Hoover passes for 287 yards as TCU rolls past Oklahoma State 38-13

FORT WORTH, Texas — Josh Hoover passed for 287 yards and a touchdown, and TCU rolled past Oklahoma State 38-13 on Saturday night to become bowl eligible.

JP Richardson caught seven passes for 100 yards and Cam Cook ran for two touchdowns for the Horned Frogs.

TCU (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) scored on six of its first seven possessions to hand Oklahoma State its seventh consecutive loss. The Horned Frogs didn’t punt until halfway through the fourth quarter. Before that, they only failed to score on their second possession, when a field goal attempt sailed wide right.

Just two years ago, TCU played in the national championship game. The Horned Frogs missed out on a bowl last season and thankful to have bounced back.

“Getting bowl eligible is big for our program,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “We’re still trying to develop an identity. It’s been big swings and we don’t really want to be that as a football team. I think we’re starting to hit our stride as a team."

Oklahoma State clinched its first losing season since 2005 — Mike Gundy’s first as head coach. The loss also ended the Cowboys bowl streak at 18 seasons.

Brennan Presley led Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7) with 10 catches for 75 yards. His 10 catches gave him 72 this season and 296 in his career, passing Rashaun Woods’ school record that had stood since 2003.

Ollie Gordon II ran for 121 yards and a touchdown and De’Zhaun Stribling caught seven passes for 101 yards and a score for the Cowboys.

TCU took advantage of two Oklahoma State first-half turnovers, including Gordon’s fumble and Alan Bowman’s interception, both inside TCU’s 30-yard line. The Horned Frogs led 24-0 at the half after outgaining the Cowboys 280 yards to 90.

TCU outscored Oklahoma State 14-13 in the second half.

“It was a tale of two halves for us,” Gundy said. “We talk a lot about getting off to a fast start … particularly on the road, and obviously we didn’t do that today.”

The Takeaway

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys’ offense came alive in the second half, scoring touchdowns on its first two drives on Gordon’s 2-yard scoring run and Stribling’s 8-yard touchdown reception from Bowman. The offense then went back to being inconsistent.

TCU: The Horned Frogs’ offense never let up. After Oklahoma State pulled to within 31-13, TCU struck back two plays later as Jordyn Bailey outraced defenders around the left edge for a 59-yard touchdown run.

Quotable

“We got off to a good start and played pretty well most of the game,” Dykes said. “The biggest thing for our football team is we’ve gone two weeks in a row without turning it over. We won the turnover battle 3-0, and that’s a big reason we won the football game.”

Up Next

TCU: Hosts Arizona on Saturday.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Texas Tech on Nov. 23.