The Sports Xchange
Sep 9, 2017
No. 23 TCU relied on its defense and running game to wear down Arkansas 28-7 Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
TCU (2-0) led 14-7 entering the fourth quarter but scored two touchdowns in a span of 14 seconds to pull away from the Razorbacks (1-1).
After TCU sophomore running back Darius Anderson ran 14 yards for a touchdown with 2:18 remaining in the game, Arkansas fumbled the ensuing kickoff. TCU took over at the Arkansas 13. On the next play, sophomore running back Sewo Olonilua took a direct snap and ran for his second touchdown of the game.
Jonathan Song's extra point made it 28-7 with 2:04 left.
TCU, which passed for 300 yards in a 63-0 season-opening victory against Jackson State a week ago, had 166 yards passing against Arkansas. But the Horned Frogs ran for 196 yards, led by 106 yards on 15 carries from Anderson.
Defensively, TCU kept Arkansas' dangerous running attack under control, holding the Razorbacks to 129 yards. David Williams had 65 yards on 10 carries for Arkansas.
TCU senior quarterback Kenny Hill completed 21 of 31 attempts for 166 yards with an interception. Arkansas senior Austin Allen was 9-for-23 for 138 yards and a touchdown.
TCU took the lead on its opening possession and never trailed.
After a short Arkansas punt, the Horned Frogs drove 45 yards in eight plays, capped by Olonilua's 1-yard touchdown run with 10:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Arkansas answered on the following possession when Allen found junior wide receiver Jonathan Nance for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Cole Hedlund's extra point tied the score 7-7 with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Kyle Hicks' 4-yard touchdown run with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter capped an 80-yard drive in 15 plays, and Song's extra point gave the Horned Frogs a 14-7 lead.
NOTES: Both teams missed scoring opportunities. TCU had first-and-goal at the Arkansas 3 on its first possession of the second half, but lost the ball on a bad snap and Arkansas recovered. On the Horned Frogs' next possession, freshman receiver Jalen Reagor was alone in the end zone when he failed to make a one-handed catch on a 38-yard pass from senior quarterback Kenny Hill. Arkansas kicker Cole Hedlund, a junior who has not missed an extra-point kick in 90 career tries, missed two short field-goal attempts for Arkansas. The first was a 23-yard try on the first play of the second quarter, and the second a 20-yard attempt on the second play of the fourth quarter. ... Arkansas RB Chase Hayden, a true freshman who rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown in the Razorbacks' season-opening victory over Florida A&M, had one yard on two carries against TCU ... Arkansas coach Bret Bielema saw his record drop to 26-27 in five-plus seasons at Arkansas. Bielema went 68-24 in seven seasons as head coach at Wisconsin ... TCU coach Gary Patterson, in his 18th season, has a record of 151-54.