ATLANTA (AP) — Playing like a team determined to prove it should have been included in the four-team playoff, No. 6 TCU rode three touchdown passes from Trevone Boykin and a dominant defense to a 42-3 rout of No. 9 Mississippi in the Peach Bowl Wednesday.
Josh Doctson caught two touchdown passes and Aaron Green ran for a score and added a touchdown reception for the Horned Frogs (12-1).
Ole Miss (9-4) lost four of its last six games. Bo Wallace threw three interceptions, including one caught in the Rebels end zone by defensive end James McFarland for a touchdown.
Late in the third quarter, when the lead was 42-0, TCU fans targeted the No. 1 seed in the playoff when they chanted “We want Bama!”
TCU was ranked No. 3 by the selection committee before crushing Iowa State 55-3 to end the season as Big 12 co-champions. The Horned Frogs were devastated to fall to No. 6 in the final ranking.
What looked like an intriguing matchup of the Ole Miss defense against TCU’s high-scoring offense quickly turned into a rout.
TCU played like a championship contender, scoring two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters.
The action was as lopsided as the score. TCU finished with 423 yards and allowed only 129 to Ole Miss. The Rebels were held to 9 yards rushing in the biggest margin of victory in Peach Bowl history.
Ole Miss ranked first in the nation with its average of 13.8 points allowed. But turnovers and TCU’s quick-strike offense were too much to overcome.
Wallace completed 10 of 23 passes for 109 yards with three interceptions.
The Rebels avoided a shutout when Gary Wunderlich kicked a 27-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining.
Boykin also had turnover problems, as he completed 22 of 31 passes for 187 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He had 10 carries for 65 yards.
There were a combined five turnovers in the first half, including three by TCU. Boykin threw two interceptions and wide receiver David Porter fumbled when trying to pitch to Green on a trick play.
The Rebels, held to four first downs and 59 total yards in the first half, couldn’t take advantage of the turnovers.
By contrast, the Horned Frogs turned two Ole Miss turnovers into 14 points. On the Rebels’ third snap of the game, a pass from Wallace was picked off by safety Chris Hackett. Two plays later, Kolby Listenbee threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Green.
Late in the half, Wallace tried to avoid a safety when pressured in his end zone by tossing the ball away, but McFarland snatched the ball up before it hit the turf for an instant touchdown and a 28-0 lead.
Wallace was sacked five times in the half.
The rout continued in the third quarter as Boykin threw touchdown passes of 35 yards to Listenbee and 27 yards to Doctson. The scoring catch moved Doctson past Reggie Harrell’s team-record total of 1,012 yards receiving in 2003.
The Rebels finally staged an impressive drive late in the third quarter, when they had a first down at the TCU 8. On fourth down from the 7, the shotgun snap went past Wallace, and running back Jordan Wilkins fell on the ball at the 26.
Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil, an all-SEC first-team selection, was taken off the field in a cart late in the first half with an apparent right leg injury. Some TCU players walked over to offer encouragement to Tunsil as he waited for the cart.
Attendance was 65,706, ending the Peach Bowl’s streak of 17 consecutive sellouts.