By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas — It was still five days from Halloween when 15th-ranked Texas played TCU Saturday but the Longhorns were already in full trick-or-treat mode, and chose unwisely in a frightening 37-27 loss before a sun-splashed crowd of 47,660 fans at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Texas did little well and a whole lot really poorly in falling to a Horned Frogs team that played like the game really meant something to them. As a result, the Longhorns (5-3 overall, 3-2 in Big 12 Conference play) find themselves in the middle of the pack in a talented and balanced league, and also the losers of two of their past three games.
It could be even worse. Had [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]Cameron Dicker missed a field goal as time expired in last week’s 50-48 win at home against Kansas, UT’s season might be a total loss with four games left to play. Instead, the Longhorns are holding on to the ledge of a chasm by their collective fingernails while searching for a defense that can make stops when they count the most.
“Right now, we’re not good,” Texas coach Tom Herman said afterward. “We need to be better and we’ve got to do a better job as coaches to coach the guys that are out there. We gotta get them ready to play. We got to make plays and put them in position to do so.”
There was not one minute Saturday in which Texas looked like a better team than the Horned Frogs (4-3 overall, 2-2 in Big 12 play), and that’s disturbing, considering how much everyone is clinging to the notion that the Longhorns’ tradition-rich and long-vaunted program is “back.”
No, it’s not. This Texas team looked more like the one that lost to TCU two years ago in Tom Herman’s first season on the 40 Acres than the one that defeated Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s night in New Orleans.
The day belonged to freshman Horned Frog quarterback Max Duggan, who passed for a career-high 273 yards and two touchdowns, and TCU’s defense, which intercepted four passes and funneled the Longhorns’ offense to the middle of the field to limit its big plays.
“In the second half, their quarterback had a great game, made a lot of plays and worked a bit differently than we had thought he would,” Herman said about Duggan. “We thought they would try to protect him a little bit, but when he got out of pocket he’s a tough guy to catch up to and get down on the ground, and then he made some unbelievable throws and, you know, hats off.”
Ehlinger threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns, but his four interceptions were a career high and were one more than his total of picks over the Longhorns’ first seven games.
“No, I wasn’t pressing, and they didn’t do anything exotic or cut anybody loose,” Ehlinger explained about the TCU defense. “They did a good job of bringing pressure but also being balanced and making it difficult for our guys to get open.
Wide receiver Devin Duvernay caught eight passes for 173 yards to lead Texas in the loss. Collin Johnson added seven catches for 101 yards.
Texas began the game with a 21-yard field goal by Dicker that was, after an exchange of interceptions between the two teams, answered by a 32-yard field goal by the Horned Frogs’ Jonathan Song.
TCU moved to the front when Duggan found tight end Pro Wells down the seam in the midst of five Texas defenders for a 24-yard touchdown that gave the Horned Frogs a 10-3 lead with 12:18 to play in the second quarter.
Ehlinger immediately responded, going over the top with a perfect 49-yard touchdown pass Duvernay to tie the game at 10-10 with 10:57 in the second quarter.
Ehlinger changed a play to move running back Keaontay Ingram to his left and Ingram sprinted into the open field to haul in for a 17-yard touchdown pass without a TCU defender in the picture to allow Texas to take 17-10 lead.
TCU’s Griffin Kell ripped a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter to bring the Horned Frogs to within 17-13 at halftime.
“I felt good about where we were in the first half – our guys were flying around and they made a bunch of plays,” Herman said. “Our defense was doing what was necessary.”
Texas outgained TCU, 280-185, in the first half, including 211-92 through the air. Duvernay had 105 yards at halftime, breaking the century mark for consecutive games for the first time in his career, while Ehlinger’s scoring pass to Duvernay early in the second quarter moved the Longhorns’ junior quarterback past Vince Young into second place in program history in career touchdown passes with 82.
Ehlinger hit Duvernay for a short pass that he turned into a 63-yard catch and run to the TCU 6. But after an offensive pass interference penalty negated a touchdown, Texas has to settle for a 38-yard Dicker field goal and a 20-13 lead with 7:46 to play in the third quarter.
The Horned Frogs tied the game on the ensuing possession on a 1-yard touchdown run by Sewo Olonilua that came two snaps after a 51-yard pass from Duggan to Taye Barber.
TCU then took a 27-20 lead with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Duggan to Jalen Reagor on the play immediately following Ehlinger’s second interception of the game. Song booted a 33-yard field goal at the 11:28 mark of the fourth quarter after Ehlinger’s third interception to expand the Horned Frogs’ lead to 30-20.
Roschon Johnson’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive and brought Texas to within 30-27 with 6:50 remaining. TCU responded with a nine-play, 75-yard march that culminated in Duggan’s 11-yard touchdown run to build its lead back to 10 points with 1:59 to play and finish off the Longhorns.
“We’ve got to make the plays when they count and do little things better,” Texas defensive end Malcolm Roach said. “If we continue to do that, to come together as a unit, things like will take care of themselves”.
Texas will enjoy its second off-week of the season next Saturday and will have plenty to work on, and to think about, before hosting Kansas State on Nov. 9.
“We’ve got to get back to the basics, get back to fundamentals,” Herman said. “We have to find out what we can do and who we’re going to be doing it with. That’s the only thing to do.”
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