MINNEAPOLIS -- TCU's explosive offense is the unit that gets all the headlines. Thursday night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, it was its defense, featuring seven underclassmen in the starting lineup, that came through in the clutch.

Trevone Boykin threw for a touchdown and ran for another but it was the Horned Frogs' defense that came up with two critical turnovers as No. 2 TCU won 23-17 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Boykin, a Heisman Trophy favorite, accounted for 338 total yards and a pair of scores but missed on several open throws that could have resulted in more points.

No matter.

TCU's defense forced a pair of first-half fumbles, one that set up their offense with a short field and another that ended a Gophers' scoring chance.

"The good thing is, we have some older guys around here," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "This was a hard ballgame. The thing I was also proud of was the job we did up front. We were playing a lot of freshmen and guys that had never played before. You have to feel pretty happy."

The Horned Frogs went 55 yards in 14 plays on the opening drive, taking the lead on a 53-yard field goal by senior kicker Jaden Oberkrom.

On the ensuing Gophers drive, TCU defensive end Terrell Lathan sacked quarterback Mitch Leidner, forcing a fumble that was recovered by TCU's Josh Carraway at the Minnesota 15-yard line. The turnover extended TCU's streak to 26 consecutive games with a takeaway, the longest active streak in the country.

"With his speed, I just figured he'd get it out eventually," Carraway said. "So I just waited for him to make the play, as he does, he makes plays. It just gave us a lot of confidence in what we can do and gave us a lot of energy to build on."

Two plays later, the Horned Frogs cashed in when Boykin hit senior wideout Josh Doctson on a slant route for an 11-yard touchdown, giving TCU a 10-0 lead after one.

Minnesota had its best chance to get back within three points early in the second quarter, driving 59 yards in five plays deep into TCU territory. But senior running back Rodrick Williams Jr. coughed up the football on the six-yard line and saw it roll out the back of the end zone for a touchback.

"Ive said all week that it's going to come down to turnovers," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "We fumble on the one-yard line, Mitch gets hit in the back. ... That's two huge plays in the football game. That gave them a score and we had a chance to score and didn't do it."

Sophomore Ryan Santoso kicked a 42-yard field goal later in the half to get Minnesota within 10-3, but that's as close as it would get.

Boykin capped a nine-play 76-march with a 19-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter then drove the Horned Frogs deep into Gopher territory again on the next series. But with sophomore receiver Emmanuel Porter wide open in the end zone, Boykin overthrew him and saw his pass intercepted a down later.

Boykin finished 26-of-42 for 246 yards with one touchdown and one pick. He also rushed 18 times for 92 yards.

"We have a platform that we know we have to get better every week," Boykin said. "This is not the same team from last year, we have some new guys on this side of the ball. We're still figuring out what guys can do, but the main goal is just to get to 1-0.

"I'm disappointed because I always think we can do better but with a win I'm always satisfied."

Minnesota answered back with its first touchdown of the night, capped by a one-yard plunge by freshman running back Rodney Smith.

Smith, playing his first collegiate game, ran for 88 yards on 16 carries.

"Redshirting helped me a lot," Smith said. "I came in and learned a lot from the older guys so I felt more prepared."

Oberkrom added two more field goals to make it 23-10 before a late touchdown drive ended with a Leidner 22-yard strike to senior wide receiver K.J. Maye.

Doctson recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Gophers did nothing with a last ditch effort with the ball, 27 seconds on the clock and 80 yards to go.

Much of Minnesota's 341 yards of offense came late in the game. Leidner finished 19-of-35 passing for 197 yards and a score. He also rushed for 34 yards on 12 carries.

"All of camp, the whole game today, we thought we were going to win that football game," Leidner said. "Some of the things didn't go the way you want them to, but I think overall as an offensive unit, if we clean up some things, we're going to be a great unit."

Maye finished with four grabs for 73 yards and a score.

NOTES: TCU DE James McFarland did not play on Thursday (unspecified reasons). McFarland led the Horned Frogs in sacks last year with seven and was the defensive MVP of the Peach Bowl. ... CB DeShawn Raymond also did not play due to unspecified reasons. ... Minnesota senior OL Josh Campion did not play because of an unspecified injury. Campion was expected to be the team's starting left tackle. ... With Campion out, junior OL Ben Lauer got the start at left tackle. Lauer started six games at right tackle in 2014. ... TCU opens its home schedule with a non-conference game against Stephen F. Austin on Sep. 12. ... Minnesota hits the road for a non-conference contest at Colorado State on Sept. 12.