Texas Tech 52 - 55 Texas Christian (23 seconds left in 4th Quarter)

OK, here's the kickoff.  Oberkrom kicks it through the end zone.  The Red Raiders will start from their 25.

The radio guys tell us they don't know how far the Tech kicker can kick the ball.

1st and 10 (Tech 25):  Mahomes pass incomplete
2d and 10 (Tech 25):  Jakeem Grant 10-yd pass from Mahomes (11 seconds left)
1st and 10 (Tech 35):  Mahomes pass incomplete (9 seconds left)
2d and 10 (Tech 35):  Mahomes pass incomplete (1 second left)

On the last play of the game, Mahomes throws a long bomb that is INTERCEPTED by Texas Christian.  But Texas Christian is called for offsides AND a PERSONAL FOUL.  So Texas Tech gets one more chance:

1st and 10 (50):  This play took forever.  Mahomes looked like he was going to be sacked about five times, and then he finally threw the ball to Washington, who took it deep into Texas Christian territory.  Then the Red Raiders started doing the laterals and stuff that you see at the end of a game, and it almost worked.  Finally, however, Texas Christian ran them out of bounds at the Frog 10 yard line, and THE GAME WAS OVER.

TEXAS CHRISTIAN HAS DEFENDED ITS TITLE.  THE BIG GOLD TROPHY IS GOING BACK TO FORT WORTH!!!

Texas Tech 52 - 48 Texas Christian (29 seconds left in 4th Quarter)

Texas Christian calls time, and they will now run their last play.  Fourth and goal from the 4.

Boykin throws the ball to Doctson (who else?) but the pass is TOO HIGH.  Doctson makes a desperate reach for the ball and tips it up into the air.  And then AARON GREEN COMES RUNNING IN TO CATCH THE BALL AND GIVE TEXAS CHRISTIAN THE LEAD WITH TWENTY-THREE SECONDS TO GO!

WHAT AN AMAZING PLAY!  WHAT A GAME!

The Raider fans (who are still mad about that controversial 2-point conversion) are now throwing bottles on the field.

Texas Tech 52 - 48 Texas Christian (3:11 left in 4th Quarter)

With a chance to bury the Frogs once and for all, the Texas Tech offense does absolutely nothing -- two short runs and an incomplete pass.  They punt, and the Frogs take over at their own 47.

1st and 10 (TCU 47):  Jarrison Stewart 6-yd pass from Boykin
2d and 4 (Tech 47):  Aaron Green 9-yd run
1st and 10 (Tech 38):  Ja'Juan Story 10-yd pass from Boykin
1st and 10 (Tech 28):  Aaron Green 4-yd run (1:38 left in the game)
2d and 6 (Tech 24):  Josh Doctson 16-yd pass from Boykin
1st and G (Tech 8):  Aaron Green 4-yd run

With 1:04 left in the game, Tech calls time.  At this point, I should note that Doctson made an amazing catch on that 16-yard pass.  There was a Tech guy draped all over him -- I have no idea how he caught that ball.  He has been unbelievable in this game.

2d and G (Tech 4):  Aaron Green 1-yd run

With 58 seconds left, Tech calls its final timeout.  The Tech announcers are pleading for someone to stop Doctson.

3d and G (Tech 3)  Travone Boykin runs for no gain.

So it's all going to come down to one play.

Texas Tech 52 - 48 Texas Christian (5:46 left in 4th Quarter)

This is now looking more and more like the backyard games you played when you were twelve.  Texas Christian's KaVontae Turpin takes the kickoff and quickly dashes all the way to the Texas Christian 47.

1st and 10 (TCU 47):  Delay of game penalty
1st and 15 (TCU 42):  Aaron Green 7-yd run
2d and 8 (TCU 49):  Boykin pass incomplete
3d and 8 (TCU 49):  Boykin pass incomplete
4th and 8 (TCU 49):  Punt to the Tech 13.


HUGE STAND by the Tech defense.

Texas Tech 45 - 48 Texas Christian (7:25 left in 4th Quarter)

Tech has the ball with a 2d and 10 at its own 35.  Here's what happened next:

2d and 10 (Tech 35):  Giles 3-yd pass from Mahomes
3d and 7 (Tech 38):  Mahomes 9-yd run
1st and 10 (Tech 47):  Grant 3-yd pass from Mahomes
2d and 3 (50):  Mahomes throws a 5-yd pass to Justin Stockton from Steele H.S. in Cibolo, Tex.  Stockton caught the ball in traffic at the Texas Christian 45 yard line, and then just ran almost untouched through the Frog defense for a FIFTY-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS.

Texas Tech 45 - 48 Texas Christian (8:22 left in 4th Quarter)

After scoring its touchdown, the Frogs went for two.  They ran a trick play where the ball was snapped directly to Kyle Hicks, who flipped it to Shaun Nixon, a running back from Lake Travis H.S. in Austin, Tex., who was supposed to throw it to Boykin in the end zone.  Nixon made a weak pass, and Boykin appeared to make a spectacular shoe-string case.  On review, however, it seemed pretty clear that the ball had hit the ground, and in fact the Tech radio guys stated that the call would be reversed.  But IT WAS UPHELD, and the Frogs have two extra points.

By the way, if you took the under in this game, you have now lost.

Texas Tech 45 - 40 Texas Christian (10:43 left in 4th Quarter)

OK, the Frogs start at their own 21.  Here's what happens:

1st and 10 (TCU 21):  Kyle Hicks 5-yd run
2d and 5 (TCU 26):  Jarrison Stewart 14-yd pass from Boykin
1st and 10 (TCU 40):  Aaron Green 15-yd run
1st and 10 (Tech 45):  Aaron Green 19-yd run
1st and 10 (Tech 26):  Aaron Green 5-yd run
2d and 5 (Tech 21):  Kyle Hicks 21-yd run.  TOUCHDOWN.

8:22 left in the game.

Texas Tech 45 - 40 Texas Christian (10:53 left in 4th Quarter)

As expected, Texas Christian's defense collapsed once again.  In fact, the Horned Frogs helped Texas Tech with a personal foul penalty (a blow to the face) that gave the Red Raiders 15 extra yards.

Finally, DeAndre Washington got his fourth touchdown of the game with a two yard run.

In the last two seasons, Texas Christian only has one loss -- and that was a 61-58 loss to Baylor in a game where the Frogs had a 21-point fourth quarter lead.  Now the Frogs are losing in a game where they have scored 40 points.  Will their defense cost them another shot at the national championship?  Or will Boykin and Doctson manage to score another touchdown.

Texas Tech 38 - 40 Texas Christian (11:51 left in 4th Quarter)

On 4th and 2, Mahomes dives for three yards and a FIRST DOWN at the Texas Christian 29.

Texas Tech 38 - 40 Texas Christian (12:46 left in 4th Quarter)

Almost as soon as Tech got the ball, Mahomes hit Jakeem Grant for a 43-yard pass.  Now the Red Raiders are facing 3d and 6 from the Texas Christian 36, and they have called time.

Texas Tech 38 - 40 Texas Christian (14:19 left in 4th Quarter)

And the Texas Tech defense HOLDS -- with help from yet another Texas Christian penalty.  (The Horned Frogs have been called for 7 penalties worth 78 yards.  The Red Raiders have committed only 2 penalties worth 20 yards.)

Texas Christian punts, and the Red Raiders will start from their own 15.  Unless something surprising happens (like the Texas Christian defense finally showing up), Tech should soon regain the lead.

Texas Tech 38 - 40 Texas Christian (44 seconds left in 3d Quarter)

Texas Christian's defense finally holds, but Clayton Hatfield puts a 37-yard field goal to pull the Red Raiders within two points of the lead.

The safety is now the difference in the game.

Texas Tech 35 - 40 Texas Christian (1:30 left in 3d Quarter)

You will not be surprised to learn that soon after Tech regained possession, a long pass and another Texas Christian penalty have given the Red Raiders the ball at the Texas Christian 15.

Texas Tech 35 - 40 Texas Christian (2:10 left in 3d Quarter)

A big decision here:  Tech QB Mahomes was about to be sacked, and the ball suddenly came flying out -- only to be recovered by Texas Christian at the Tech 26.  Mahomes claims that he was trying to throw the ball.  The officials say it was a fumble.

The play is under review.

So far, we have not had a turnover in the game -- which is extraordinary when you consider how the ball has been flying all over the place.

After further review, it is an INCOMPLETE PASS.  Tech keeps the ball.

Texas Tech 35 - 40 Texas Christian (2:58 left in 3d Quarter)

Boykin comes back and does perform more magic.  Over and over and over, he keeps getting the ball to Josh Doctson, who is single-handedly destroying the Texas Tech secondary.  He now has 16 catches for 234 yards.  On this drive, he had 4 catches for 48 yards.  The Texas Tech announcers are now openly complaining about how Texas Tech is guarding (or failing to guard) Doctson.  We get a lot of comments like "I don't understand how the Red Raiders are defending Doctson," or "All you have to do is look for Doctson on every play."

Well, not every play, because Aaron Green actually got the touchdown on a seven-yard run.

So now the ball goes back to Texas Tech, and they will have to hold serve.

Texas Tech 35 - 33 Texas Christian (6:28 left in 3d Quarter)

Texas Christian's defense has been horrific in this game, and it was horrific again on this drive.  Texas Tech's quarterback is laboring with a leg injury and cannot run, but the Frogs' defense once more let Tech go straight down the field.  Finally, on a big third and goal, the Frog defense stopped Texas Tech -- but also committed a stupid personal foul, throwing down the Tech QB long after his forward progress had been stopped.  On the next play, DeAndre Washington dashed into the end zone from two yards out for his third touchdown of the day.  Here's his line so far:  15 carries, 160 yards, 3 TD's.

If Texas Christian is going to escape this game with the Big Gold Trophy, Travone Boykin will have to produce some more magic.

Texas Tech 28 - 33 Texas Christian (10:15 left in 3d Quarter)

Once again, Boykin leads the Horned Frogs straight down the field.  But this time the drive stalls at the Texas Tech 8, and Jaden Oberkrom MISSES the short field goal.  A big win for the Red Raiders, who can now take the lead.

Texas Tech 28 - 33 Texas Christian (15 minutes left in 3d Quarter)

Texas Tech's kickoff to start the second half goes through the end zone, and Texas Christian will start from its own 25.

Texas Tech 28 - 33 Texas Christian (Halftime)

Texas Tech doesn't do anything with the last 15 seconds of the first half.  It's still anyone's game with 30 minutes to go.

Texas Tech 28 - 33 Texas Christian (15 seconds left in 2d Quarter)

Texas Tech is beating almost all the players for Texas Christian -- but they are not beating Travone Boykin and Josh Doctson.  Boykin -- looking more than every like a guy playing with a bunch of kids in his backyard -- scrambles, throws, and wills the Frogs down the field.  Finally, he hits Doctson with a 5-yard pass in the back of the end zone.  Here's what Doctson has done today:  11 catches for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns.  If I were the Texas Tech coaches, I would be tempted to simply put three or four guys on Doctson and take my chances with everyone else.

Texas Tech 28 - 26 Texas Christian (3:26 left in 2d Quarter)

With his team trailing, Tech QB Patrick Mahomes ignored the brace on his leg and sparked a great drive that ended with Mahomes limping into the end zone from two yards out to put the Red Raiders back on top.

So far the Horned Frogs have 352 total yards, to 300 for the Red Raiders.  But the Raiders have more points.

For Texas Christian to win this game, Travone Boykin is going to have to do all sorts of stuff -- he certainly isn't getting much help from his defense.

Texas Tech 21 - 26 Texas Christian (6:05 left in 2d Quarter)

I said a few entries ago that the Horned Frogs have a tendency sometimes to just stand around and wait for Travone Boykin to do stuff.  One of the reasons that happens is because Travone Boykin often does do stuff.  This time, he hurled a 52-yard touchdown pass to Josh Doctson -- who made a spectacular catch for the score.  Suddenly the Frogs are back on top.

Texas Tech 21 - 19 Texas Christian (6:59 left in 2d Quarter)

Texas Tech gets to the Texas Christian 38, but their drive stalls and the Frogs take over on downs.

Texas Tech 21 - 19 Texas Christian (9:50 left in 2d Quarter)

You often hear of defenses that bend but don't break, but you don't often actually see this happen.  But Texas Tech is bending but not breaking now.  Once again, the Frogs quickly zipped into Tech territory.  Once again, the Frogs' drive stalled.  This time, Oberkrom booted a 41-yard field goal to trim the Red Raider lead to two.  But from the Texas Tech perspective, giving up three points is a lot better than giving up seven.

Texas Tech 21 - 16 Texas Christian (11:31 left in 2d Quarter)

Patrick Mahomes, the Texas Tech quarterback, is really struggling with his mobility.  The brace on his leg basically means that he can't do all the running and moving that is normally a critical part of a Big XII spread offense.  Mahomes's inability to step into his throws is also hurting his passing skill.  The Red Raiders go three and out, and are forced to punt.  Texas Christian will start from its own 39.

The Texas Tech radio announcers are very worried about Mahomes's health.

Texas Tech 21 - 16 Texas Christian (12:02 left in 2d Quarter)

The Horned Frogs make a few first downs, but the Red Raiders are blitzing Boykin on almost every play and he's not able to keep the drive alive.  The Frogs punt into the end zone, and now Texas Tech will have a great chance to build a two-possession lead.

Texas Tech 21 - 16 Texas Christian (13:22 left in 2d Quarter)

On third and 7 from their own 41, the Red Raiders threw an incomplete pass.  But the Horned Frogs were called for a really stupid roughing the passer call.  On the very next play, Patrick Mahomes (who is playing with a brace on his leg that limits his movement) hurled a 45-yard pass to a wide open Jakeem Grant.  Mr. Grant went to Mesquite Horn H.S. in Mesquite, Tex.  Hatfield added the extra point, and the Red Raiders have suddenly scored 14 points in a row.

Texas Christian has a tendency to sometimes stand around and wait for Travone Boykin to do stuff.  They appear to be in that mode now -- and if he does not do stuff, the colors of this page may change.

Texas Tech 14 - 16 Texas Christian (14:06 left in 2d Quarter)

Texas Christian appeared to be cruising to another score when their drive stalled at the Texas Tech 19.  Oberkrom's field goal attempt was BLOCKED, and the Red Raiders will take over at their own 38.

Now the sun is shining and the Lubbock crowd is cheering.

Texas Tech 14 - 16 Texas Christian (2:02 left in 1st Quarter)

Sometimes Texas Christian looks like it has a genuine top-25 defense -- just go back and watch the films of the Peach Bowl, for example.  But other times, Texas Christian's defense looks like it's simply there to give Trevone Boykin a chance to rest.  With a great chance to put Texas Tech in a big hole, the Frogs give up a big kickoff return that allows Texas Tech to start from the Texas Christian 49.  And then it didn't take very long until DeAndre Washington burst up the middle for a 26-yard touchdown run.  Clayton Hatfield of Champion H.S. Boerne, Tex. adds the extra point.

Texas Tech 7 - 16 Texas Christian (3:34 left in 1st Quarter)

Facing 3d and 7 from his own 39, Boykin hit Doctson with a long pass to put the Frogs in Red Raider territory.  It was pretty easy for the Frogs after that, with Aaron Green (of San Antonio, Tex.) going over the top from 2 yards up for the second Texas Christian touchdown of the day.  Jaden Oberkrom (of Martin H.S. in Arlington, Tex.) tacks on the extra point.

The rain is letting up.  Maybe that will encourage the Red Raider fans.

Texas Tech 7 - 9 Texas Christian (7:13 left in 1st Quarter)

The Texas Tech announcers say that the safety and the rain has taken some of the energy out of the Lubbock crowd.  Meanwhile, Texas Christian takes the Texas Tech punt and will start from the Horned Frog 36.

Texas Tech 7 - 9 Texas Christian (7:22 left in 1st Quarter)

If it's not one thing it's another.  On second and 10 from his own 19, Tech QB Mahomes (who appears to be OK) was in the shotgun formation, talking to his running back -- when the ball was suddenly snapped.  Mahomes didn't even see the snap, which flew past him and rolled all the way into the end zone.  DeAndre Washington had to race back there an fall on the ball for a safety.  So Texas Christian gets two more points, and soon they will have the ball.

Still raining pretty hard.

Texas Tech 7 - 7 Texas Christian (7:33 left in 1st Quarter)

The Horned Frogs start at their own 20, and get to the Texas Tech 38 before their drive stalls.  It looks like they're going for it on 4th and 4, but Boykin punts.  It's not a very good punt, and the Red Raiders will take over at their own 19 yard line.

It's raining pretty hard in Lubbock right now.

Texas Tech 7 - 7 Texas Christian (9:42 left in the 1st Quarter)

The Big XII, everyone.  The Big XII.

Texas Tech takes just over a minute to drive the length of the field and score.  The actual points were scored by DeAndre Washington of Thurgood Marshall H.S. in Missouri City, Tex.  But the spark behind the drive was sophomore QB Patrick Mahomes II of Whitehouse H.S. in Whitehouse, Tex.  Unfortunately, Mahomes limped off the field after the touchdown was scored.  We will hope he's OK, as the Red Raiders will need a lot more from him this afternoon.

Texas Tech 0 - 7 Texas Christian (10:51 left in 1st quarter)

Well, that was incredibly easy.  Texas Christian just went 80 yards on Texas Tech as if they were going up against the scout team.  Trevone Boykin of West Mesquite H.S. in Dallas (a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy) topped off the drive with a 9-yard pass to Josh Doctson of Mansfield, Tex.

The folks at Tech do seem very pumped up for this game, but they're going to have to do much better than this to keep things close.

Texas Tech 0 - 0 Texas Christian (13:45 left in 1st Quarter)

Texas Tech takes the opening kickoff out to the Texas Tech 27.  The Red Raiders go three and out and punt.  It's a booming punt through the end zone, and the Horned Frogs will start on their own 20.

Texas Tech 0 - 0 Texas Christian (15 minutes left in 1st Quarter)

Uniform watch:  The Red Raiders are going with black helmets with their Double-T logo in red, red shirts with white numerals, and black pants.  The Frogs are wearing white helmets with TCU and the horned frog, as well as white jerseys with black stencil numerals and purple pants.

Of course, these two teams were together in the old Southwest Conference for many years, so there's a big of history here.  The Red Raiders lead the all-time series 30-24-3, and have not lost two consecutive games to the Horned Frogs since 1971 and 1972.  Of course, I don't think the Red Raiders have ever faced a Texas Christian team that was ranked this high.

We're watching FOX today, and friends don't let friends listen to the announcers on FOX (unless you get Gus Johnson, and he's not in Lubbock today).  So I'm going with a combination of the Texas Tech radio network and the soundtrack for Hamilton:  the Musical.

Texas Tech wins the toss and elects to receive.

Texas Tech v. Texas Christian

There's an old saying about the Unofficial College Football Championship:  once the winds of fall start to blow, it's hard to hold the Big Gold Trophy.  Usually the team holding the trophy opens with a few cupcake games -- often at home -- and so the Trophy isn't in that much danger.  But as the weather starts to cool down, and conference play starts, you usually start to see the trophy move around.

Now let's look at Texas Christian.  The Horned Frogs won the Big Gold Trophy on November 1, 2014, with a stirring 31-30 win at West Virginia.  Since then, they have defended their title eight different times (home teams listed first):

11/08/14:  Texas Christian 41 - 20 Kansas St.
11/15/14:  Kansas 30 - 34 Texas Christian
11/27/14:  Texas 10 - 48 Texas Christian
12/06/14:  Texas Christian 55 - 3 Iowa St.
12/31/14:  Texas Christian 42 - 3 Mississippi (Atlanta) (Peach Bowl)
09/03/15:  Minnesota 17 - 23 Texas Christian
09/12/15:  Texas Christian 70 - 7 Stephen F. Austin
09/19/15:  Texas Christian 56 - 37 Southern Methodist

This is a very impressive run, and certainly helps to explain why Texas Christian is currently rated Number 3 in the Associated Press Poll.  But you will notice that only three of these games were on the road, and those games involved a hapless Kansas team, a fading Texas team, and a second-tier Minnesota team.  Even so, Texas Christian didn't look all that impressive against Kansas and Minnesota.  Holding the trophy is much harder on the road.

But now the pre-season is over, and the rest of Texas Christian's schedule involves games against the other nine teams in the Big XII.  Here is the gamut the Horned Frogs must face (home games in ALL CAPS):

09/26/15:  at Texas Tech
10/03/15:  TEXAS
10/10/15:  at Kansas St.
10/17/15:  at Iowa St.
10/29/15:  W. VIRGINIA
11/07/15:  at Oklahoma St.
11/14/15:  KANSAS
11/21/15:  at (15) Oklahoma
11/27/15:  (5) BAYLOR

Now on paper, that schedule doesn't look too bad -- it would seem as though the Frogs should be able to keep the Trophy at least until they have to go up to Norman, Okla. in late November.  However, I have become quite familiar with the Big XII in recent years, and I've learned that you can never tell about road games in this conference.  If a favorite on the road can get its pretty patterns going, and start putting up points in bunches, then road games aren't too bad in the Big XII.  But on the other hand, if things start to go wrong, you can lose pretty quickly -- and quite badly.

So I would not overlook today's game with Texas Tech.  Last week we talked about how the folks on Fort Worth consider themselves to be true Westerners compared to their effete neighbors in Dallas.  Well, to get to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex., you have to leave Texas Christian and drive another 314 miles further west.  By the time you get to Lubbock, you are almost to New Mexico.  It's a tough place with tough people -- they'll fight with everyone, including themselves.  (If you want to hear an angry song, check out "Lubbock or Leave It," by Lubbock native Natalie Maines -- which was her reaction to critics in her home town.)

Now last year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders had a rough season -- they went 2-7 in the Big XII and they lost 82(!) -27 to the Horned Frogs.  But this year, the Red Raiders look much better.  They are 3-0 and only last week, they went to Arkansas and pasted the Razorbacks 35-24.  Texas Tech plays Oklahoma and Texas on the road this season, but they are opening conference play with back-to-back home games against Number-3 Texas Christian and Number-5 Baylor.  These two games represent Texas Tech's best chance to make a national name for itself, and I expect the Red Raiders to go all out today.

The oddsmakers also think we're going to get a pretty good game.  They have made Texas Christian a 5 1/2 point favorite in a game where the over/under is -- wait for it -- 85 points.  That would work out to something like a 45-40 win for the Horned Frogs.  That sort of score would not surprise me at all.

Texas Christian 56 - 37 Southern Methodist (Final)

OK, so I'll be honest -- I didn't think this was going to be much of a game.  Texas Christian beat Southern Methodist by 56 points last year, and Southern Methodist lost to Baylor 56-21 just a few weeks ago.  We had a new Doctor Who episode last night, and we've also been using Netflix to watch Sing It On.  So when I saw that Texas Christian had an early 21-10 lead, I figured the Horned Frogs were on their way to another blowout.

Imagine my surprise, therefore, when I checked the score later -- only to see that the Frogs' lead was only 42-37 with about 7 minutes to go in the game. To see what had happened, check out this list of scoring plays:

First Quarter:
SMU -- Xavier Jones 2 yd run (Chad Hedlund kick) (SMU leads 7-0)
TCU -- KaVontae Turpin 61 yd pass from Travone Boykin (Jaden Oberkrom kick) (7-7)
SMU -- Hedlund 22 yd FG (SMU leads 10-0)
TCU -- Aaron Green 1 yd run (Oberkrom kick) (TCU leads 14-10)

Second Quarter:
TCU -- Josh Doctson 29 yd pass from Boykin (Oberkrom kick) (TCU leads 21-10)
TCU -- Boykin 20 yd run (Oberkrom kick) (TCU leads 28-10)
SMU -- Courtland Sutton 1 yd pass from Matt Davis (Hedlund kick) (TCU leads 28-17)

Third Quarter:
TCU -- Kolby Listenbee 31 yd pass from Boykin (Oberkrom kick) (TCU leads 35-17)
TCU -- Dominic Merka 19 yd pass from Boykin (Oberkrom kick) (TCU leads 42-17)
SMU -- Davis 4 yd run (Hedlund kick) (TCU leads 42-24)
SMU -- Davis 1 yd run (Hedlund kick) (TCU leads 42-31)
SMU -- Hedlund 21 yd FG (TCU leads 42-34)

Fourth Quarter:
SMU -- Hedlund 32 yd FG (TCU leads 42-37)

Now if you've been following Texas Christian as closely as we have, this defensive breakdown -- where the Frogs give up 20 second-half points in a row -- is worryingly similar to the defensive collapse that cost Texas Christian in their only loss last year.  In last season's matchup against Baylor, the Frogs were up 58-37 with 11 minutes to go -- only to give up 24 points and lose 61-58.  I thought that Texas Christian's defense had gotten much better since then -- the Frogs' defense was awesome in a 42-3 win in the Peach Bowl, and it looked good in the first two games of this season.  But good defensive teams don't give up 20 points in a row to Southern Methodist.

Realizing that the Big Gold Trophy was actually up for grabs, I dashed upstairs to watch the rest of the game.  Here's what I saw:

1.  With 6:32 left, Travone Boykin threw his fifth touchdown pass of the night -- a 42-yarder to Josh Doctson.  That put Texas Christian up 49-37.

2.  Texas Christian's defense stopped Southern Methodist on 4th and 2 at the Frog 47.

3.  Texas Christian, which was mainly trying to run out the clock, ended up tacking on one more touchdown thanks to a 1 yd run by Aaron Green.  Final Score:  TCU 56, SMU 37.

The Frogs now lead the all-time series with SMU 48-40-7.  Texas Christian has won 14 of the last 16 in this series.

Southern Methodist is now 12-15-5 in UCFC play.  Texas Christian is now 40-19-6.

Non-conference play is over for the Horned Frogs.  Next up, they travel to Lubbock, Tex. for a match with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.  Somehow Texas Tech managed to avoid playing for the Big Gold Trophy last year, but they will have their chance next Saturday.

Texas Christian v. Southern Methodist

The casual traveler who only knows the Dallas-Fort Worth area from its massive airport really misses the drama associated with one of the most interesting metropolitan areas in the United States.  According to Google Maps, only 39.5 miles separate Texas Christian in Fort Worth and Southern Methodist in Dallas.  And the Yankee cynic could, no doubt, drive from one campus to the other thinking that the only difference in these two bastions of liberal Protestantism relates to their school colors.  But to the person who cares about these things -- including many of the folk in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex -- the differences are profound.  Dallas thinks of itself as wealthy, sophisticated, and successful -- the home of Nieman Marcus and the Dallas Cowboys.  From the perspective of Dallas, less fashionable Fort Worth is just another jealous cowtown.  On the other hand, the Fort Worthers see themselves as true, salt-of-the-earth Texans, and the folks in Dallas as a collection of pretentious phonies.  On this reading, Dallas is symbolized by the likes of J.R. Ewing and Jerry Jones -- rich folks who could never be described as gentlemen.

For many years, the rivalry between Dallas and Fort Worth played out on the football field in the annual showdown between Texas Christian and Southern Methodist.  This game, which was traditionally the season-ender for both teams, featured some real classics -- especially in the 1930's, which was in many ways the Golden Age of Texas Football.  On November 30, 1935, an undefeated Southern Methodist team bean an undefeated Texas Christian team 20-14 to capture a bid to the Rose Bowl.  In 1929, 1931, 1937, 1938, and 1941, Texas Christian and Southern Methodist played for the UCFC -- with Texas Christian going 3-0-2 in those games.

Since World War II, this rivalry has gone through three distinct stages.  From 1946 to 1965, Texas Christian went 14-3-3 against Southern Methodist, as the Frogs maintained their position as one of the better teams in the Southwest Conference.  But from 1966 to 1986, the shoe was on the other foot.  Texas Christian became one of the weakest programs in Division I, while Southern Methodist went 19-2 against their cross-town rivals.  That all ended with Southern Methodist getting the Death Penalty, while Texas Christian took advantage of Southern Methodist's weakness to rebuild themselves into a national power.  These days, Texas Christian is in the Big XII, while Southern Methodist is in the weaker American Athletic Conference.  Since Southern Methodist was hit with the Death Penalty, Texas Christian is 19-6 against the Mustangs. 

Last year, Texas Christian went to Dallas and pounded Southern Methodist 56-0.  This year, Texas Christian is number 3 in the country and will be playing this game at home.  They are favored by 37 points, and that sounds about right.

Southern Methodist

Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas, was founded in 1911.  These days it is mainly known as the school for wealthy debutantes in the Dallas area -- both the fictional Lucy Ewing and the actual Laura Lane Welch (now better known under her married name of Laura Bush) attended Southern Methodist.  But for a long time, Southern Methodist was known primarily for its membership in the Southwest Conference, and its very dramatic football history.  After the 1935 season, Southern Methodist was the first team from Texas to appear in the Rose Bowl.  Four Southern Methodist players -- Raymond Berry, Doak Walker, Forest Gregg, and Eric Dickerson -- are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Southern Methodist won the Cotton Bowls that concluded the 1948 and 1982 seasons.  All in all, a very proud heritage -- especially for a private school that had to spend most of its history going up against Texas, Texas A & M, and Arkansas.

But all that, of course, came to an end in 1987, when Southern Methodist became the first (and to this day, the only) college football program to receive the "death penalty" from the NCAA.  The scandals that led to the death penalty grew out of Southern Methodist's (mostly successful) efforts to build a national powerhouse that could compete with the Big Boys in Texas.  Southern Methodist went to four bowl games in the early 1980's -- winning the 1983 Cotton Bowl.  In the end, however, the price was devastating.  Not only did the scandal contribute to the break-up of the Southwest Conference -- which caused Southern Methodist to lose its place as a major conference school -- but Southern Methodist wouldn't play in any bowl game from 1984 until 2009.

These days, Southern Methodist is a member of the American Athletic Conference, and the Mustangs' schedule features games against schools like South Florida, Tulane, and Memphis.  Southern Methodist may never return to the Big Time again -- but, on the other hand, the Mustangs are still in Division I-A.  And if recent history tells us anything, it is that as long as you are in I-A, you are only one great coach from national prominence.  If Boise State can become a national power, Southern Methodist could always come back.

Southern Methodist has an all-time record of 12-14-5 in UCFC play, but they have not won a UCFC game since October 19, 1940, when they beat Auburn 20-13.  In fact, since 1966 the Mustangs have only played for the Big Gold Trophy one time -- that was a 45-7 loss to Baylor on September 28, 1991.

Texas Christian 70 - 7 Stephen F. Austin (Final)

Well, we said that we thought the score here would be similar to the 67-7 pounding that Texas Christian gave to Stephen F. Austin in the only prior meeting between these squads, and we were right.  There's not a lot more to add regarding this rather forgettable match-up.

The Lumberjacks are now 0-1 all-time in UCFC games.

The Horned Frogs are now 39-19-6 in UCFC games.  Their next UCFC victory will tie them with Texas for seventh place on the all-time list.

This week, Texas Christian ends the non-conference portion of its schedule at home against its ancient rival from Dallas, Southern Methodist University.

Texas Christian v. Stephen F. Austin

Everything is a matter of perspective.  For most of my life, Texas Christian was one of the weakest football programs in Division I-A -- I can still remember their being left behind when Texas and the other Big Boys of the Southwest Conference abandoned that great old league for the Big XII.  But at least the Horned Frogs were in I-A.  In the whole history of college football, there has only been one meeting between Texas Christian and Stephen F. Austin.  That took place in 2008, and the Horned Frogs won 67-7.  Given that Stephen F. Austin lost last week -- 34-28 at home to Northern Arizona -- and that Texas Christian is currently ranked number 2 in the country, I would expect a similar score tomorrow.

Stephen F. Austin

On November 3, 1793, Stephen Fuller Austin was born in the mining region of southwestern Virginia. At the age of 24, he moved into the Mexican province of Texas.  Over the next 19 years, he played a central role in the revolution that eventually led to Texas independence.  He became known as the "Father of Texas," and died of pneumonia in December 1836.  He was only 43 years old.

Since that time, the people of Texas have named almost everything they can think of after Stephen F. Austin.  In 1923, a teachers' college in Nacogdoches, Tex. was added to that list.  These days, Stephen F. Austin State University has an enrollment of almost 13,000 students, and competes in the Southland Conference, one of my favorite college sports conferences.  Their football team, known as the Lumberjacks (the forestry business is huge in the East Texas area around Nacogdoches) competes in Division I-AA.  (Yes, I know it's now called the Football Championship Subdivision -- I don't care.)

The Lumberjacks have reached the I-AA playoffs seven times, with their first appearance taking place in 1988.  Their best performance was in 1989, when they beat Grambling, Southwest Missouri State, and Furman before losing 37-34 to Georgia Southern in the national championship game.  The only other time they've reached the semi-finals was in 1995.

Last year, the Lumberjacks went 5-3 in the Southland Conference and 8-4 overall.  This was good enough for them to receive a big to the I-AA playoffs, where they lost 44-10 in the first round to Northern Iowa.

On Saturday, the Lumberjacks will travel to Fort Worth to play Texas Christian for the Unofficial College Football Championship.  This will be the Lumberjacks' first ever try for the UCFC.

Minnesota 17 - 23 Texas Christian (Final)

Well, this turned out to be a pretty dull game.  Texas Christian led the game pretty much the entire time, and even though Minnesota gained on them toward the end, I never really thought an upset was on the cards.  But the Golden Gophers never quit trying, and they did show that the Texas Christian offense can be slowed by serious, hard-hitting people.

Minnesota falls to an all-time record of 1-12 in UCFC games, while Texas Christian is now 38-19-6 in UCFC play.  Only seven schools have more wins in UCFC play than the Horned Frogs:  Yale (109), Princeton (101), Southern California (90), Harvard (88), Pennsylvania (56), Ohio State (52), and Texas (40).

Next up, Texas Christian heads home to defend the title against Stephen F. Austin.

Minnesota 3 - 17 Texas Christian (11:02 left in 3d Quarter)

I haven't been paying too much attention to this game, in large part because the Horned Frogs seem to have things well in hand.

Minnesota v. Texas Christian

Normally, we get very excited about the first UCFC game of the new season, especially when the Holders are taking the Big Gold Trophy on the road to a major conference opponent, as Texas Christian is doing here.  But this game is being played on a Thursday night, and we are going to be way too busy to give it the attention it deserves.  Just a few observations:

1.  In the first televised game of the year, both North Carolina and South Carolina are wearing their colored jerseys.  We approve of this development -- the notion that one team always had to wear a white jersey came in with black-and-white TV, and as far as we are concerned, it is no longer needed.  If English fans can tell Chelsea from Arsenal, then we can tell UCLA from USC.

2.  I don't remember the last time there were no major college football games in August.

3.  Texas Christian is favored to win this game by 16 points, with an over/under of 57.  That would work out to a final score of something like Texas Christian 37, Minnesota 21.  I have a vague feeling that it's going to be closer than that, but I can't explain why.

4.  No team from the Big X has held the Big Gold Trophy since January 8, 2007, when Florida beat Ohio State 41-14 to win the National Championship.