Purple Power.

After A Disastrous First Half, TCU Staged One Of The Greatest Bowl Comebacks Ever On Saturday.

Before Saturday's game even started, the Valero Alamo Bowl — while not one of the playoff bowl games that TCU once seem poised to find itself in this season — still felt like it meant something.

Specifically, as his No. 11-ranked teamed prepared to face the No. 15-ranked Oregon Ducks, this game felt like it could've been the difference between senior quarterback Trevone Boykin going down as TCU's G.O.A.T. next to LaDainian Tomlinson or as the biggest scapegoat in school history. This all, of course, stemmed from Boykin's highly-publicized arrest and felony charge following an incident in a San Antonio bar just one day before the game. And at the end of the first half, with Oregon sitting with a dominant 31-0 lead over TCU, it seemed as if the latter would ring true.

In the end, though, the Horned Frogs would gut out one of the most improbable comebacks ever, scoring a 47-41 triple overtime victory over the Ducks and tying the record for the largest comeback in bowl history. And, as it turned out, Boykin's storyline would hardly prove worth discussing. Instead, the only thing that mattered on Saturday night was who was on the field.

Come to think of it, that's the way it's been all season for this resilient 11-win Horned Frogs team. Whether it was the massive pile up of injuries or because of players missing games for the wrong reasons, TCU had to work through a plethora of issues this season and rely on the depths of its roster to stay afloat. And that was the case Saturday, too: The youths on the field played their hearts out on Saturday, led by sophomore linebacker Travin Howard and redshirt freshman linebacker Ty Summers, who led the team with 24 combined tackles and two sacks.

But even though the defense stepped up and shut out the Ducks in the second half, that wasn't the whole story. Years from now, when the legend of this game is told, it will center around Gary Patterson’s wardrobe change from an all-black ensemble to the school’s royal purple scheme during halftime. At least at face value, that move seemed to help changed the game's momentum and turn around the negative energy surrounding his team. It was something Patterson joked about with an ESPN sideline reporter before the second half started, but it was one of the many effective decisions the oach made to spark the comeback. Choosing to stick things out with senior backup quarterback Bram Kohlhausen, who had struggled to get things going in the first half, worked out for the coach as well. Kohlhausen threw for nearly 300 yards following halftime, notching two passing touchdowns while rushing for another two, including a game-clinching eight-yard run that put his team up 47-41 in the third overtime.

All around, it was a team effort that helped the Horned Frogs mount the comeback. It also helped that the 65,000-plus in attendance were a mostly TCU-friendly bunch that kept up the energy in the Alamodome. Also making things easier: Oregon was forced to play the second half without starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who played a nearly perfect first half and left the game with concussion symptoms, and without starting center Matt Hegarty, who similarly left the game with an injury.

But TCU will take what it got. No, the Horned Frogs may not have met preseason expectations, which envisioned this team heading toward the College Football Playoff, but TCU is still walking away from the season with an impressive and should-be-legendary bowl victory, along with what will most likely be a finish in the Top 10 when the final rankings are released.

Just as has been the case for the last 15 years, this young TCU team remained in Patterson's strong and capable hands, and again appears to be pointed in the right direction.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) warms up with quarterback Morgan Mahalak (16) before the Valero Alamo Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson leads his team onto the field before the Valero Alamo Bowl against the Oregon Ducks at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) breaks through an attempted tackle by TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Ty Summers (42) during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) rolls out of the pocket and attempts a pass during the Valero Alamo Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Darren Carrington (22) catches a touchdown pass during the Valero Alamo Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Cameron Hunt (78) lifts wide receiver Jeff Bieber (22) in the air as he celebrates a touchdown during the Valero Alamo Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) jukes three TCU Horned Frogs defenders during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) celebrates after a touchdown in the first half of the Valero Alamo Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) breaks through an attempted tackled by TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Ty Summers (42) for a touchdown during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman DeForest Buckner (44) sacks TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Bram Kohlhausen (6) in the first half of the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) scrambles away from a TCU Horned Frogs pass rush during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) leaves the field after taking a hit to the head during the first half of the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs running back Aaron Green (22) spins away from an attempted tackle during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome against the Oregon Ducks in San Antonio.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeff Lockie (17) is sacked by TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Ty Summers (42) during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs running back Aaron Green (22) breaks through to the Oregon Ducks secondary during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Bram Kohlhausen (6) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the Valero Alamo Bowl against the Oregon Ducks at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Bram Kohlhausen (6) cooks after scoring a touchdown during the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome against the Oregon Ducks in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs running back Trevorris Johnson (24) celebrates with teammates after a 47-41triple overtime victory in the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

TCU Horned Frogs defensive end Mike Tuaua (93) celebrates after a victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.