FORT WORTH, Texas (Ticker) -- Nate Smith and No. 25 Louisville are going to wonder what could have been.
Smith missed three field goals in the final 16 1/2 minutes, including a 44-yard attempt that deflected off the crossbar with no time remaining, allowing No. 12 Texas Christian to remain undefeated and escape with a 31-28 Conference USA victory.
Brandon Hassell completed 17-of-27 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as the Horned Frogs (9-0, 6-0 C-USA) extended their winning streak to 11 games, which matches No. 1 Oklahoma for the longest in the nation. The Sooners are the only other undefeated team in the country.
"There are no bad victories right now," said TCU coach Gary Patterson, whose team is 9-0 for the first time since 1938 and won its 12th straight home game. "It's the time of year where you don't look at stats, you look at wins. And that's what we have right now."
It was the fifth victory by exactly three points for TCU, which is ninth in the current BCS standings and needs to finish in the top six to be guaranteed a slot in one of the four lucrative BCS bowl games.
"They proved they are a very good football team," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said of the Horned Frogs. "They just have to continue to play one game at a time. They shouldn't have anything left to prove to anyone. Everyone they play, they beat."
Stefan LeFors went 31-of-46 for a career-high 459 yards and a touchdown and led the Cardinals (7-2, 3-2) on a frantic final drive. After using all of its timeouts, Louisville got back the ball at its 20 with 55 seconds left. Facing a 4th-and-15 at the 43 with 13 seconds left, LeFors completed a 29-yard pass to Robert Haskins.
LeFors spiked the ball with three seconds left, setting up one last shot at redemption for Smith, who had missed kicks of 22 yards late in the third quarter and 47 yards with 2:36 to play. But the kicker hit the front left of the crossbar on his 44-yard attempt, then dropped to his knees in disbelief as the Horned Frogs celebrated and fans rushed the field.
"I'll tell Nate to keep his head up," Petrino said. "He's not the first person to miss three field goals in a game. He's a very good kicker and provides a lot to this football team. In no way was this loss all his fault."
The Cardinals did themselves no favors with sloppy play, committing 15 penalties for 120 yards.
TCU took the lead for good, 24-21, on a 44-yard field goal by Nick Browne with 5:18 left in the third quarter. Smith missed a chance to equalize when he pushed wide right a 22-yard attempt with 1:29 to play in the period. He had made his prior nine field goals.
"I think the football gods are on our side," Patterson said. "Thank goodness we have Nick Browne. Again, three points was the difference in the ballgame. Not everything went our way, but we still found a way to win."
With just over 13 minutes remaining, TCU faced 4th-and-3 from the Louisville 33, but instead of attempting a 50-yard field goal, the Horned Frogs elected to go for the first down, and Hassell completed a 12-yard pass to Cory Rodgers. Three plays later, fullback Kenny Hayter scored on a one-yard run to make it 31-21 with 12:06 left.
"You've got to play as the game goes," Patterson said. "The only hesitation we had was which play to choose."
Louisville pulled within 31-28 with 6:39 to play on a nine-yard run by LeFors on a fake field goal on 4th-and-1.
TCU led after one quarter, 14-3, after a seven-yard touchdown run by Rodgers and a 30-yard pass from Hassell to Quentily Harmon.
"I'm seeing the field a lot better right now and my mind is working a lot faster," Hassell said. "The whole offense is playing well. Everyone is making strides and doing their part."
After Louisville's Lionel Gates made it 14-10 on a one-yard run, Hassell restored the Horned Frogs' 11-point advantage with an eight-yard run with 3:02 left in the half. Smith pulled the Cardinals within 21-13 on a 26-yard field goal on the final play before the break.
Louisville tied the game, 21-21, on a 12-yard pass from LeFors to Ronnie Ghent and a two-point conversation toss to Kolby Smith just over five minutes into the second half.
"TCU is a very good team," LeFors said. "Their offense really surprised me. It's very balanced. They can throw and run the option very well. They are a very clean team. They'll hit you in the mouth, but they'll pick you back up."
Gates had a career-best nine catches for 134 yards and J.R. Russel eight for 119 for Louisville, while Reggie Harrell had eight for a career-high 128 for TCU.
Cardinals starting running back Eric Shelton, a transfer from Florida State, left the game for good in the first quarter after experiencing tingling sensations after a hard tackle.
"Losing Eric really decreased our depth," said Petrino, whose team was outgained on the ground, 210-121. "Lionel played a great game, but without Eric, we couldn't mix power and speed as we wanted."
