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Arkansas upsets No. 15 TCU in double overtime

Arkansas’ 6-foot-10 offensive tackle saved the day with a blocked field goal.

Yes, really.

With things tied at 28-28, No. 15 TCU had a chance to win the game with a 28-yard field goal with 10 seconds to go, so the Razorbacks inserted enormous tackle Dan Skipper on the kick block unit. Why not, right? The big man moved two TCU linemen back a yard or so and (kind of) jumped to swat Ryan Graf’s line drive kick out of mid-air, forcing overtime.

Arkansas blocked field goal
Arkansas blocked field goal

The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, but the Arkansas defense was able to limit the Horned Frogs to three points to open the second extra frame. And on the fourth play of the Razorbacks’ ensuing possession — a third and goal from the five — quarterback Austin Allen took a shotgun snap, ran to the right and muscled his way into the end zone to seal a thrilling 41-38 upset victory for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema would probably tell you it shouldn’t have come to all of that. After all, the Razorbacks had a 20-7 lead late in the third quarter and were driving deep into TCU territory.

With its defense playing at a high level and the offense controlling the line of scrimmage, it seemed like Arkansas was just about ready to put things away. But TCU’s defense came up big and held the Razorbacks to a 22-yard field goal try, which the usually accurate Cole Hedlund missed off the right upright.

All of a sudden, TCU had life, and it capitalized on the missed kick quickly. Quarterback Kenny Hill struggled with his accuracy in the first half, but found the speedy KaVontae Turpin for a 57-yard gain on a nifty play where Hill faked a wide receiver screen. Three plays later, Hill scored on the ground to cut the lead to 20-14.

The momentum was firmly with TCU and its home crowd, and the defense forced a three-and-out. Back-to-back big plays from Turpin — a 34-yard punt return and a 43-yard catch — followed before running back Kyle Hicks finished the drive off with a seven-yard TD run to give the Horned Frogs a 21-20 lead.

TCU forced another Arkansas three-and-out before adding to its lead on Hill’s second rushing score, a five-yarder to give the Horned Frogs a 28-20 lead with 2:05 to go.

Even after going nowhere on its previous two drives, Arkansas got going in a hurry this time. Austin Allen, making his second career start, reeled off three straight big throws. The third was a 16-yard touchdown to Keon Hatcher to make it 28-26. Bielema reached into his bag of tricks to tie the game, 28-28, with a two-point conversion with 1:03 remaining.

The madness didn’t end there. Arkansas inexplicably kicked the ball to the dangerous Turpin, and he made the Hogs pay with a 64-yard return to the 27-yard line. That looked like it would be all TCU needed to seal the win, but in came big Dan Skipper to block the game-winning field goal attempt and send the game to overtime and allowing the Razorbacks to prevail.

The win is an impressive one for Arkansas, which barely edged Louisiana Tech at home in its season opener. Allen didn’t look great in the opener, but he really showed his stuff Saturday night, finishing with 223 yards and three touchdowns. Big running back Rawleigh Williams also had a big game for Arkansas, finishing with 137 yards on 28 carries.

Things are always tough in the SEC West, but like usual, Bielema has a dangerous squad you just don’t want to face.

On the other side, this TCU team seemed like a national title contender entering the season, but did not look like one as it struggled to a season-opening victory over FCS South Dakota State last week, allowing 41 points and 461 yards of offense in the process. The Horned Frogs came alive in the second half in this one, but just could not overcome its sluggish start to pull out the victory.

The Horned Frogs will need to do some serious work over the class of the Big 12 to get back into any sort of national championship picture later in the year. With Hill, who threw for 377 yards, rushed for 93 and combined for three touchdowns, playing at a high level, it’s still too early to count out TCU.

Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen (8) celebrates his touchdown run with teammates in double overtime against TCU in the 41-38 Arkansas win in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen (8) celebrates his touchdown run with teammates in double overtime against TCU in the 41-38 Arkansas win in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

For more Arkansas news, HawgSports.com.

For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!