1. Nothing Keeps a Good Frog Down

From hopping conferences to impressing biased pollsters, the ascent of TCU football has been a tale of overcoming obstacles. This season, the Frogs have faced astounding adversity in losing 18 starters and a corresponding 88 starts to injury. But like teams past, nothing breaks the spirit of these student-athletes. Even down a Heisman candidate quarterback, a record-rewriting wide receiver and a veteran center, the guys clawed to a narrow loss versus a Top 10 team in a hostile environment. TCU football has come too far to claim a moral victory, but we fans can acknowledge the gutsy effort and be proud nonetheless.

2. Let’s Talk about Character

Imagine being the quintessential team player for the entirety of your college career — doing what is asked of you and cheering on your teammates without the benefit of experiencing much in-game action. Then, when the starter goes down, and your time to shine finally arrives, you lose your father the very same week. Impossible to imagine, unless you’re Bram Kohlhausen, who just lived through this unthinkable scenario. For him to come in late in the game and lead the offense capably and bravely to within an inch or two of an epic victory speaks volumes about who this young man is. The football program’s success has been built not by the select superstars, but by guys like Kohlhausen who embody what we call the Frog Factor.

3. The Defense We Know and Love

Watching defensive end Josh Carraway chase Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield through the backfield in the first quarter showed that the legendary and much-feared TCU defense had returned. Riding high off of a big win against Baylor, Oklahoma likely did not expect to be hunted down by an elite unit all night, but that’s what happened. Despite being on the field for almost two-thirds of the game, which would have broken most college defenses, the now-redeemed Frogs played their best game so far this year. Hopefully the progression will culminate on Friday for the showdown we’ve been awaiting for more than a year.

4. Enough is Enough

TCU has been dealing with the injury bug for the duration of the season, and we’re almost numb to seeing yet another Frog being helped off of the field. Now athletes across the Big 12 seemed to be falling like flies. No one wanted Baker Mayfield to leave the game, and we winced watching OU’s star running back Samaje Perine hold his knee and walk off hobbled. For Friday’s showdown, Baylor may be relying on third-string quarterback Chris Johnson and without the services of many key players. The only thing we want to see more than a sweet Horned Frog win on Friday is an injury-free evening — for both teams.

5. What kerfuffle?

After the game, posts erupted on social media outlets defending Coach Patterson for the unsuccessful two-point attempt on the Frogs’ final offensive play. Posts on fansites expressed dismay at the criticism, and twitter users reminded people that Coach P has some unforgettable wins through late two-point conversions in recent history. Others took to Facebook to express appreciation for the coaching staff’s being the greatest in TCU football history. Glad to see how proudly you bleed purple, folks, but why the rabid defense? I’m sure a straggler or two complained in the heat of the moment, but the majority of Saturday’s Internet material was positive and supportive … as usual.

The TCU defense tied a season high with four sacks. Defensive end Josh Carraway led the way with 2 1/2 sacks. (Photo by Keith Robinson ’82)

5 stats that stood out

1. With 127 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown, running back Aaron Green had another monster game when the injury-riddled Horned Frogs needed him. Green now has 1,100 yards on the season and is the first TCU player to top 1,000 yards in five years. It was the fifth time this season he’s gone over the century mark in a game and the ninth time in his career. He needs eight yards in the next two games to have the most rushing yards in a season since LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2,158 in 2000. Green’s touchdown was his 10^th of the year and 19^th of his career.

2. The TCU offense kept its streak of scoring a first-quarter touchdown alive with a 37-yard scoring toss from Foster Sawyer to Kolby Listenbee. The Frogs have now scored in the opening quarter in 24 straight contests — a Big 12 Conference record and the NCAA’s second-longest streak since 1996.

3. Place kicker Jaden Oberkrom hit on his 75^th career field goal with a 43-yarder in the fourth quarter. The kick equaled the Big 12 Conference record, shared by Oklahoma’s Michael Hunnicutt (2011-14), and extended Oberkrom’s TCU mark.

4. Entering Saturday’s game, TCU was the only Oklahoma opponent to hold a winning record against the Sooners in Norman. The Frogs fell to 4-4 all time on the Oklahoma campus. The game also drew the third-largest crowd in Oklahoma history with 85,821 in the stands. Five of TCU’s six road games this season (Minnesota, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma) have resulted in attendance totals ranking in the top six in the home team’s stadium history.

5. The TCU defense’s four sacks tied a season high set against Stephen F. Austin. The Frogs have had at least one sack in a school-record 28 consecutive games, which is tied for the fourth-longest in the nation. TCU got big games from safety Derrick Kindred, who had his second interception of the season and eighth of his career, and defensive end Josh Carraway, who equaled a career high with 2 ½ sacks. Carraway has a team-high seven sacks on the year.

The TCU Horned Frogs entered the game as the only Oklahoma foe to sport a winning record in Norman. TCU fell to 4-4 all time on the Oklahoma campus. (Photo by Keith Robinson ’82)

5 tweets that told the tale

Patterson wanted this game bad. You could tell. Spoke slowly: ‘That’s a good football team. My team’s a good football team. They play hard.’

— Carlos A. Mendez (@calexmendez) November 22, 2015

Aaron Green used his juke stick for this 26-yard TD run. #BeatOU https://t.co/svhFUNmXmH — TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 22, 2015

Gary’s done it before in big situations… If it works, you’re a genius with cajones.. If it doesn’t… #TCUvsOU

— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) November 22, 2015

Chalk this one up to Gary Patterson’s coaching ability. https://t.co/qxiWLXx6dl — Tim Griffin (@TimGriffinBig12) November 22, 2015

Huge respect for Gary Patterson who has a massively injury depleted @TCUFootball team fighting so hard. Gutsy call to try and win. Wow.

— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) November 22, 2015