Football stifles TCU, 30-7

Saturday, October 26

Fort Worth, Texas

6:30 p.m.

University of Texas

5-2 , 4-0

TCU

3-5 , 1-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Texas

TCU

10.27.2013 | Football

Box Score

Malcolm Brown ran for two TDs and Texas’ defense forced three turnovers.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Malcolm Brown ran for two touchdowns, Case McCoy threw for 228 yards and Texas' defense stifled TCU throughout in a 30-7 win that featured a 3-hour, 6-minute lightning delay and ended Sunday morning.

The Longhorns improved to 5-2 overall and remain in a first-place tie with Baylor atop the Big 12 standings at 4-0.

Texas used a balanced offensive attack – McCoy had four pass plays of more than 30 yards – and Brown and Johnathan Gray accounted for 145 of the Longhorns' 187 rushing yards. Marcus Johnson had a career-high 120 receiving yards, hauling in receptions of 65, 43 and 12 yards.

Gray led Texas with 94 yards on 22 carries, while Brown had 51 yards on 17 carries. TCU (3-5, 1-4) came into the game ranked first in the Big 12 and 17th nationally by allowing just 115.3 rushing yards per game. Anthony Fera kicked three field goals to help the Longhorns hand TCU its first home loss of the season.

Texas' defense controlled the game throughout. The Longhorns gave up just 246 yards and forced TCU to punt on nine of its final 11 possessions (the other two ended with a fumble on a punt return and the clock expiring at the end of the game) while also forcing three turnovers. UT entered the game with 13 sacks over the last three contests, which was tied for the fourth most in the FBS over that span. The Horns had two in the first seven defensive snaps of the game and three overall.

The weather delay occurred with 6:08 left in the second quarter (7:51 p.m. CT) with Texas leading 17-7. There was a steady rain throughout the delay and consistent lightning around sold-out Amon G. Carter Stadium. The game could not resume until there was no lightning for a 30-minute period.

Prior to the delay, Quandre Diggs set the tone when he strip-sacked quarterback Trevone Boykin on TCU's second possession of the game. Adrian Phillips recovered the fumble at the TCU 3-yard line and one play later, Brown ran it in to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead.

After a 43-yard field goal from Fera, TCU answered with a five-play, 70-yard drive near the end of the first quarter to get within 10-7. The Horned Frogs struck on a double pass, with quarterback Casey Pachall throwing a backwards screen to wide receiver Cameron Echols-Luper, who then threw to LaDarius Brown for a 38-yard touchdown.

Texas, though, countered two drives later when McCoy dropped back on a third-and-10 and hit Johnson in stride down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. It marked the second-straight game McCoy and Johnson connected on a long touchdown, as the duo previously hooked up for a 59-yarder vs. Oklahoma.

McCoy's second long strike of the game occurred shortly after the game resumed at 10:57 p.m. CT. The senior, making his fourth start of the season in place of injured David Ash, hit Mike Davis on a 44-yard pass with six seconds left in the first half. That set up a 37-yard field goal by Fera, giving the Longhorns a 20-7 lead at the half, which was abbreviated to 3:00 due to the long weather delay.

On their first possession of the second half, the Longhorns went 89 yards on eight plays – seven of them runs – to go ahead 27-7. The lone pass play on the drive was a 43-yard connection from McCoy to Johnson.

The Longhorns let their defense take it from there. Texas held TCU quarterback Casey Pachall, who replaced Boykin in the first quarter, to 13-of-34 passing for 139 yards and an interception. Aaron Green led the Horned Frogs with 34 rushing yards.

Texas improved to 62-21-1 all-time against TCU, including a 30-9 advantage in Fort Worth. The Horns made their first trip to Fort Worth since 1994.