Shut Out in the First Half, TCU Rallies Past Kansas 22-16 on Craig's Late Touchdown Run

FORT WORTH - For a half, TCU's offense simply was not there. The Horned Frogs were held scoreless in a first half for the first time since 2018 on Saturday, trailing Kansas 13-0 at the break, and still won - beating the Jayhawks 22-16 at Amon G. Carter Stadium behind a defensive touchdown and a quarterback who ran his team back into the game.

Kansas built its lead methodically: Martin Connington field goals of 34 and 42 yards and Cole Ballard's 29-yard touchdown pass to Cam Pickett, on a day Ballard threw for 285 yards and Kansas outgained TCU 451 to 286. TCU's defense kept the game close with a fourth-down stop at the goal line early in the third quarter, and then linebacker Max Carroll changed it - intercepting Ballard and returning the ball 60 yards for a touchdown that cut the margin to 13-7. Freshman Ace Theus followed with a touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter, and TCU led 14-13.

Connington's third field goal, from 27 yards with 4:59 to play, put Kansas back in front 16-14. TCU answered with the drive of its season so far: 13 plays, 84 yards, Craig rushing for 37 of them, and finishing it himself with a 17-yard touchdown run late in the game. Craig's two-point conversion pass to Jordan Dwyer made it 22-16, and the defense turned away Kansas's final push past midfield.

Craig finished 13 of 29 for 141 passing yards and a career-high, team-high 87 rushing yards. Carroll added eight tackles to his pick-six - the first by a TCU linebacker since Dee Winters in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, per TCU Athletics - and Jamel Johnson led the Frogs with 10 tackles. TCU (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) has now beaten Kansas six straight times, and the 13-point comeback was its largest since the 17-point rally against Texas Tech in 2024. Kansas fell to 3-5 and 1-4 in the league.