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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

KaVontae Turpin wins third Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week

TCU wide receiver KaVontae Turpin returns a Kansas punt 90 yards for a touchdown Saturday in. a 43-0 victory over the Jayhawks. Photo courtesy of GoFrogs.com
TCU wide receiver KaVontae Turpin returns a Kansas punt 90 yards for a touchdown Saturday in. a 43-0 victory over the Jayhawks. Photo courtesy of GoFrogs.com

TCU wide receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin won the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week award for the third time in his career for his efforts in the return game Saturday in TCU’s 43-0 beatdown of Kansas. 


Turpin returned a punt 90-yards to the end zone for a touchdown, bobbing and weaving his way through the Jayhawk punt coverage unit until he found some daylight. It equaled the second-longest in TCU history, and it was the third punt return touchdown of his career, tying him with Linzy Cole and Blanard Spearman for the most all-time by a Horned Frog.


“Every time he [Turpin] touches the ball I think he’s going to score, and whenever we give it to him, I sit back and watch because I know something amazing is about to happen,” TCU quarterback Kenny Hill said. “He backs it up with that punt return for a touchdown, and it’s unbelievable because I have never seen anything like that. I thought he was tackled at the four.”

Turpin leads the conference and is seventh nationally with his 16.3-yard average on punt returns.

It’s the third time in Turpin’s career he’s garnered Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades. The junior is also TCU’s leading receiver this season with 23 catches.

“You try to get him the ball as much as you can because you know he’s going to make something happen,” Hill said. 

Turpin had his second career punt return for a touchdown against Kansas the last time the Horned Frogs hosted the Jayhawks in 2015, reversing the entire field on a 49-yard sprint.

TCU ‘s KaVontae Turpin (25) returns a punt for a touchdown against Kansas in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

He also had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in last year’s season opener against South Dakota State last, giving him two of the eight-longest in TCU history.

TCU punt returner KaVontae Turpin (25) runs a punt in for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Dakota State on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Turpin and No. 4 TCU return to action in Ames, Iowa against No. 25 Iowa State Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

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