Oklahoma State @ TCU preview
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 23, 2017 ) Texas Christian 44, Oklahoma State 31
One week after suffering a crushing blow at “Bedlam,” Oklahoma State served up one of its own. The Cowboys essentially ended West Virginia’s bid for the College Football Playoff and quarterback Will Grier’s shot at the Heisman Trophy last weekend while becoming bowl eligible and now conclude the regular season at TCU on Saturday.
Taylor Cornelius completed 30-of-46 passes for 338 yards and five touchdowns, including a 11-yarder to Tylan Wallace with 42 seconds left, as Oklahoma State tied its second-biggest comeback in school history with a 45-41 victory over the then-seventh ranked Mountaineers. Cornelius, who has been criticized by the fans often this season, ran for 106 yards in his final home game to become just the third player in Big 12 history to have 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and five passing touchdowns in a game - one the Cowboys trailed by 17 at the half. “Hats off to him,” receiver Dillon Stoner told the Stillwater Press. “He was a big reason we came back and was probably the biggest reason we came back and (fought) to come out with that win. … We have obviously had a bit of a frustrating season, but I am happy for Corn and glad things went the way they did and he played really well.” TCU beat Baylor 16-9 last week and needs a victory in this one to become bowl eligible.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Oklahoma State -5
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (6-5, 3-5 Big 12): Cornelius has completed 61.1 percent of his 401 passes for 3,461 yards, 28 TDs and 10 interceptions and has added 333 yards and eight TDs on the ground. Playing without injured leading rusher Justice Hill (930 yards, 5.9 per carry, nine TDs), freshman Chuba Hubbard (553, 5.9, 5 TDs) finished with a career-high 138 rushing yards after posting 104 against Oklahoma. Stoner recorded career highs with nine catches and 127 yards last week and has had at least one catch in each of his last 23 games, while Wallace leads the team with 75 catches for 1,344 yards and 11 touchdowns.
ABOUT TCU (5-6, 3-5): Jalen Reagor provided the Horned Frogs a 9-6 lead when he took a screen pass from Grayson Muehlstein 65 yards for a score, and then snapped a 9-9 tie with two minutes left in the third quarter when on 4th-and-1 he ran a reverse for 37 yards for a TD. Muehlstein, a senior who entered in the first quarter after starter Mike Collins left with an injury, finished 11-for-15 for 137 yards in the first extended action of his career. Senior defensive end Ben Banogu, the Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording 10 tackles, including four for loss, a sack and forced fumble against Baylor.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Cowboys lead the series 15-11-2 and have won five of the last seven, but the Horned Frogs prevailed last season 44-31 as Darius Anderson rushed for 160 yards and three TDs while adding 41 yards on four receptions.
2. Reagor has recorded at least one receiving touchdown in six consecutive games, matching the TCU record previously set by current NFL player Josh Doctson in 2015.
3. Oklahoma State is bowl eligible for the 13th consecutive season, extending a school record. The streak is also the 10th-longest active bowl streak in the nation.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 41, TCU 24