When the Cowboys took the field against TCU, it was a chance for them to make a statement not only in the Big 12, but the College Football Playoff race. That is exactly what they did. No one had given the Cowboys any credit until Saturday because of their strength of schedule, but the Cowboys came out ready to prove the critics wrong. With both TCU and OSU undefeated, this had the makings for a classic game. The Cowboys seemed to click on all cylinders and won their biggest game of the season with little resistance.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph had himself a day resulting in his best game of the season. Rudolph went 16-24 for 352 yards and five touchdowns. This was a different Rudolph than fans have seen all year, he made all the right reads, was efficient, and his deep ball has never looked better. Rudolph had four touchdowns over 45 yards and two over 70 yards. The run game had another poor performance with only 81 total rushing yards. Raymond Taylor was the Cowboys' leading rusher with only 28 yards and J.W. Walsh produced the team's only rushing touchdown. The Horned Frogs' defense was able to contain David Glidden by allowing him only one reception for only one yard. However, they were not able to stop James Washington. Washington exploded for 184 yards and three touchdowns on only five receptions.
The defense stepped up to the plate yet again with one of their best performances of the season. They did allow 663 yards of offense, but they were able to intercept TCU quarterback, Trevone Boykin, 4 times and held one of the top scoring offenses in the country to less than 30 points. They steeped up big when they needed to including a pivotal goal line stand late in the fourth quarter. TCU handled Emmanuel Ogbah extremely well allowing him to get only two tackles, but this opened the door for linebacker, Chad Whitener. The sophomore accounted for 12 tackles and two interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. Considered one of the top defenses in the nation, the Cowboys definitely proved it Saturday.
In their first real test of the season, the Cowboys answered the bell. It takes a near perfect game to beat a team like TCU, and that's exactly what the Cowboys were able to do. Now tied only with Baylor atop the Big 12, a little more intensity is added to every game. The Cowboys head into Ames, Iowa next week for a tough matchup against Iowa State. With the final playoff rankings about only four weeks away, this is a game that definitely should not be overlooked.
