STANFORD, Calif. – Arguably the most entertaining contest of the postseason, No. 15 Stanford's 39-37 setback Thursday to No. 13 TCU in the Alamo Bowl featured trick plays, long gainers, jarring tackles and three fourth-quarter lead changes in front of a loud and mostly purple-cladded crowd of 57,653 at the Alamodome.
Unfortunately for Stanford fans, the Horned Frogs struck last.
"We all knew how this game was going to go," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. "Two teams that fight and scrap and never quit. It was going to be whoever made the most plays. Once again, proud of our guys for how we fight. We just gave up too many plays."
Trying to become just the 10th team in school history to win 10 games in a season, the Cardinal (9-5) took command early and didn't trail until the first play of the fourth quarter, when TCU quarterback Kenny Hill burned the Stanford secondary with a perfectly-thrown 93-yard touchdown pass to freshman speedster Jalen Reagor. It was the longest play allowed by the Cardinal this season.
Shaw never uses excuses, but was without starting defensive backs Justin Reid and Frank Buncom, who left the game with injuries. Reid is one of the top safeties in the nation and spearheads the secondary, while Buncom intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble before departing.
In addition, linebacker Curtis Robinson was sidelined in the first half, and starting linebacker Joey Alfieri did not suit up.
Attrition and fatigue showed after Stanford bolted to leads of 21-3, 28-16 and 31-23. The first-half advantage could have been bigger if not for a missed field goal and end-zone interception.
"There were a lot of points left on the board," said sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello. "We had the momentum and let them grab it back."
Given what TCU (11-3) did to Oregon in the 2015 Alamo Bowl -- trailing 31-0 at the break, the Horned Frogs stormed back for a 47-41 victory in triple overtime -- no one on the Cardinal sideline felt overconfident about the 21-10 halftime cushion.
TCU, which runs a no-huddle, spread offense, sprung three trick plays -- and two backfired. Special teams ace Brandon Simmons alertly snuffed out a fake punt, and a throwback on a kickoff return resulted in an illegal lateral. However, one succeeded and proved costly.
Midway through the third quarter with Stanford ahead by 12, wide receiver Desmon White took a handoff from Hill around the right side, then stopped and fired a strike across the field to his quarterback, who had drifted free near the TCU bench. Hill made the catch and wasn't touched on the 27-yard scoring play.
"A lot of us want those plays back," senior defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. "They're a very tough offense to go against and they broke a lot of tendencies. Kenny Hill's very dynamic."
Although he attempted 40 passes, the streaky and elusive Hill was seldom pressured and never sacked. He shook off a shaky first half to throw for 318 yards and rushed for 60. The Horned Frogs did not punt in the second half, with the lone stop coming on a fumble recovery by Buncom after a Malik Antoine hit.
Stanford did register five tackles for loss.
Benefitting from nearly a month of rest, junior Bryce Love carried 26 times for a hard-earned 146 yards and tallied two touchdowns. The first came on a 15-yard touchdown run on third-and-2, with Love powering his way into the end zone. The latter was 69-yard scamper early in the third quarter.
Love finished the season with 2,118 yards to break the Stanford single-season rushing record of 2,019 set by Christian McCaffrey in 2015. Love scored at least one touchdown in 12 of 13 games and established FBS standards with 13 runs of 50 or more yards and 30-yard rushes in 15-straight outings.
He missed most of the fourth quarter.
"Bryce is a warrior," said fifth-year senior offensive lineman David Bright. "All season battling through injuries, and wanting to go out and play with us. It's just special and amazing. We love being able to block for him."
Costello completed 15 of 27 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
"There's a lot of throws I want back," Costello said. "There's a lot of areas that I'm looking forward to working on in the offseason."
The future is bright for Costello, who went 4-3 as a first-year starter, with five appearances coming against AP top 25 opponents.
"There's a lot of things we did well and a lot of things I have to work on in the offseason," said Costello.
Junior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside caught five passes for 61 yards and three produced touchdowns. After leading the team in scoring receptions with five in 2016, he finished with a squad-high nine this season.
Numbers: TCU outgained Stanford, 488-369, but had only two more first downs (39-37). The Cardinal finished with a six-minute time of possession advantage and converted 8 of 16 on third down compared to 5 of 13 for the Horned Frogs.
Flags were scarce. Stanford was penalized three times -- two on its final possession, while TCU earned one.
Shaw expressed thanks and admiration to his seniors following the game.
"I'm very proud of the senior class that's leaving us," he said. "A special group of guys. I look at what's coming back and there's so much work to do, but I'm so excited. We can improve in so many areas."
Many young players received valuable playing time Thursday night and responded to the challenge.
"I have a firm belief that when we start next year, you may not recognize them," said Shaw. "I think we're going to make a huge jump."
Extra Points … Junior Cameron Scarlett had another productive game. He caught two passes 85 yards, including a career-best 50-yarder, and returned five kickoffs for 124 yards. Scarlett chalked up 12 returns of 30 or more yards this season … Junior safety Ben Edwards stepped in and made a team- and career-high seven tackles … Junior Jake Bailey averaged 48.8 yards on four punts and boomed a 60-yarder … Texas native Walker Little returned to action after missing four games with an injury … It marked the final game for Mike Bloomgren, now the head coach at Rice … Nine players from the state of Texas suited up for the Cardinal … Brothers Joaquin Castro '96 and Julian Castro '96 served as honorary captains. Joaquin was mayor of San Antonio from 2009-14, then worked as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014-17. Julian has served as a U.S. congressman for the Texas' 20th congressional district since 2013.
Quotable … "I'll say it again and again and again. To sit there at 1-2 at the beginning of the season and fight back to get to the Pac-12 Championship Game says a lot about the guys on this football team." - David Shaw
