Quinn Ewers passed for 317 yards and a touchdown and Jonathon Brooks amassed 178 all-purpose yards and two TDs as No. 7 Texas dominated the first half and then held on for a 29-26 win over TCU on Saturday in a key Big 12 Conference game in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Longhorns (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are now alone atop the conference standings with two regular-season games to play.
Texas led by 20 at the half but sputtered thereafter. The Horned Frogs made things interesting in the fourth quarter when Josh Hoover hit JP Richardson with a 3-yard TD pass and then Savion Williams from 14 yards out, the latter with 3:28 to play.
It took a sterling catch on his back from the Longhorns’ Adonai Mitchell on a third down during the final drive to secure the win for Texas.
Ewers, returning from a two-game absence because of a right shoulder injury, completed 22 of 33 passes. Brooks had 104 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving before being forced from the game with a right ankle injury early in the fourth quarter. Xavier Worthy caught 10 passes for 137 yards.
Hoover passed for 302 yards in the loss. Emani Bailey ran for 98 yards and Williams caught 11 passes for 164 yards for TCU (4-6, 2-5) in the loss.
The Horned Frogs got on the board first via a 41-yard field goal by Griffin Kell midway through the first quarter. Texas responded when Brooks strolled into the end zone from 2 yards out to make it 7-3 after he got loose on a 73-yard screen pass catch and run on the first play of the drive.
Kell’s second field goal — this one from 56 yards — cut the Longhorns’ lead to 7-6 with 4:35 to play in the first quarter. Texas answered with a 30-yard field goal on the second snap of the second quarter by Bert Auburn to go up 10-6.
Auburn pushed the Longhorns’ advantage to 13-6 with a 32-yard kick with 8:32 to play in the second quarter. Ewers hit Mitchell with a 6-yard TD to expand Texas’ lead to 19-6 with 1:01 to play before halftime.
After an interception by Terrance Brooks, Jonathon Brooks ran to the pylon for a 22-yard TD with 12 seconds left that stoked the Texas lead to 26-6 at the break.
TCU got into the end zone on a 17-yard run by Bailey with 14:02 to play to cut its deficit to 26-13. Auburn’s 49-yard field goal with 8:53 capped a 10-play, 44-yard drive and expanded the Longhorns’ lead to 29-13.
–Field Level Media
