It was solely 22 months in the past that Sonny Dykes and TCU may do virtually nothing incorrect.
The Horned Frogs have been the shock story of the 2022 season. Their unlikely run to the Faculty Soccer Playoff nationwide championship recreation — which included a 12-0 begin, heart-stopping finishes, the “Hypnotoad”, psychedelic postgame victory movies and a Fiesta Bowl upset of Michigan — endeared them to informal followers. They have been the pesky perpetual underdogs who stored discovering methods to win.
Midway into the 2024 season, it appears as if nothing goes proper. TCU’s 30-19 loss on Friday evening to Large 12 cellar-dweller Houston is simply the most recent instance. These days, the Horned Frogs hold discovering methods to lose.
Behold a sampling of their current misfortunes:
On Sept. 14, TCU coughed up a three-touchdown second-half lead and a double-digit fourth-quarter result in lose 35-34 at residence to UCF.
Every week later, crosstown rival SMU — which TCU has performed since 1915 however is selecting to not after the present sequence contract ends in 2025 — dropped 66 factors on the Horned Frogs and beat them by 24. Dykes was ejected after incomes two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for berating the officers.
On Friday, the Cougars traveled to Fort Value having not scored since Sept. 14 and holding the nation’s least productive offense in factors per recreation, scoring price and factors per drive, in keeping with TruMedia. The Cougars roared to 24 first-half factors and an 18-point halftime lead.
“That was a complete …” Dykes mentioned Friday as he rubbed his nostril, shook his head and let loose a protracted exhale, “catastrophe of a soccer recreation.”
Since getting humbled by Georgia 65-7 within the 2022 title recreation, the Horned Frogs are 8-10: 5-7 final 12 months and 3-3 up to now this season. These eight wins got here towards six Soccer Bowl Subdivision groups with a mixed document of 26-33 and two FCS squads. Solely one of many TCU’s 2023 victories got here towards a staff that completed with a profitable document (SMU), and none of its FBS wins this 12 months are over groups at present above .500.
Any honeymoon interval that Dykes loved after his magical first season is totally over so far as TCU followers are involved. The Horned Frogs’ slide within the final 18 video games has resulted in Dykes burning by means of just about the entire optimistic vibes constructed up from 2022.
TCU’s traits are troubling. For the reason that begin of the 2023 season, the Horned Frogs are minus-17 in turnover margin, which ranks a hundred and thirtieth out of 134 FBS groups in that span. Solely Louisiana Tech, Rice and Temple are worse.
The Frogs have averaged 57.3 penalty yards per recreation of their final 18 video games, which ranks 59th out of 70 groups within the Energy 4.
The largest disappointment, a jarring one for many who have adopted TCU’s rise by means of three conferences to school soccer’s adults desk for the final 25 years, is how inconsistent the Horned Frogs are defensively.
For the reason that begin of 2023, TCU has allowed 32.1 factors per recreation to FBS opponents, which ranks 111th nationally.
The 43.1 % third-down conversion price TCU allowed to FBS opponents in that span is 112th.
The protection’s 407.8 yards per recreation allowed to FBS foes because the begin of 2023 is 92nd nationally.
In keeping with Professional Soccer Focus, the Horned Frogs have pressured opposing quarterbacks 27.9 % of the time within the final 16 video games towards FBS competitors, which ranks one hundred and tenth.
Underneath former coach Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs constructed their id on elite protection. Dykes fired his preliminary defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie and employed former Boise State coach Andy Avalos final offseason. Now it’s unclear what kind of efficiency that unit will supply on a given week.
On Friday evening towards the Cougars, TCU dedicated 4 turnovers, which contributed to 10 Houston factors. However the Horned Frogs yielded 208 dashing yards and had bother corralling Houston quarterback Zeon Chriss, making his first begin for the Cougars. Within the losses to UCF and SMU, the Horned Frogs gave up 289 and 238 dashing yards, respectively.
Offensively, TCU has been unable to constantly get its run recreation going, which was a key a part of 2022’s success. The Horned Frogs rushed for simply 66 yards on Friday evening, 65 towards SMU and 58 towards UCF, regardless of coordinator Kendal Briles’ historical past of productive dashing assaults.
Past the on-field failings, followers have grown pissed off with the shortage of solutions for the problems. After the SMU debacle two weeks in the past, Dykes advised reporters he was “shocked” with what transpired as a result of his staff practiced properly heading into the sport. On Friday, he mentioned “I’m not fairly certain precisely why” TCU has performed the best way it has, once more expressing frustration in his staff’s lack of ability to play below the lights the best way it did in observe.
After Friday’s loss, Dykes mentioned he thought the Cougars have been the “extra excited” staff of the 2.
“They performed tougher than we did, definitely, within the first half,” Dykes advised reporters. “They have been higher ready than we have been and so they kicked our tail.”
Give new Houston coach Willie Fritz and his staff credit score. The Cougars have been energized, performed quick and appeared like the higher of the 2 groups, regardless of coming into the sport final within the Large 12 standings.
“A number of the stuff that occurred tonight is simply inexcusable,” Dykes mentioned. “It falls on me. Clearly, I did a poor job of getting our guys able to play.”
Dykes should endure the sprouting narrative that his biggest TCU success got here due to gamers largely recruited by his predecessor, Patterson. Some could even want for the nice outdated days of GP, conveniently forgetting how mediocre the staff had turn into earlier than this system legend was ushered out: TCU went 21-22 general and 13-19 in Large 12 play in Patterson’s ultimate three-plus years in cost.
It’s true that Dykes succeeded with a core — one which included quarterback Max Duggan, working again Kendre Miller, receiver Quentin Johnston, linebacker Dee Winters, cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, amongst many others — that was largely introduced in by Patterson. However Patterson obtained middling outcomes with that roster, which is why he ended up out of a job.
Dykes, who revived SMU earlier than taking the TCU job, pushed all the fitting buttons in his first season in Fort Value. The recent voice and new path unlocked this system’s potential and confirmed how far the Horned Frogs may go.
However the incorrect buttons have been pushed too many instances since. Regardless of the stable expertise on the roster, the outcomes are missing. One thing is damaged at TCU.
“I’m perplexed,” Dykes mentioned Friday evening. “I don’t actually have a solution for why we performed the best way we did.”
Can Dykes repair it? The truth that the query should be requested lower than two years after top-of-the-line seasons in program historical past is surprising.
TCU is off subsequent week earlier than touring to Utah on Oct. 19. There’s a bit of little bit of time for the Horned Frogs to lick their wounds, however righting this ship, based mostly on their current trajectory, doesn’t look like a simple repair.
“I’m upset for our followers,” Dykes mentioned. “They deserve higher than this. We’ve obtained two weeks to determine this out.”
(Photograph: Ron Jenkins / Getty Photographs)
