The No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs (3-0) defeated the Virginia Cavaliers (2-2) on Saturday afternoon, 27-7, in a game that held some resemblance to the Frogs' victory over Kansas last week.
TCU's struggles inside of the red zone carried over into this week, as the Horned Frogs turned the ball over twice while inside Virginia's 20-yard line. Still, quarterback Casey Pachall and wide receiver Brandon Carter provided enough offense to lead TCU to victory.
The Horned Frogs' defense was strong as usual, creating four turnovers, keeping the Cavaliers off the board until late in the fourth quarter when Virginia backup quarterback Phillip Sims hit E.J. Scott in the back of the endzone for a 5-yard score. It was the first touchdown that TCU's defense had allowed since the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl.
In Waymon James' absence, TCU used several players to make up for the loss of rushing productivity. Matthew Tucker ran for 52 yards on 15 carries, while Trevone Boykin carried the ball three times for 51 yards.
TCU wide receiver Josh Boyce caught a touchdown pass early in the second quarter, giving him 18 touchdown receptions in his career. He is now TCU's all-time leader in that category.
Box Score Hero: While Pachall needs to be more careful with the football while in the red zone, he still had a solid outing, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Carter hauled in five passes for 128 yards and a score.
Rankings Ramifications: The Horned Frogs actually dropped a spot after a similar victory over Kansas last weekend, so it will be interesting to see what happens this time. Ohio State, who is currently one spot ahead of TCU in the rankings, struggled in defeating UAB at home on Saturday. Could that sway the voters into moving TCU ahead of them?
But Did They Cover? TCU came into the game as 19-point favorites, so it barely covered. Meanwhile, the final score total didn't even come close to reaching the over/under of 54 that was set during the week.
For More On This Game: Frogs O' War is the place to go for news and analysis on TCU, while additional coverage on Virginia can be found at Streaking The Lawn.
Next Week's Schedule: TCU will travel across town to face SMU, while Virginia returns home to host Louisiana Tech.
This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.