Brian Johnson threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Brown with 48 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive that kept No. 10 Utah’s BCS hopes alive with a 13-10 victory over No. 11 TCU on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
The Utes improved to 10-0 for the second time in school history.
Johnson threw for 230 yards for the Utes (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West), who recovered on defense after allowing TCU to gain 202 yards in the first quarter.
“I told the guys, ‘Stay in it. We’re going to have a chance to win it late,’ ” Johnson said.
The Horned Frogs (9-2, 6-1) missed two field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter, either of which would have put TCU up by seven.
Ross Evans bounced one kick off the left upright, then with 2:48 left he was wide right on a 35-yard attempt. Utah got the ball back on the 20 and Johnson led the Utes’ comeback.
TCU nearly had the drive stopped, but on fourth-and-five Johnson completed an 11-yard pass to Brown to the Frogs’ 15. Two plays later, Johnson found Brown on a slant for the winning score.
Robert Johnson sealed it with an interception in the final seconds.
Aaron Brown ran for 106 yards in 15 carries and Andy Dalton passed for 251 yards for TCU, which was called for 11 penalties and allowed two sacks on third downs that took the Frogs out of field-goal range.
“Utah made plays in the final four minutes, and we didn’t,” TCU Coach Gary Patterson said. “I still think we are a top-20 football team.”
Virginia Tech 23, Maryland 13: Darren Evans ran for a school-record 253 yards and a touchdown and the Hokies (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) beat the No. 23 Terrapins (6-3, 3-2) in Blacksburg, Va.
Evans, who ripped off runs of 50 and 45 yards, had 32 carries and broke the record of 243 yards set by Mike Imoh in 2004.
“My knee cap is fine. That’s the good news. Everything else is gone,” Weis said.
Weis knew immediately after he was hit during the game against Michigan on Sept. 13 that he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. An MRI on Wednesday revealed he also tore the posterior cruciate ligament, the lateral meniscus and “the posterior capsule, which I don’t even know what it is,” Weis said. He also has a fractured femur.
Reed has caught 15 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Fortson has five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Carr has seen limited action.
Staff writer Darren Sabedra contributed to this report.