TCU is going back to the basics less than two years after reaching the national championship game.
The Horned Frogs are a long way from their perfect 2022 regular season, which was coach Sonny Dykes’ first year and helped them enter the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Now, halfway through this season, with changes in the Big 12 and a new 12-team playoff format, TCU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) has faced issues like turnovers, inconsistent play, and some tough losses.
“You have problems every year, and fixing those problems usually takes time,” Dykes said. “We know what we need to focus on and where we need to improve. The key for us moving forward is to play well and reach our potential, which we’ve only done in parts this year. We haven’t managed to do it for an entire game yet.”
The Frogs were outscored 22-3 late in a game, lost to UCF on a last-minute touchdown, and Dykes was ejected during a game against SMU, where his former team scored 66 points against them.
They also lost at home to Houston, which had recently suffered two shutout losses. While TCU ranks second in the Big 12 with an average of 35 points scored per game, they are 15th in the conference, allowing nearly 31 points.
Dykes mentioned that the team focused on fundamentals during their break, emphasizing ball security and tackling.
Since finishing 12-0 in the regular season of 2022, TCU has a record of 9-12. They made the four-team College Football Playoff despite losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game and managed to beat Michigan in the semifinals before losing to Georgia 65-7 in the championship. Last season, they finished 5-7.
Fifth-year safety Bud Clark, who scored a touchdown off an interception return and recovered a fumble in the end zone during their win over Michigan, expressed surprise at the team’s struggles. However, the second-year captain believes the team gained momentum and grew closer during their break.
“Stay close together because this is when teams often start to break apart, with everyone thinking about next year and their own futures,” Clark said. “But this year, we’re focused on each other.”
TCU will play Saturday night at Utah (4-2, 1-2), a new member of the Big 12 and a preseason favorite, but they will again face a team missing injured quarterback Cam Rising. The Frogs will then play three of their next four games at home in a league that has expanded to 16 teams this season, even with Texas and Oklahoma leaving.
After the game against Houston, Dykes called it “a pretty devastating loss.” He mentioned that the most frustrating part was that his team wasn’t performing to its full potential, despite having a great attitude and work ethic.
Third-year sophomore Josh Hoover ranks second in the Big 12, throwing for 334.5 yards per game and 16 touchdowns. However, he has thrown six interceptions in the last three games after starting the season with 143 attempts without a pick—the best streak for NCAA quarterbacks at that time.
“You just have to be smart and not try to do too much. A big part of that is trusting the players around you and having confidence in your team,” Dykes said. “When a quarterback has that, they can play more relaxed and not feel pressure on every play. We need to help Josh get to that point.”
Dykes emphasized that the Frogs need to play confidently and that they can still be a strong team this season. When asked what that meant, Clark simply said: “Winning out.”
