TCU puts end to BYU's 16-game winning streak

[October 17, 2008]  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- BYU can stop worrying about reaching the BCS. TCU made sure of that in an ironic twist of revenge.

Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns, receiver Jeremy Kerley became a running threat and TCU beat the ninth-ranked Cougars 32-7 on Thursday night, snapping their 16-game winning streak that was the longest in major college football.

When the Cougars were last in Fort Worth two years ago, they snapped TCU's 13-game winning streak that was then the nation's longest.

BYU (6-1, 2-1 Mountain West) never had a chance this time, not with Kerley, a former high school quarterback, taking direct snaps and running all over the place for the Frogs (7-1, 4-0) and their smothering top-ranked defense.

Max Hall, who had been sacked only twice over the first six games, was sacked four times before halftime, and three more after that. His fumble set up TCU's first touchdown and he threw an interception that led to another score by the Frogs -- all in the first quarter. He finished 22-of-42 for 274 yards with two interceptions.

With the first Bowl Championship Series standings coming out Sunday, the only undefeated team left in the Mountain West is No. 14 Utah (7-0), whose eight-game winning streak is now tied with No. 3 Penn State and No. 7 Texas Tech for the longest in the country.

The Utes obviously have the best chance to get into one of the major bowls since no BCS buster has ever lost in the regular season. But they still have to play TCU, which certainly can't be eliminated from that conversation since its only loss was at No. 4 Oklahoma.

As for the Cougars, reaching the BCS at this point would take a small miracle.

Utah was the original BCS buster in 2004, then the following season came to TCU and had its 18-game winning streak snapped.

After missing the last two games with a knee injury, Dalton threw a 25-yard touchdown to Jimmy Young on his first pass. He added a 12-yarder to Walter Bryant just before halftime, the receiver making a nifty grab and getting a foot down in the back corner of the end zone -- a catch confirmed by replay -- for a 23-0 lead.

Dalton finished 12-of-19 for 170 yards and Kerley ran nine times for 77 yards. Jerry Hughes had four sacks for TCU and forced two fumbles.

Austin Collie matched the MWC record with his fifth consecutive 100-yard receiving game (six catches for 116 yards) for the Cougars, who had also won 18 consecutive conference games, a streak that began with their 2006 victory at TCU.

On BYU's opening drive of the game, Daryl Washington dropped a possible interception near the 50 with a wide-open field to the end zone ahead of him. But two plays later, Hughes hit Hall from behind, stripping the ball and TCU recovered at the Cougars 40.

The Frogs quickly went for the end zone. Dalton threw a pass that wasn't caught because of a pass interference penalty, then hit Young on the next play.

Kerley scored on a 16-yard run, avoiding a BYU defender just past the line and then zigzagging through the middle of the field virtually untouched for a 14-0 lead, ending a 72-yard drive on which he also had 24-yard run.

TCU scored on its first three possessions, going ahead 17-0 on Ross Evans' 21-yard field goal a play after an apparent interception was overturned by replay. That drive included a 21-yard run by Kerley.

That gave TCU as many points in 16 minutes against the Cougars as they had allowed their last 16 quarters. BYU had given up only 17 points in their past four games, including consecutive lopsided shutouts against UCLA and Wyoming.

Joseph Turner, who ran 19 times for 70 yards, scored on a 5-yard run at the end of the third quarter for the final touchdown.

[Associated Press; By STEPHEN HAWKINS]

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