Sometimes all it takes is one big play to get things going.

TCU used a long Josh Boyce touchdown reception and two more late-second quarter scores to pull away from Portland State en route to a 55-13 victory over the Vikings Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

TCU quarterback Casey Pachall finished the game 14-of-20 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns, the biggest being the 66-yarder to Boyce that put the Frogs in the endzone for the first time and put them ahead of PSU for good.

Around the two minute mark in the second quarter, Pachall found Boyce wide open on an inside slant and the speedy receiver turned up field and sprinted into the endzone untouched.

But the play almost didn’t happen. Boyce said he was tired before the snap and was trying to get his backup Cam White into the game.

“I tried to call Cam White in but he came in after we broke the huddle,” Boyce said. “Then I saw both safeties come down so we knew they were going to blitz. We called the perfect play and I just caught the ball and ran up the field.”

Boyce’s big play may have been just what the Frogs needed after what had been an stagnant first half for the TCU offense.

If anything, it ignited the defense.

Two plays into PSU’s next drive, Carder intercepted a Drew Hubel pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Carder, who’s still recovering from a hand surgery he had two weeks ago, said the interception, originally deflected by TCU cornerback Jason Verrett, was simply a result of good fortune.

“That was just the right place at the right time,” Carder said. “It popped up right in my face so I caught it.”

But the scoring didn’t stop there.

After stopping PSU again, TCU return man Skye Dawson took back a Thomas Dyundan punt 42 yards to the Vikings’ 11-yard line. Three plays later, Pachall would find Dawson on a nine-yard touchdown pass to put the Frogs up 24-3.

But up until TCU’s three late-second quarter scores the game had been tied at 3-3 with TCU trailing at one point.

The visiting Vikings drove the length of the field to open the game before being stopped on third down at the Frogs’ five-yard line. PSU settled for field goal to get out to an early 3-0 lead.

TCU would go three and out on their first offensive possession but got the ball back a second time and drove into PSU territory on a drive aided by runs of 24 and 12 yards from running back Waymon James. The Frogs were stopped on third down, but kicker Ross Evans would nail a 35-yard field goal to tie the game.

The Frogs’ next possession was stalled when a Casey Pachall pass was deflected off his intended receiver and into the arms of PSU safety Joel Sisler.

PSU would go three and out, though, giving the ball back to TCU just before the Frogs’ late-first half scoring spree.

TCU went into halftime with a 24-3 lead and picked up where they left off in the third quarter, scoring early and often.

One of those scores came from James, who enjoyed a career day on the ground, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

James’ score came on TCU’s first play of the second when he reeled off 65-yard run for his first touchdown of the game. On the verge of being brought down,  James managed to spin out of traffic, fight off several defenders and break free, sprinting the rest of the way untouched into the endzone.

James also added an 82-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown of the game.

Patterson said his team’s first half performance, before the last two minutes of the second quarter, wasn’t their best.

“The first half was not very emotional,” Patterson said. “Offensively, we came out slow. We got to do a better job of it.

Pachall said agreed and said he felt like him and the rest of the team came out a little flat.

“I don’t think I had the greatest game because maybe in a way we were a little too relaxed,” Pachall said. “Mentally, I feel like there were quite a few of us, including myself, that got a little relaxed and didn’t push as hard we needed too.”

Patterson said TCU will have to perform better if they want to win their next two games.

“We’ll take a win right now,” Patterson said. “But we’re going to have to play a lot better the next two weeks to win with SMU and San Diego State coming down the pipe.”

Kickoff for TCU’s home matchup against the Mustangs next Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Notes:

-The Frogs were without starting linebacker Tanner Brock again and will have to get used to not having last year’s leading tackler on the field. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Stefan Stevenson reported Saturday Brock has been ruled out the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Brock had surgery on the ankle over the summer but re-aggravated the injury during TCU’s season opener at Baylor

-Evans’ two field goals and five extra points Saturday gave him the Mountain West career kicker scoring record with 336 points.

-Patterson said postgame that starting running back Ed Wesley will be back next week after recovering from a shoulder injury. Wesley was suspended for the first quarter of the Baylor game but when he finally entered the game he aggravated a previous injury and was forced to sit out the rest of that game as well as the Air Force and Louisiana-Monroe games.