SALT LAKE CITY — – TCU put together a suffocating defensive performance, Josh Hoover rushed for a TD and passed for 263 yards and the Horned Frogs outlasted Utah 13-7 on Saturday night.

The Horned Frog defense stopped Utah on fourth down with 2:35 to play, then gave Savion Williams a first down on fourth-and-1 with 2:11 to play after TCU (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) had become 0. -for-7 on third downs in the second half.

Utah’s seventh-year Cam Rising, who played with an injury, had his worst game as a Ute in last week’s loss to Arizona State and was subsequently ruled out for the season with a lower leg injury.

The Utes (4-3, 1/3 Big 12) then became Isaac Wilson’s team. Some players lamented the loss of their captain but expressed relief that the team would have only one game plan instead of two tracks depending on whether Rising could play or not.

But Wilson missed open receivers and held the ball too long while facing constant TCU pressure until he launched a perfect 71-yard TD pass to Money Parks to pull Utah within a score in the third quarter.

The Horned Frogs have struggled to stop the run and get to the passer this season, but they were consistently in Utah’s backfield until the Utes switched protection and Wilson made a few plays.

Early in the game, Hoover moved the ball with ease, but TCU’s offense floundered in the red zone, recording just 3 points in three first-half trips inside the Utah 10-yard line due to a lost fumble and a blocked field goal .

Hoover, who was 22 of 41, entered the game ranked third nationally in passing yardage with a best-in-the-country streak of 10 games with at least 20 completed passes and two touchdowns, but couldn’t reach the end zone against the Utes not found. .

Hoover snuck in the game’s first TD at 7:00 until halftime on a pair of precise passes to Eric McAlister and Drake Dabney.

Kyle Lemmerman’s second field goal with 9:32 left in the third quarter gave TCU a 13-0 lead.

The Horned Frogs held Utah to 68 yards rushing and Wilson to 17 of 33 passing and an interception.

Utah hasn’t lost three straight games since the Utes lost four straight in the 2017 season, which was also the last time they lost two home games in a season.

Meanwhile, TCU is keeping their Big 12 title hopes alive during this chaotic conference season.

The takeaway

TCU: The Horned Frogs played their best defensive game of the season but bogged down in the second half, giving the Utes some hope. Had TCU’s red zone offense been sharper, the game could have been a blowout, but the win was important after the painful loss to Houston two weeks ago.

Utah: The defense bowed out to give Utah a chance after the team was booed just 86 yards down the field in the first half. Wilson looked better after his shaky start, but the Utes abandoned their rushing attack after TCU appeared determined to let the freshman QB beat them and run.

Block those stairs!

Utah’s Tao Johnson is the first NCAA player since at least 2012 to record a blocked field goal and a blocked field goal TD return (against Baylor) in the same season.

With a blocked kick in the first half, TCU ranks first in the nation with four blocked kicks of all types.

Next

TCU hosts Texas Tech next Saturday.

Utah visits Houston next Saturday.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll