TCU running back Waymon James stiff-arms Kansas cornerback Greg Brown. (AP)
TCU WON: The Horned Frogs aren't going to frame the scoreboard or submit the game film to the Academy, but they are now officially 1-0 in conference play as members of the Big 12, despite having multiple scoring opportunities negated by four turnovers and a missed field goal in Jayhawks territory. They can have their "Beat Kansas By Double Digits" cards validated at the front desk.
WHY TCU WON: When they could hold on to the ball, the Horned Frogs were efficient and effective on offense, as expected, racking up 488 total yards and punting just once, on their first possession of the second half. On each of their other nine possessions, the Frogs drove to at least the Kansas 25-yard line.
Contrary to its ground-bound reputation, TCU did most of its damage via the right arm of quarterback Casey Pachall, who hit 24 of his 30 passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a sky-high pass efficiency rating of 195.8.
WHEN TCU WON: Although it ended with a turnover, the Horned Frogs effectively put the game away on an 11-play march in the fourth quarter that milked nearly seven minutes off the clock and left Kansas with no time to make up a two-touchdown deficit. The drive began near midfield with just under 10 minutes left, following a Jayhawks punt; when it ended, on a Matthew Tucker fumble at the Kansas 7-yard line, the Jayhawks had only 3:11 to work with, and 93 yards between them and the end zone, where they hadn't been (and would not go) all day.
WHAT TCU WON: Twenty points against Kansas is not good, with the turnovers standing out as the glaring issue. Beyond that, though, Big 12 win No. 1 is in the books, and in reality the offense moved the ball consistently and effectively against an outfit that finished dead last in the conference in 2011 in every significant defensive category. In other words, the Frogs looked like a legit Big 12 offense.
WHAT KANSAS LOST: Well, as far as Vegas is concerned, the Jayhawks covered the point spread. But failing to find the end zone in the conference opener -– even with four turnovers in your favor -– is not a good omen for crawling out of the basement.