caught an overthrown pass from Cole Ballard at the TCU 6-yard line and weaved his way toward the left sideline, where he went on to the end zone.
The flag came out just as Johnson made the catch, and officials ruled that Kalen Carroll, who had the pass breakup that led to Max Carroll's TD, made contact with Bryson Hayes just as the ball was going over the receiver's head.
After Connington's third field goal put the Jayhawks in front, Craig led a 13-play, 84-yard drive to give TCU the lead again. The Horned Frogs could have run the clock down for a final-play field goal when Craig scored.
"This group knows, a close loss, the opportunity was there," Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. "We can play with a lot of people, but we've got to make sure that we execute on both sides where we can make plays enough at certain times that we can win these games."
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Craig made up for a rough game throwing by rushing for 87 yards, and freshman receiver Ace Theus had a 28-yard touchdown run to give TCU its first lead. Craig was just 13 of 29 for a season-worst 85.7 passer rating, but the Horned Frogs forced two turnovers to make up for a muffed punt.
"Sometimes you're going to have to win some ugly football games, and that was kind of an ugly football game, and we were able to win it," Dykes said. "We did it because we didn't turn the ball over."
Ballard was 20 of 35 for 285 yards with a 29-yard score to Cam Pickett, who made a nifty reception to stay inbounds on the catch-and-run play.
The takeaway
Kansas: A week after rushing for 156 yards in the victory over Baylor, Dylan Edwards was held to a 2.1-yard average with 42 yards on 20 carries.
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TCU: The Frogs sent the fans home happy after they spent the better part of the game booing an offense that punted seven times on its first eight possessions. The other drive ended on a fourth-down stop inside the Kansas 1-yard line with 3 seconds left in the first half.
Up next
Kansas: Hosts UCF next Saturday.
TCU: Visits No. 22 Arizona on Friday night.
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