NO. 4 TEXAS CHRISTIAN 55, NO. 16 UTAH 28 : Texas Christian delivers emphatic message in win

Now that the hometown fans are finally taking notice of No. 4 Texas Christian, maybe the rest of the nation will also realize that the BCS-hopeful Horned Frogs are for real.

Utah certainly can’t disagree.

In probably its last significant hurdle to an undefeated regular season, TCU scored three touchdowns in a 2 1/2 -minute span early in the second quarter and beat No. 16 Utah, 55-28, on Saturday night.

“If the nation didn’t think that this was enough style points, then I don’t know what is,” Coach Gary Patterson said. “We’re just going to go about our business.”

The Horned Frogs (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West) stretched their winning streak to 12 games since a last-minute loss last November at Utah (8-2, 5-1), which had won 22 of 23. TCU also has won 13 in a row at home since losing when the Utes last visited two years ago.

With a record crowd of 50,307 -- a sellout at 79-year-old Amon Carter Stadium without the benefit of an instate opponent -- and representatives from the Orange, Rose and Fiesta bowls watching from the athletic director’s suite, the Horned Frogs put on quite a show. Fans stormed the field when it was over.

Matthew Tucker had the first and last touchdowns (runs of 41 and nine yards) for TCU, with five teammates getting into the end zone in between. The 55 points were the most given up by Utah since 1996, a lopsided game that even caught TCU by surprise.

“Not in my wildest dream,” defensive end Jerry Hughes said. “I figured it was going to be a dogfight.”

Even without guaranteed access to the Bowl Championship Series, the Horned Frogs have changed the question about if they can be a BCS buster. Now it’s can they be the first outsider to play for the national title?

TCU is fourth in the BCS standings, the highest a team from a conference without an automatic bid has reached. They trail only Florida, Alabama and Texas -- all winners Saturday.

Ed Wesley ran for 137 yards and a touchdown and Andy Dalton threw for 207 yards and a score. TCU had 549 yards overall, its third straight game with at least 500.

Utah’s Eddie Wide, who had posted six straight 100-yard games, was held to 25 yards in 14 carries.

“It was one of our worst performances,” Utah linebacker Stevenson Sylvester said.

The Horned Frogs, 10-0 for only the second time since its 1938 undefeated national championship team led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Davey O’Brien, play next weekend at wobbly Wyoming. They close the regular season Nov. 28 at home against New Mexico (0-10).