Jeremy Payne and the Frogs’ Ground Game Power a 38-27 Win

TCU Football needed a win, and it got one at Arrowhead Stadium against a reeling Kansas team, now losers of four in a row.  

The 38-27 road victory inspires hope as the calendar turns to October with the Big 12 championship still open for the taking. Eleven of 16 teams hold a conference record of 2-0, 1-0 or 1-1, and the Frogs are one of them. 

Here are five takeaways from TCU’s Week 5 win as the focus shifts to a Friday night home game against Houston. 

Feel the Payne 

The Frogs got their ground game going, stacking up a season-high 153 team rushing yards.  

Running back Cam Cook redeemed an opening-drive fumble with a 3-yard touchdown run two possessions later. The sophomore closed the contest with 61 yards on a game-high 15 carries, adding three catches for 11 yards. 

Cam Cook has accounted for six of the Frogs’ nine rushing TDs this season. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Jeremy Payne established himself as the RB committee’s No. 2 option for a second consecutive week, turning his eight rush attempts into 65 yards and adding a 10-yard catch. His 32-yard run in the third quarter easily exceeded the team’s previous longest run this season (20). 

“I thought we wore them down a little bit, which has been the trademark of this team when it’s been good,” said coach Sonny Dykes after the game. “We had to run the ball in the fourth quarter, and we were able to.” 

Protecting a 28-24 lead entering the final 15 minutes of regulation, the Frogs iced away the win with 65 rushing yards on 11 fourth-quarter carries. 

Houston has proven susceptible to the run, conceding 240 rushing yards to Iowa State in a 20-0 loss last Saturday. 

Jeremy Payne handled a season-high nine touches against Kansas. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

JP Makes a Play 

The game’s tenor shifted seismically when JP Richardson returned a punt for an 89-yard touchdown in the third quarter’s waning moments.  

“Kaden McFadden, shout out to him,” said Richardson of first-year safety Kaden McFadden, who pitched in a block just as the receiver was corralling the punt. “He’s the one who sparked that one.” 

The offense had stalled, scoring just once in its preceding five drives.  

“I think that punt return helped us relax,” Dykes said. “It helped us get our footing back. It was a heck of a block at the point of attack. He hit him right on his side, right on his hip. And then JP made a heck of a return.” 

JP Richardson’s 89-yard punt return TD is just 1 yard shy of the nation’s longest punt return this season. Photo by Percise Windom

The special teams score served as a launching point for 10 fourth-quarter points that sealed the win. 

The Big 12’s leading punt returner has come from TCU for three of the past seven years — KaVontae Turpin in 2017, Jalen Reagor in 2019 and Derius Davis in 2022. Richardson stands atop the conference with 179 punt return yards through five games. 

Pass Offense Utterly Electric 

Josh Hoover completed 28 of his 37 attempts for 356 yards, with three passing scores and a pair of interceptions.  

The sophomore signal-caller’s 139 completions are an FBS high; his 1,774 passing yards sit third and his 14 passing touchdowns rank fourth. 

Hoover’s receiving corps is dynamic and deep.  

Jack Bech kept himself in the mix for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the nation’s top receiver, tallying a career-high 10 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.  

Jack Bech has set a new career-high in receiving yards (647) less than halfway through the regular season. His six TD catches are double his previous best. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

“Hoov was playing out of his mind. In my opinion, he’s the best QB in the country,” Bech said postgame. “I wouldn’t want to be catching the rock from anybody else.” 

Four pass-catchers had at least four catches for 40 receiving yards, including Eric McAlister, who hit 100 yards on his four receptions. The Boise State transfer also scored for a third straight week. 

Richardson and Savion Williams combined for an additional eight catches and 89 yards. Few teams in the country have a group with the talent of TCU’s quartet. 

Old McDonald Had a Sack 

The Horned Frogs’ defense clamped down after a slow start, containing the Jayhawks to 13 total points between the second and fourth quarters.  

Senior linebacker Cooper McDonald upped his sack total with a takedown of Kansas QB Jalon Daniels, and cornerback LaMareon James secured a one-handed, toe-tapping interception in the final minute of regulation to clinch the win.  

The defense held Kansas well under its season average of 200 rushing yards per game.  

“When our backs are against the wall and things aren’t looking good, we’re just going to start swinging,” said linebacker Johnny Hodges. “We still have a lot of work to do in terms of the run game because they still got a bunch of chunk yardage and stuff. But I’m really happy with our guys and myself and our coaches.” 

Linebacker Johnny Hodges has 38 tackles this season, second most on the team and eighth in the Big 12. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Hauss With a Huge Conversion 

His stat line might not look like much — three rushes for seven yards — but first-year quarterback Hauss Hejny’s four-yard fourth-down pickup helped extend a first-half TCU touchdown drive.  

The Frogs’ offense has experienced few issues moving the ball through the air this season. Last Saturday’s outing withstanding, there have been moments when the ground game could use a boost. 

Still yet to attempt a pass, the first-year QB could fill an important, albeit niche role, as a short-yardage and goal-line situation rusher. 

 — Corey Smith