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Boise State edged by TCU, BCS hopes dashed

Nov 13, 2011 - 1:56 AM Boise, ID (Sports Network) - Any chance Boise State had at a BCS championship berth drifted wide right off Dan Goodale's leg.

Goodale missed a 39-yard field goal as time expired, and the fifth-ranked Broncos lost, 36-35, to TCU on Saturday.

Boise State (8-1, 3-1 MWC) looked to run out the clock with a 35-28 lead, but Drew Wright fumbled the ball away. Ross Forrest recovered for the Horned Frogs at his own 27-yard line with 2:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Casey Pachall hit Antoine Hicks for 14 yards on 3rd-and-6, then threw a 21- yard pass to Jonathan Jones, who shook off a pair of tackles and sprinted down the left sideline to place the ball at the Boise State 25.

Two plays later, Pachall completed his fifth touchdown pass of the game -- and second to Brandon Carter -- with 1:05 showing on the clock.

Because Ross Evans missed an extra point earlier in the contest, TCU opted to go for the lead. Pachall, who was picked off deep in Boise State territory earlier in the quarter, took a couple steps to his right before firing a pass into tight coverage.

Josh Boyce, who hauled in Pachall's other three TD passes, made the grab, shrugged off the defender and ran into the end zone to put TCU ahead.

The Broncos then caught a pair of breaks on their next drive. First, the kickoff went out-of-bounds. Then, they were bailed out when TCU cornerback Greg McCoy was flagged for pass interference on 4th-and-10 from midfield.

A pair of completions by Kellen Moore moved the ball to the TCU 20. After Moore was dropped for a short loss on third down, Goodale missed the field goal that snapped Boise State's 35-game home winning streak.

"(Goodale) has been making progress and he's got a strong leg, he really does, and it was lined up right in the middle," said Boise State head coach Chris Petersen. "I think you're playing percentages and odds right there. Do you try to throw one in from about 30 yards? Or are you going to try and make a field goal? That's what we thought our best chance was."

It was also the Broncos first home loss during the regular season since September 8, 2001. They had won 65 in a row.

Pachall finished with 473 yards on 24-of-37 passing for TCU (8-2, 5-0), who took the inside track in the race for the conference crown. The Horned Frogs notched their fifth straight win.

Moore connected on 28-of-38 throws for 320 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yarder to Matt Miller to cap the game's opening drive.

TCU failed to get a first down on its first possession, but on the first play of the Horned Frogs' next drive, Pachall hooked up with Boyce for a 74-yard touchdown.

Mitch Burroughs caught a pass from Moore and fumbled the ball away early in the second quarter. TCU quickly grabbed the lead when Pachall and Carter hooked up for a 75-yard scoring strike.

Boise State answered on its next drive as D.J. Harper scored on a 17-yard run. But Pachall continued to pick apart the Boise State secondary, this time connecting with Boyce for a 69-yard touchdown. Evans' miss put TCU up 20-14 at halftime.

"We knew we weren't going to be able to drive on that defense so we were going to have to create some big plays. We got lucky on two or three passes and that's how the game goes," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson about his team's big plays.

The Broncos' defense came up with a touchdown in the early moments of the third quarter. Hicks fumbled on the second half's first play from scrimmage. Tyrone Crawford scooped up the ball and rumbled 32 yards to the end zone.

Another touchdown run by Harper made it 28-20, but the Horned Frogs marched down the field and Boyce capped the nine-play drive with a two-yard TD reception. Pachall lunged for the goal line on the two-point conversion to tie the game with 2:02 left in the third.

Boise State went back ahead two plays into the fourth quarter when Dallas Burroughs caught a 54-yard TD pass from Moore.

Game Notes

The Horned Frogs are 4-1 in their last five games against top-five ranked opponents...TCU has won 22 straight Mountain West games...Boise State had won 47 consecutive conference home games...Moore has thrown multiple TDs in 22 straight outings...These teams met three times previously -- all in bowl games. TCU evened the series...Boyce had 163 yards on five receptions...Harper gained 125 yards on 24 carries.