FB: Pachall Leads No. 20 TCU in 55-13 Romp of Portland State

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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - - TCU scored three touchdowns in a span of 1:18 just before halftime, two on passes by Casey Pachall, and Waymon James ran 65 yards for a score on the first play of the second half as the No. 20 Horned Frogs won 55-13 over Portland State on Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (3-1) extended a school record with their 22nd consecutive win at home since 2007, but were still tied 3-3 with the lower-division FCS team until finally busting loose just before halftime.

Pachall threw a quick pass to Josh Boyce, who caught the ball near the line of scrimmage and turned upfield to find a wide-open lane for a 66-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the first half that finally put TCU ahead to stay.

Portland State (1-2) took only one snap after that before Drew Hubel's pass was deflected by Jason Verrett and intercepted by linebacker Tank Carder, the Rose Bowl defensive MVP, who weaved his way for a 26-yard touchdown. And the Frogs weren't finished before halftime.

After the Vikings went three-and-out on their next possession, Skye Dawson had a 42-yard punt return to the 11. Three plays later, Dawson caught the first of his two TD passes, a 10-yarder for a 24-3 halftime lead.

Dawson caught eight passes for 111 yards, while Boyce had four catches for 94 yards.

Pachall, the sophomore who took over for four-year graduated starter Andy Dalton, completed 14 of 20 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He also had an interception on a ball that ricocheted off the shoulder pad of a defender and was grabbed by another one.

On the first play of the second half, James took a handoff to the right and was quickly grabbed by a couple of defenders. They pulled him toward the ground, but James rolled over on top of one of the defenders instead. James then spun away and ran to the end zone.

Officials reviewed the 65-yarder, but quickly confirmed the on-field ruling of a touchdown.

James, who finished with 136 yards on 10 carries, added an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter - the second week in a row the Frogs have returned one for a score.

After Zach Brown's second field goal for Portland State, James fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 18. He took off toward the right sideline, shot through an open gap and picked up a couple of blockers. He then hurdled a falling defender near midfield right in front of the TCU bench and was untouched the rest of the way.

Pachall got a fortunate bounce late in the third quarter when his pass was deflected by linebacker Shane Melbo and should have probably been intercepted. Instead, the ball ended up in the hands of Dawson, the former Mountain West Conference champion sprinter. Dawson caught the ball near midfield and outran the Vikings secondary to the end zone.

Portland State opened the game with a 14-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Brown's 22-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. TCU then scored 41 consecutive points before Brown's 42-yard field goal with 12:40 left in the game.

TCU backup quarterback Matt Brown had a 4-yard keeper for a touchdown with 7:51 left.

Portland State came in as the FCS's best rushing team with 348 yards a game but had only 119 yards on 44 carries against TCU.

Tags: Football, TCU