AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas' defense was good, but TCU's was better.
And so was the Horned Frogs' offense and special teams in 48-10 beatdown of the Longhorns on Thanksgiving.
Texas held the nation's No. 2 scoring offense to just one touchdown through three quarters before TCU pulled away with 28 points in the fourth.
"All we heard all week was their defense, our offense," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "Our guys took it as a challenge on defense. We can still play defense at TCU."
Patterson and his team proved it. The Horned Frogs forced six turnovers, including four interceptions of Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes.
Coming off a close call against lowly Kansas, TCU hopes a big win over a respectable Texas team puts to rest any doubts if it's worthy of a playoff spot.
"Three quarters of the United States was picking Texas to beat us," Patterson said. "You can't be like now Texas is not any good. They are a really good football team, they are a really good defense.
"We found a way to win. It's hard to win in the Big 12 right now, it just is."
The score and their 6-6 record may not show it, but the Longhorns have drastically improved since the season began. Texas' defense was impressive in close losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, but head coach Charlie Strong wouldn't say if TCU was the best they faced this season.
"They have a good football team," he said. "I don't know if they're the best but they have a good team."
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who went 20-of-34 for 233 yards and two passing touchdowns, saw first-hand how tough Texas' defense was after getting sacked four times. But he was determined to silence any talk from critics about an upset.
"They were talking about us like we haven't done anything, that we haven't proved anything," he said. "That kind of ticked us off a little, so we just wanted to come out and play a big game."
The Horned Frogs have a slight edge over Baylor in the college football playoff rankings, but that could change if the Bears cap their regular season with a win over No. 12 Kansas State.
With only Iowa State left on the schedule, TCU believes the 38-point road win should be a big enough statement for the committee.
"Hopefully, a pretty good [statement]," Boykin said. "But at the end of the day, if you're talking about playoffs, it's really not up to us."
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