Max Duggan threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night as No. 8 TCU erased an 18-point first-half deficit to topple No. 17 Kansas State 38-28 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Duggan completed 17 of 26 passes, finding Quentin Johnston for a 55-yard catch-and-run score with 3:45 left in the third quarter that gave the Horned Frogs (7-0, 4-0 Big 12 Conference) the lead for good at 31-28.
Kendre Miller added insurance with 12:14 left in the game, scoring on a 9-yard run up the middle. Miller carried the load in the running game with 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 29 carries.
TCU’s defense chipped in by pitching a second-half shutout and intercepting a pair of passes after backup quarterback Will Howard shredded it during the first half. Howard, who missed some second-half time with an injury, finished 13 of 20 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Kansas State starting QB Adrian Martinez left after the first series of the game with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return.
TCU didn’t waste much time initiating the scoring. Duggan hit Derius Davis for a 65-yard touchdown pass just over four minutes in. But Kansas State (5-2, 3-1) controlled most of the rest of the first half.
That was a surprise considering that it dealt with the loss of Martinez, as well as other injuries to key players. But Howard came out smoking, hitting 8 of his first 9 passes for 185 yards and two scores.
He also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown on the second quarter’s first play, kicking off a burst of 21 points in less than seven minutes. Deuce Vaughn capped it with a 47-yard score at the 8:09 mark for a 28-10 advantage.
But the Horned Frogs were able to take some momentum to the locker room when Duggan led a 91-yard drive in the final 3 1/2 minutes. He flipped a 4-yard strike to Jared Wiley with 20 seconds left, slicing their deficit to 28-17 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
