Hudson Hooper’s interception return changed the halftime equation in one long sprint. With Arizona ahead 10-7 late in the second quarter, TCU’s senior linebacker picked off Noah Fifita, escaped a tackler around midfield and covered 93 yards for a touchdown at 4:09. The Horned Frogs went to the break ahead 14-10.
That was the sort of play that can rescue a road team from an uneven half. It could not, by itself, supply the routine scoring and clean late execution TCU needed Friday night in Tucson. Arizona won 29-28, despite TCU holding a lead of eight points with 6:35 left.
Hooper also made 12 tackles. His touchdown gave the Horned Frogs a lead that the offense had not yet been able to create, and his work helped keep the game available while Arizona accumulated 441 yards. The return was separate from TCU’s 281 offensive yards. Both belonged in the account of why the Frogs remained competitive.
Jaden Craig completed 28 of 41 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown, and TCU gained 49 yards rushing. His seven-yard scoring run with 8:53 left in the second cut Arizona’s 10-0 lead to 10-7. Hooper then supplied the interception return at 4:09, turning a three-point deficit into a four-point lead.
That was an extraordinary way to get ahead, and a difficult production model to depend on. TCU needed its own offense to keep adding to the score because a long defensive return cannot be ordered on the next possession. Hooper had supplied a touchdown and a lead. The rest of the game still required ordinary drives to finish.
TCU then produced two drives that showed why the game remained within reach. In the third quarter, Craig found Jordan Dwyer for a six-yard touchdown, with Dwyer finishing the night with nine receptions for 86 yards. Kari Ashley was even more involved as a short-area outlet, catching 14 passes for 95 yards.
Those completions helped Craig keep possessions moving even while Arizona’s defense limited the running game.
The best answer came late. TCU put together a 10-play, 77-yard march that lasted 4:59 and ended with Craig’s two-yard rushing touchdown at 6:35 of the fourth quarter. That drive required the offense to carry the possession across the field rather than waiting for a turnover or a short field.
It made the score 28-20 and gave the Horned Frogs a margin that should have forced Arizona to play nearly perfectly.
Fifita’s 15-yard scoring throw to Quincy Craig finished an 11-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 4:50. Arizona missed the two-point attempt, leaving TCU ahead 28-26. The Frogs had survived the touchdown with their lead intact. They still had to secure the next kickoff before making use of that advantage.
