FORT WORTH – TCU and coach Gary Patterson saw a win ripe for the taking in the third overtime Saturday against Baylor.
The Bears had failed on a two-point conversion after scoring to open the third overtime. A touchdown and a two-point conversion would give the Horned Frogs a win over the team ranked 12th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
“I thought once we’d stopped them on the two-point [conversion], I thought we’d win,” Patterson said after a 29-23 loss that dropped the Horned Frogs to 4-5 and 2-4 in the Big 12.
“I thought we’d go in and do it. This is probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been, but I’m also real proud of our kids.”
Quarterback Max Duggan’s scramble for a touchdown on TCU’s possession was overturned on replay and TCU couldn’t punch it in, despite have first-and-goal at the Baylor 1.
“Honestly, we have to do better. ... We gotta get that,” left guard Cordel Iwuagwu said. “Ain’t no excuses. We gotta get that.”
Patterson said he would have to look at a crucial holding penalty that pushed TCU back to the Baylor 14 before Grayland Arnold’s game-winning interception on fourth down.
Despite the interception, Patterson gave high marks to Duggan. Playing with an injured middle finger on his right (throwing) hand, Duggan was 14 of 32 for 140 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran for 46 yards.
“If you want to be able to build a program, you want to be able to build a program with somebody that has an attitude,” Patterson said. “He’s not making all the plays we want him to make, but the bottom line to it, the essential thing, the ground foundation is unbelievable. We need to just keep growing on that.”
A defense that was minus several injured starters held Baylor without a touchdown in regulation.
It wasn’t enough.
“We talk about it every week -- week in, week out,” defensive back Jeff Gladney said. “It’s just four or five plays. And we’ve gotta just make those plays.”
Grant McGalliard contributed to this report.
