TCU
Northwestern St.
Horned Frogs Drop Home Opener, 27-24, In Overtime
9/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 22, 2001
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Clint Sanford kicked a 19-yard field goal in overtime and Ahmad Willis blocked TCU's potential tying field goal as the Division I-AA Demons beat the Horned Frogs 27-24 on Saturday night.
After Sanford gave Northwestern State (3-0) the lead, TCU (2-2) drove to the Demons 4, but Casey Printers was sacked on consecutive plays. Willis then knocked down Nick Browne's 35-yard field-goal attempt that would have sent the game to a second overtime.
The Horned Frogs took a 24-17 lead with 4:20 left in regulation on Printers' 34-yard touchdown pass to LaTarence Dunbar. Printers threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns.
But Northwestern State it on Craig Nall's 14-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Lofton with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Nall was 18-of-35 for 326 yards and two touchdowns.
Printers and Dunbar combined on a 36-yard scoring strike that gave TCU a 17-10 lead, but Northwestern State answered on its next possession with Nall's 1-yard touchdown run.
TCU went up 10-7 in the second quarter on Printers' 23-yard TD pass to Adrian Madise. But Northwestern State evened the game in the third quarter on Sanford's 29-yard field goal. The key play in the drive was Nall's 45-yard pass to Sean Weber.
Northwestern State missed an opportunity Just before halftime. Eric Louis blocked Joey Bisatti's punt, and the Demons recovered at the TCU 35 with 1:49 left in the half. But Sanford missed a 24-yard field goal attempt with 2 seconds left in the first half.
The Horned Frogs struck first on their second possession of the contest on Browne's 28-yard field goal with 8:46 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 43-yard connection from Printers to Madise, who caught four passes for 75 yards in the first half.
But the Demons went ahead on Nall's 9-yard touchdown pass to Devon Lockett with 2:48 left in the first quarter. Northwestern State converted three third-down chances on its nine-play, 88-yard drive.
