TCU, which had won an FBS-best 25 straight regular-season games, overcame a 47-23 deficit in the fourth quarter to briefly take the lead. New starting quarterback Casey Pachall threw three touchdowns passes in the rally, and a fumble by Bears quarterback Robert Griffin set up a go-ahead 27-yard field goal by Ross Evans, who earlier missed twice from beyond 40 yards.
But Baylor, which hadn’t beaten a ranked team since 2004, then went 60 yards in 11 plays – including Griffin’s 15-yard catch from Kendall Wright on a third-and-10 – to set up Jones.
The Frogs had one more chance, but Pachall’s last pass was intercepted by Mike Hicks, and he ran the clock down to 2 seconds in Baylor’s most-anticipated opener in a long time.
Griffin, who went to elementary school in Olympia, took one more snap, knelt down and immediately the field was swarmed in gold as students and fans rushed out to celebrate. Many of those in purple sat in the stands, staring out in shock.
Wright threw for a score of his own before catching two of Griffin’s career-high five touchdown passes as Baylor avoided another crushing loss to the defending Rose Bowl champion and its old Southwest Conference rival.
This would have certainly hurt more than the Bears’ 45-10 loss in Fort Worth a year ago, because Baylor was never in that game.
Griffin hit 21 of 27 passes for 359 yards, with Wright catching 12 of them for 189 yards. Terrance Williams had six catches for 126 yards and two scores.
This is not the same TCU team that was a BCS buster the past two seasons. There are missing pieces on a defense that finished the last three seasons No. 1 overall in the nation.
TCU allowed 229 yards per game last season. The Bears had 360 at halftime, when they led 34-23, and finished with 564.
Pachall was 25 of 39 for 251 yards and four TDs with that one interception.
At No. 17 Michigan St. 28, Youngstown St. 6: B.J. Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, moving into a tie for first on Michigan State’s career receptions list in the Spartans’ victory over the FCS Penguins.
Cunningham has 148 receptions, equaling Matt Trannon’s mark.
Kirk Cousins completed 18 of 22 passes for 222 yards, and Edwin Baker ran for 91 yards for Michigan State.
CENTRAL LOSES, 21-10
Central Washington University managed just 213 yards of total offense, and seventh-ranked Texas A&M University-Kingsville converted two CWU turnovers into 14 points as the No. 22 Wildcats lost their NCAA Division II season opener, 21-10, at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.
CWU dug itself in an early hole from which there was no recovery. The Wildcats surrendered a touchdown late in the first quarter, on a 4-yard run by Jonathan Woodson, and early in the second, when Javelinas quarterback Daniel Ramirez completed a 15-yard scoring pass to Robert Armstrong.
A 6-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Robertson to Anthony Spain with 6:55 left in the second quarter got CWU on the board, and a 34-yard field goal from Sean Davis with 20 seconds left before halftime made it 14-10.
But the Wildcats (0-1) got no closer.
TRAGEDY HITS UTES
Utah officials said the wife of football player Ron Tongaonevai was killed in a car accident about 90 minutes after the Utes’ 27-10 victory over Montana State on Thursday.
The team released a statement saying Janelle Tongaonevai died about 10:30 p.m. in West Valley City, Utah. Ron Tongaonevai is a junior defensive lineman from West Valley City. The couple was married during the summer of 2010.
EXTRA POINTS
Boise State coaches said starting wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn, starting safety Cedric Febis and backup defensive lineman Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe – all Netherlands-born players – are being held out of the season opener against Georgia while the NCAA reviews of their eligibility. … University of Oklahoma president David Boren said multiple conferences have shown interest in the Sooners recently, and he expects to decide whether to leave the Big 12 within the next three weeks. … John Flanders, the cornerback who sealed Tulsa’s win at Notre Dame last season with a last-minute interception in the end zone, has been declared academically ineligible.
