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On October 11th, 2014, the No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (4-0) traveled down I-35 to face off in a monumental matchup with the No. 5 Baylor Bears (5-0). Although it was the 110th meeting between the two schools, it was the first-ever time that TCU and Baylor were both ranked when they played each other.
Despite Oklahoma and Texas facing off in the Red River Rivalry the same Saturday, the Revivalry between TCU and Baylor was the Big 12 game of the week. Leading up to the showdown, it had the potential to be one of the largest games in program history. TCU was coming off of an upset win over No. 3 Oklahoma, while Baylor was riding a 12-game winning home streak and playing in their first-ever conference game in the newly opened McLane Stadium.
At that time, BU was relatively new to the national stage, the high rankings, and the title talk. The Bears' thrilling 61-58 victory over the rival Horned Frogs was a statement win for the school, and it established Baylor as a top-notch football program for years to come.
Although the game went back and forth in the first half, TCU looked to be pulling away early in the fourth quarter after Bryce Petty threw a pick-six to extend the Horned Frogs' lead to 58-37. That didn’t deter the Bears, however. Petty led the offense back down the field in only 59 seconds to cut the deficit to a two-score lead. On the ensuing drive, Petty connected with Antwan Goodley for a 28-yard touchdown to close in on the TCU lead, 58-51.
The Green and Gold’s defense stood strong and picked up a huge three and out, allowing Petty and company to get the ball back with 5:30 remaining on the clock. Two catches from KD Cannon and a Shock Linwood run set the Bears up on the TCU 25 with 4:48 remaining. The next play, featured below, sent McLane Stadium into a frenzy. Star wideout Corey Coleman blew by his man and hauled in a perfectly placed touch pass from Petty to tie the game at 58 apiece, erasing what was once a 21-point deficit.
After throwing two interceptions earlier in the game, Bryce Petty bounced back by willing the Bears back into the game in the fourth quarter. He threw for a then career-high 510 yards and six touchdowns on the night.
In their final drive, TCU moved past midfield to face a fourth and three from the Baylor 45 with 1:17 left. Instead of electing to punt, Gary Patterson took two timeouts to ultimately decide they wanted to try and end the game in regulation with a Horned Frog field goal or touchdown.
Trevone Boykin tossed up a jump ball towards the right sideline to star receiver Josh Docston, but he was unable to come up with the ball after an outstanding play from Baylor defensive back Ryan Reid.
Baylor took over with 1:11 left on the clock, and as they say, the rest is history. An interference call and some tough running from Linwood put the Bears on the TCU 11-yard line with three seconds left to set up Chris Callahan, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound redshirt freshman kicker. Callahan put the ball right through the uprights, and the Baylor fans stormed the field to celebrate the biggest win in program history.
It was the highest scoring game between AP top 10 in history and propelled the Bears to an 11-1 record and a share of the Big 12 Championship. Unfortunately, the 61-58 victory over No. 9 TCU would not be enough to secure Baylor a spot in the 2014 College Football Playoff. The win did officially state that Baylor had arrived on a national stage, and it kept TCU from getting their first CFP appearance. No matter what a TCU fan has to say against Baylor, you can always reply “61-58” with a smile on your face.
