TCU didn’t know if KaVontae Turpin would become academically eligible this season. Fortunately for Turpin and the Frogs, he did.
“It’s good that that happened,” coach Gary Patterson said. “He’s a difference maker.”
Yes, he is.
Turpin provided a much-needed spark to a sluggish TCU team on Friday night. Maybe it was waiting out a nearly two-hour weather delay. Maybe it was coming off a short week in which they played under extreme heat in the opener.
Whatever the reason, the Frogs didn’t look like the No. 16 team in the country early on. That changed when Turpin returned a punt 78 yards for a score, essentially “calling his shot” as he sprinted by the punter, and went untouched on another 42-yard receiving touchdown in carrying the Frogs to a 42-12 victory over SMU.