FORT WORTH, Texas — — Max Duggan ran 67 yards for one of the two touchdowns and threw for three scores, leading TCU to a 55-24 loss to No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday in a second straight loss for the new Sooners coach Brent Venables.
OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel was knocked out of the game in the second quarter when he was hit while sliding by TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who was ejected for targeting.
Players had to be separated from Hodge after the goal, while Gabriel lay for several minutes surrounded by medical staff before the UCF transfer went off the field under its own power. Pittsburgh transfer Davis Beville replaced him.
There was an even longer delay in the fourth quarter when Oklahoma defender Damond Harmon was discharged after being immobilized on a stretcher when injured in the fourth quarter.
Harmon gave a thumbs up when he was put on the wagon in an emotional scene with linebacker Kelvin Gilliam, a childhood friend and high school teammate, who seemed to be fighting back tears.
When Lincoln Riley shocked the Sooners by moving to Southern California, they hired their former defensive coordinator after Venables won two national titles in that role with Clemson.
His defense was no match for Duggan and his company, as Oklahoma lost consecutive regular-season games for the second time since 1999. The Sooners (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) opened the conference with a home loss to the state of Kansas. It’s the most points Oklahoma has allowed since a 63-28 loss to LSU in the 2019 national semifinals.
The Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0) had four touchdowns from at least 62 yards, topped off by Taye Barber’s 73-yard catch during a 27-point first quarter.
TCU led 41-17 with 479 yards at halftime and finished with 668 yards in coach Sonny Dykes’ Big 12 debut after four seasons with crosstown rival SMU.
Kendre Miller ran 69 yards for a touchdown to give TCU a 48-17 lead early in the second half, finishing with 136 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The active FBS career leader in yards per carry increased his score by an average of 10.5 yards.
Duggan was just faster than the OU defence on the long score, then added a 35-yard run to the final TD drive for the Horned Frogs, shortening the run by sliding to keep the clock running with TCU at 31 points.
A 2-yard score from Duggan shortly afterwards made it 55-17, ending his day in the third quarter.
Both teams had only made one turnover each before Marvin Mims fiddled in the third play of the game after Oklahoma won the toss and decided to take the ball instead of delaying. Duggan’s 19-yard scoring pass to Savion Williams ended a 46-yard drive to the first points.
When the Sooners were not penalized for interference with a defensive pass (three times in the first quarter), they left the receivers wide open in the secondary. Taye was alone on his long TD just like Gunnar Henderson on a 62-yard score.
Jovantae Barnes had 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Sooners, while Gabriel and Beville were both 7 of 16 with no touchdown or interception.
THE TAKE OUT
Oklahoma: This is the second time in three seasons that the Sooners have started 0-2 in the Big 12. They rallied to win the conference in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, beating Iowa State in the title game. But Oklahoma has never been so mistreated.
TCU: The Horned Frogs averaged 10.2 yards per game as they built their big lead at halftime, finishing at 8.9 after finishing second nationally with 8.1 yards per game.
NEXT ONE
Oklahoma: The Sooners return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area next Saturday for Red River’s rivalry against Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
TCU: The Horned Frogs head for their first 2-0 start in the Big 12 since 2017 with a visit to reviving Kansas this Saturday.
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