DALLAS (FWAA) Just days after the resignation of the school's winningest coach Gary Patterson, redshirt freshman Chandler Morris threw for 461 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start to give interim head coach Jerry Kill his first win as the TCU Horned Frogs upset No. 14 Baylor, 30-28, in Fort Worth. Beating the Bears for a sixth time in the last seven seasons with their highest total offense output since 2019 earned TCU the Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 6, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the seventh time for TCU (4-5) to earn this honor from the FWAA and first since the 2017 season. All Division I FBS and FCS schools are eligible to be selected.
Morris hit 29-of-41 passes without an interception and added 70 rushing yards for a 531 total-offense output, the second-best total in TCU history. The 461 passing yards were the fourth-best total in school history and marked the Frogs' first 400-plus-yard passing day since Kenny Hill Morris' position coach · did it against Oklahoma in 2016. Morris' game also is third in Big 12 history for most passing yards in a first career start and third-best for any FBS quarterback in his first career start since 2012, according to TCU reports.
TCU's 562 yards of offense were its most in a game since totaling 625 against Kansas in 2019 but its defense had to hold Baylor off in the final two minutes. The Bears trailed 30-28 starting on their final drive and reached the TCU 34 three plays later. TCU's Shadrach Banks, a freshman linebacker and a converted wide receiver, then made the first interception of his career to preserve the win that snapped a three-game losing streak.
"When Coach [Patterson] said go to practice, we saw a lot of long faces on Sunday, but this week they worked their tails off," Kill said. "I have little to do with it and I credit the kids and the coaching staff and Gary Patterson. They built this program I've only been here two years. I'm just the fill in guy. I'm just so proud of those kids and the tremendous effort."
TCU is 10-4 against Baylor since the Southwest Conference dissolved after the 1995 season. The Frogs play at Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Saturday in a game broadcast on FOX.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 6 are:
Arizona (1-8): The Wildcats ended the nation·s longest losing streak at 20 games, topping Cal 10-3 on Michael Wiley·s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:17 left. Arizona won for the first time since a 35-30 win over Colorado on Oct. 5, 2019, but for the sixth straight time in the series. Cal was without quarterback Chase Garbers, the Pac-12·s total offense leader going into the weekend, plus six other starters due to Covid-19 protocols.
North Carolina (5-4): The Tar Heels rallied for a second straight year to beat No. 10 Wake Forest 58-55 in a non-conference tilt. Ty Chandler ran for a career-high 213 yards and four touchdowns as UNC overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit. The Tar Heels came back from 21 points down in the third quarter to win last year·s game 48-45.
Purdue (6-3): The Boilermakers beat a top-3 team for a second time this season, toppling No. 3 Michigan State 40-29 with a 594-yard offensive output as quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for 536 yards, the third-highest total in Purdue history. David Bell hauled in 11 passes for 217 yards for his 15th 100-yard receiving day to set the school record. Purdue also won at No. 2 Iowa on Oct. 16 and now has 17 wins all-time against the AP Top 5, the most in the country.
UNLV (1-8): The Rebels won their first game under head coach Marcus Arroyo, taking a 31-17 win from New Mexico on the road to end a 14-game losing streak. Running back Charles Williams became UNLV's all-time leading rusher during the game and scored two short touchdowns and true freshman quarterback Cameron Friel tossed two scores in the first half as UNLV scored 17 points off turnovers.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America
consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives
in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday
operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive
Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Cheez-It Bowl
The Cheez-It Bowl takes place on
Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 5:45 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla. The postseason contest is hosted
by Florida Citrus Sports, a Central Florida-based nonprofit, and annually features
top teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences. Cheez-It, the best-selling
cracker brand in the United States, signed on as the game's title sponsor in 2020
as part of its season-long support of college football. Last bowl season, No. 21
Oklahoma State beat No. 18 Miami 37-34 in front of an audience of Cheez-It "Wheel
Live Fans." This year's Cheez-It Bowl will be the 32nd edition of the game and its
21st in Orlando.
Related links:
All-time FWAA National Teams of the Week
· Download Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week logo: .jpg | .eps