Late TD pass cuts Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl lead over TCU to 10-7 at halftime

Boise State leads TCU 10-7 at halftime of Fiesta

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Andy Dalton tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Clay late in the second quarter for TCU’s first score in the Fiesta Bowl, cutting Boise State’s lead to 10-7 at halftime on Monday night.

TCU limited Boise State’s high-scoring offense to three points but Brandyn Thompson returned a first-quarter interception 51 yards for the Broncos’ only TD of the half.

Kyle Brotzman missed a 26-yard field goal but came back to nail a 40-yarder in the second.

With TCU facing its largest deficit of the season, Dalton responded with a perfect pass to Clay with 49 seconds left in the second. Clay beat Thompson as the Horned Frogs went 62 yards in five plays.

It had been a difficult game for Dalton until the scoring drive.

Thompson jumped in front of intended receiver Antoine Hicks in the first and Dalton’s pass fell right in his hands. He ran untouched to the end zone with 11:28 to play in the quarter.

The Broncos threatened again but Brotzman’s 26-yard attempt was wide right.

The Fiesta Bowl included two unbeaten teams from non-BCS conferences — Mountain West champion TCU entered 12-0 and WAC champion Boise State was 13-0 — against each other for the first time in one of the big games.

One side of University of Phoenix Stadium was a sea of orange, the other mostly the purple of TCU.

While Boise State was the top scoring team in major college football at 44.2 points per game entering the night, TCU had offensive credentials that were almost as impressive.

In their last five games of the regular season, the Frogs scored 55, 55, 45 and 51 points.

The game was played on the same field where Boise State stunned Oklahoma in overtime with a “hook-and-ladder” play for the winning touchdown.

No. 4 TCU, in a BCS bowl for the first time, entered a seven-point favorite over the sixth-ranked Broncos.