Duggan throws for 3 TDs, No. 7 TCU beats West Virginia 41-31

Associated PressOct 29, 2022, 4:44 PM EDT

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Max Duggan threw three touchdown passes, Kendre Miller ran for 120 yards and a score and No. 7 TCU used big plays on offense to beat West Virginia 41-31 to remain unbeaten.

The Horned Frogs (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) didn’t need a comeback from a double-digit deficit like they did in their two previous games. Duggan staked TCU to a 28-21 halftime lead that held up.

“We’re grateful to be 8-0,” Duggan said. “You’re never going to take winning for granted. We know it’s hard to win in this league, especially on the road.”

But West Virginia (3-5, 1-4), which was coming off a season-low 282 yards of offense in a lopsided loss at last week at Texas Tech, gave the Horned Frogs a fight.

JT Daniels threw a 23-yard TD pass to Reese Smith with 4:12 left to cut the Mountaineers’ deficit to 34-31. TCU recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Duggan was intercepted by Malachi Ruffin at the West Virginia 16, giving the Mountaineers another chance. West Virginia was forced to punt, and Duggan found Savion Williams with a 29-yard scoring toss on fourth down with 20 seconds left.

Duggan finished 16 of 28 for 341 yards.

TCU had four plays of at least 50 yards, with three going for touchdowns. After combining for 637 yards of offense before halftime, both teams squandered several second-half touchdown chances from inside the opponent’s 20.

The Mountaineers recovered a muffed punt at the TCU 17 early in the third quarter, but settled for a field goal. On its next possession, West Virginia drove to the TCU 4, but Daniels threw incomplete into the end zone on fourth down. TCU then drove 95 yards to the West Virginia 1. Quentin Johnston was tackled for an 11-yard loss on third down, resulting in a short field goal for a 31-24 lead.

“Some crazy stuff happened in this game today,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “There was some wild plays, some strange stuff.”

West Virginia mistakes contributed to TCU’s first three touchdowns.

Duggan took advantage of blown coverage in the secondary, throwing TD tosses of 71 yards to Taye Barber and 55 yards to Johnston. Midway through the second quarter, Daniels was hit going back to pass and fumbled. TCU recovered at its 49 and Miller scored untouched on the next play for a 21-14 lead.

Miller now has a rushing TD in nine straight games.

Daniels finished 23 of 39 for 275 yards.

“I thought our guys competed, really played their tails off,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “I’m proud of how they played. We’re based on outcomes. I get that. The outcome wasn’t what we wanted. We just didn’t make enough plays in the second half.”

THE TAKEAWAY

TCU: The Horned Frogs weren’t dominant, but they did enough to stay atop the Big 12 standings.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers put up a fight on offense despite being without two injured linemen and leading rusher Tony Mathis. Freshman running back CJ Donaldson, who finished with 104 yards, twice left the game with injuries. West Virginia kept the game close after starting slowly in its three previous games.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

TCU should hold onto its top 10 ranking.

UP NEXT

TCU hosts Texas Tech next Saturday. The Horned Frogs have won the last three meetings.

West Virginia visits Iowa State next Saturday. The Mountaineers had lopsided losses in their last two trips to Ames, Iowa.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.