Utah Utes football: Missed opportunities leave TCU hurting

The game, a conference title and a possible BCS berth hung in the balance. After his defense had suffocated the Utes all game long, TCU coach Gary Patterson liked his chances.

But on the game-deciding drive in the Horned Frogs' 13-10 loss to Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night, TCU couldn't stop what had been an anemic Utah offense. The Horned Frogs allowed the Utes to march 80 yards in nine plays, and watched quarterback Brian Johnson complete a 9-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Brown with 47.8 seconds remaining.

"I liked my chances a lot (going into Utah's game-winning drive)," Patterson said. "You got to give Brian Johnson and their offense some credit. They found a way to go win."

The Horned Frogs had allowed just 210 yards of offense before Johnson and the Utes took possession with 2:48 left in the game. The inability of TCU's defense to stop Utah fit perfectly with the theme of the night for the Horned Frogs. They had so many opportunities to put Thursday's game away, or at least get some breathing room against the Utes, and couldn't capitalize on any of them.

TCU freshman kicker Ross Evans missed two field goals in the fourth quarter. A 26-yard attempt from the left hash mark hit the left upright, and a 36-yard attempt sailed wide right. Both misses came in the final six minutes, and the second occurred right before Utah's game-winning drive.

"We had our chances to be up 16-6," Patterson said. "We missed two chip-shot field goals, and it was just one of those things."

The Horned Frogs' offense started the game on fire, gaining a whopping total of 202 yards in the first quarter. TCU quickly went up 10-0, but couldn't put any more points on the scoreboard. The Horned Frogs' offensive line struggled with protection, as Utah's Paul Kruger recorded a key sack on a third-down play in the third quarter to take TCU out of field-goal range. Stevenson Sylvester and Kepa Gaison combined to make a similar big play in the second quarter to take the Horned Frogs out of range.

Realistically, TCU could have been ahead comfortably in the fourth quarter with better execution on those two plays, as well as more clutch play out of its kicker.

"We knew coming in this would be a tough game," said TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, who completed just 16-of-37 passes but faced constant pressure from Utah's defense. "It hurts to lose a big one like this, especially the way we did."

The Horned Frogs dropped to 6-1 in conference play and 9-2 overall. Their BCS dreams died with Thursday's loss, but they remain proud of what they've accomplished this season.

"I'll remember this football team for a long time," Patterson said. "They played hard. They're as good a group as I've ever been around. I still think we're a top 20 football team."

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