Frogs hold on to the Skillet with victory over SMU

FORT WORTH, Texas — Jeremy Kerley returned a punt 71 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and 11th-ranked TCU overcame three first-half turnovers to avoid another letdown against SMU, beating the Mustangs 39-14 Saturday night.

Kerley sprinted up the right sideline, shredded several tacklers before cutting back to the middle of the field and then pinballed off a defender and a teammate into the end zone with 5 minutes left in the first half. The Frogs' first punt return for a touchdown since the 2002 season-opener — a span of 89 games — put them ahead to stay, 12-7.

Antoine Hicks had a 2-yard TD run and caught a 28-yard scoring pass from Andy Dalton for TCU (4-0), which averted a repeat of four years ago against SMU (2-2).

A week after winning at Oklahoma four years ago, TCU was in turn upset in the Dallas-Fort Worth rivalry known as the "Battle for the Iron Skillet." The Frogs were coming off another significant non-conference road victory last week, 14-10 at Clemson in another rain-soaked game.

SMU led 7-0 when Shawnbrey McNeal turned a screen pass from Bo Levi Mitchell into a 24-yard touchdown in the opening minute of the second quarter. That capped a 75-yard drive, but the Mustangs were held to 224 total yards, well below their season average of 432.

Even though TCU quickly responded with Hicks' TD run, SMU kept the lead. The extra point attempt was blocked by 6-foot-8 freshman Margus Hunt, a world-class shotput and discus thrower from Estonia who had never played football before getting to SMU.

TCU, which failed to take advantage of an earlier long return by Kerley, went ahead to stay on his touchdown.

The Frogs got a huge break midway through the third quarter when, after a lengthy replay, officials overturned a fumble by Dalton that SMU had returned to the 1. Instead it was no gain for TCU.

Dalton finished 12-of-20 passing for 189 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Kerley had a 42-yard punt return in the first quarter to the SMU 22, but Ryan Christian then fumbled at the end of a 10-yard catch after a scary helmet-to-helmet blow that knocked him and defensive back Derrius Bell to the ground — and out of the game.

Before both walked off the field with help, Christian and Bell were tended only feet from each other. Bell missed SMU's last game, an overtime loss at Washington State two weeks ago, because of a concussion sustained in an earlier game.