Despite being the child of an English teacher and the husband to one, I’ve never possessed a penchant for consuming classical literature. Yet it might behoove Frogs fans to crack open a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy, particularly heeding the phrase adorning the gates of hell: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” It should be inscribed in the damn walls of Amon G. Carter Stadium because if you’re watching with any regularity, just assume the worst and then act pleasantly surprised when something goes right.
Changing the narrative from early in the season, the Frogs started fast and scored on their opening and third offensive possessions to secure an early 14-3 lead and dupe fans into believing the offense had found answers to doubts regarding the running game, play-calling, and ball security which have grown with the rate of an aggressive brain tumor throughout this season. Just as fans celebrated remission, quarterback Josh Hoover was sacked and stripped of the ball, giving the tortilla tossers a 4-yard field and the opportunity to shift momentum. TCU’s defense held tight, holding Tech to zero yards on three plays, but the Red Raiders gambled successfully on a fake field goal, resulting in a touchdown. From that point on, nothing went particularly well for the Frog offense. In fact, the next six drives resulted in zero points, two interceptions, and one turnover on downs.
It was easy and reasonable to abandon all hope at that point. Despite holding star Raider running back Tahj Brooks to only collateral damage, backup quarterback Will Hammond (who came in for the injured Behren Morton) gashed the TCU defense with his legs and arm and was seemingly leading the Lubbockites for an upset while wielding a 31-14 lead. Frog OC Kendal Briles and Hoover collaborated for a long drive featuring mostly the rushing game aided by a TTU facemask penalty to bring the game within two possessions. The Raiders would net another field goal, but the Frog receiving corps came alive with Jack Bech reeling in a 52-yard reception that would lead to a touchdown and Eric McAlister turning a short reception into an 84-yard highlight for a one-point purple lead.
Despite the offensive heroics by all of TCU’s big-name receivers with receptions on Saturday for more than 50 yards (Bech, McAllister, and Savion Williams), the defense is quietly becoming the factor responsible for TCU surviving their way into two consecutive conference wins. With five minutes remaining, and trailing by a single point, Tech marched their way into the wrong half of the field and looked poised to bleed the clock before kicking a field goal and escaping with a win. It was at that point that the Raider frosh quarterback was walloped, knocking the ball loose and, with it, Tech’s winning chances.
Homecoming proved a wild game between two familiar teams who’ve had plenty. Sonny Dykes did his dad proud by preventing Tech coach Joey McGuire from becoming the second Red Raider honcho to beat TCU in consecutive years. Overcoming a 17-point deficit left his late father alone in the records for at least two more years.
Despite surrendering 34 points, the defense allowed touchdowns on only three drives, forced four field goal attempts (two successful, one missed, one fake for a touchdown), and recovered fumbles on the Raiders’ final two drives. Andy Avalos’ group also showed continued resilience by weathering the slings and arrows of their offense committing multiple turnovers, commonly in their own territory. Brooks was held mostly in check, and even though he finished with 121 yards on 30 attempts, only four yards per carry is a respectable outing from a group that seemingly couldn’t stop anyone running the ball against Houston or UCF.
Despite losing their first two conference games, which were both very winnable, the Frogs are sitting fifth in the Big 12 ahead of Tech. BYU and Iowa State are both undefeated and in first and second place, respectively. Kansas State sits in third and Colorado in fourth. K-State’s only loss so far was to BYU and Colorado’s to K-State. Other than a clash between the Cyclones and Wildcats in the final week of the regular season, none of the Top 5 teams meet the remainder of the season. Still, the Big 12 has proven nothing less than a minefield for everyone. K-State narrowly outlasted their in-state rival this weekend, and the Cyclones survived UCF with a touchdown in the final minute to edge out a three-point victory. The Frogs have only one remaining opponent with a winning record (Cincinnati) through the final stretch of the season. It’s an extremely small chance, but a late resurgence for the offense, combined with an improving defense, could land the Frogs with an outside chance to compete for the conference title if the teams above them stumble and TCU somehow backs their way into a nine-win season.
Up next is TCU’s oldest rival, Baylor, for the latest edition of the Revivalry between two schools who both called Waco home when they were founded. This game is now the most consistent matchup in all of major Texas college football. The Frogs and Bears have met one more time in their series history than the now-SEC’s big and little brother duo of the Longhorns and Aggies — I’ll let your own bias/delusion let you decide which is which. The Frogs carry a six-victory lead into the 120th game between the Baptists and Disciples, and both schools who were at least considering firing their head coaches in early October are eyeing a third straight victory. The Bears are victims of what has shown itself to be a very difficult early conference slate, facing three of the four top squads. An overtime loss to Colorado and a six-point shortfall against BYU reveal the Bears are a better team than their record indicates. Neither Texas private school is likely to find themselves in the national conversation, but Saturday evening in McLane Stadium is a de facto best-Big-12-team-in-Texas championship. Both the Frogs and Bears have recently beaten Tech, and while Houston doesn’t play the Bears for a few more weeks, I really just don’t take them seriously, and, sadly, neither did Dykes and company.
Honestly, I don’t love TCU’s chances in this game. Sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson is a true dual-threat weapon and has been the Bears’ leading or second-leading rusher multiple times this season. Avalos’ crew have recently improved against the rush, but we saw firsthand on homecoming weekend how the introduction of another factor in that phase can stymie the group. Also, expect Robertson to air the ball out 30-plus times, and the TCU secondary is competent enough but far from a lockdown group. The purple D has also not produced many extra opportunities for their offense, only successfully intercepting the ball four times and recovering three fumbles on the entire season. In comparison, opposing defenses have picked off Hoover eight total times, and the Frogs have collectively lost 10 fumbles — that’s 2.25 lost turnovers per game against less than one forced. One of those three fumbles was the final play against Tech, where the Raiders were lateralling the ball with no time left on the clock, which means the defense forced and recovered one fumble through the first seven games.
Last weekend, TCU showed a greater commitment to a balanced offensive attack than ever before. Williams has become the primary running back and with success, while freshman Jeremy Payne is proving he deserves auxiliary touches. Even Hoover ran the ball on purpose but rose gingerly after he was tackled, and I don’t expect that to be a mainstay. If Briles can collaborate with his quarterback for zero turnovers against his former team, the Frogs can likely produce another nailbiter, but I can’t, in good conscience, predict a Frog victory in Wacoland based on what I’ve seen from both teams. The best bet for Frog fanatics is to read some classical literature, abandon all hope, realize we’re in hell, and try to find the comedy in it all.
