KillerFrogs is taking TCU’s remaining regular-season matchups to the virtual field in EA SPORTS College Football 27. All results and player statistics below come from the video game simulation.

Last week, we ran a simulation to see how the Horned Frogs would fare against Kansas. This week, Arizona gets its turn.

Before we get to the virtual action, check out our TCU at Arizona scouting report for a closer look at the opponent.

TCU by the Numbers

The Horned Frogs came away with a 27-20 win in this week’s simulation. TCU led 13-7 after the first quarter, 20-10 at halftime and 27-13 entering the fourth. Arizona scored the only touchdown of the final quarter, but the Frogs held on.

Screenshot caption: TCU holds off Arizona for a 27-20 win in KillerFrogs’ EA SPORTS College Football 27 simulation.

• QB Jaden Craig: 19 of 27 passing for 307 yards, a 70.4% completion rate, three touchdowns and no interceptions; six carries for 17 yards.
• RB Jeremy Payne: 20 carries for 83 yards and no touchdowns; two receptions for 11 yards.
• WR Jeremy Scott: Six receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
• WR Jordan Dwyer: Three receptions for 65 yards.
• WR Ed Small: One reception for seven yards and one touchdown.
• CB Kalen Carroll: 14 tackles.
• Markis Deal: Five tackles and one sack.

First, this simulation might be the biggest Jeremy Scott fan around. Week after week, it makes him this team’s dude. He went off again in this one, turning six catches into 112 yards and two touchdowns.

Craig showed out, too. The Harvard transfer was efficient, pushed the ball downfield and finished without an interception. Three touchdown passes and more than 300 passing yards gave TCU the production it needed to leave virtual Tucson with a win.

Payne also gave the Frogs steady work on the ground. His 83 yards on 20 carries provided support for the passing game and helped TCU put together a more balanced offensive performance.

Of course, our first three simulations picked the wrong winner each time. Will this one finally get it right?

The defense had its moments as well. You usually do not want a cornerback leading the team in tackles, because that can mean plenty of action is reaching the secondary. Carroll was that guy in this simulation, finishing with 14 stops.

Still, the Frogs did enough to keep Arizona from turning its yardage into a winning score. Deal added a sack, and TCU held the Wildcats to 20 points despite a productive day from their quarterback.

Arizona by the Numbers

• QB Noah Fifita: 34 of 45 passing for 368 yards, a 75.6% completion rate and one touchdown; seven carries for minus-19 yards.
• RB Kedrick Reescano: 21 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown.
• TE Cole Rusk: Eight receptions for 124 yards.
• WR Giovanni Richardson: 10 receptions for 106 yards.
• LB Taye Brown: 11 tackles and two tackles for loss.
• S Malcolm Hartzog Jr.: 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Arizona moved the ball through the air and on the ground. Fifita completed more than three-quarters of his passes, while Reescano topped 100 rushing yards.

Rusk and Richardson were particularly busy, combining for 18 catches and 230 receiving yards. Those numbers suggest an offense that had little trouble finding completions.

But TCU’s bend-don’t-break approach worked in this simulation. Arizona piled up yardage without producing enough points to keep pace. The Wildcats scored seven points in the first quarter, then managed only a field goal in each of the next two periods.

Defensively, allowing 27 points to this TCU offense was a frustrating result for virtual Arizona. Brown and Hartzog each recorded two tackles for loss, but those negative plays did not prevent Craig and the Frogs from finding enough offense.

TCU scored in each of the first three quarters, building a two-touchdown cushion before Arizona’s late response. The Frogs did not score in the fourth, but their earlier work held up.

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