By Tom C. "Midnite" Burke
Just when you
thought it was safe to fall in love again with TCU football, the Horned Frogs
went to Tucson, Arizona, and broke your heart.
Again.
Will you never
learn?
TCU’s
disappointing, roller-coaster 2026 football season reached a new low on Friday,
November 6, with the Horned Frogs’ 29-28, closing-seconds loss to then-No. 22
Arizona, before an announced crowd of 40,501 in the Wildcats’ Casino Del Sol
Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, and a national ESPN audience.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
In its first visit
to Tucson since 2003, TCU was as much as a 7.5-point underdog to Arizona.
Midnite Madness had predicted a 27-13 Arizona victory.
The Frogs’
incomprehensible, gut-wrenching loss to Arizona came less than a week after TCU
staged a stirring, fourth-quarter come-from-behind 22-16 win over Kansas in
Fort Worth and ignited among suffering fans some optimism for the final games
of the 2026 season.
But, alas, the
Horned Frogs reverted to their bumbling, losing ways against the resilient
hometown Wildcats, falling to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12.
TCU fell to 1-5 in
one-score games, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) this season.
TCU’s four previous one-score losses were: 15-10 to North Carolina, in Dublin,
Ireland; 21-13 to UCF in Orlando, Florida; 7-10 to BYU in Fort Worth; and 24-20
to West Virginia in Fort Worth. The Frogs’ one-score win was the 22-16 victory
over Kansas. The Horned Frogs are 9-13 in one-score games since Dykes’ first
season in 2022.
TCU has beaten
only two Power 4 Conference teams this season – Baylor and Kansas. TCU’s other
two wins came against Grambling State University of the Football Championship
Series (FCS) and Arkansas State of the Sunbelt Conference.
TCU’s loss to
Arizona further jeopardized its ability to become bowl-eligible for the third
consecutive season.
To become
bowl-eligible with six wins, the Frogs must win two of their final three games.
In addition,
unless TCU wins at least one of its final three games of the season, it will
set a new mark for futility under head football coach Sonny Dykes, whose 2023
Horned Frogs went 5-7 overall, 3-6 in the Big 12.
TCU’s next game is
against Big 12 foe Kansas State (4-5 overall, 1-5 Big 12) on Saturday, November
14, in Amon G. Carter Stadium, on the TCU campus in Fort Worth, Texas. Kickoff
is scheduled for 1 pm (Central). The game will be televised on ESPNU.
TCU is an early
10-point favorite over Kansas State at DraftKings Sportsbook (betting lines may
vary by sportsbook and are subject to change before kickoff).
TCU’s final two
games of the season will be Big 12 Conference contests against Utah and Texas
Tech, who are currently ranked second and 12th nationally, respectively. The
Frogs will host the Utes on Saturday, November 21, in Fort Worth. TCU will play
the Red Raiders in Lubbock on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26).
With its victory
over the Horned Frogs, Arizona improved to 7-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big 12. The
Wildcats, who now are ranked 23rd nationally, will host a showdown with Utah on
Saturday, November 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm (Central). The game will
be televised by Fox.
TCU and Arizona
have played each other four times, with each winning two games. The Frogs and
Wildcats have played each other twice since Arizona joined the Big 12
Conference on August 2, 2024, with each winning a game.
The Rotten
Smell of Losing
Just when it
looked like TCU was going to celebrate a season-defining, upset win against the
nationally ranked Wildcats, the Horned Frogs coughed up the game in just over a
minute of play late in the fourth quarter.
The Frogs led
28-20, with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, but TCU’s
nationally-ranked defense allowed Arizona to stage a 10-play, 77-yard touchdown
drive that consumed nearly five minutes and narrowed the score to 28-26.
After Arizona’s
two-point conversion attempt failed with 1:45 remaining in the game, the sweet
smell of victory began sweeping over the Horned Frogs’ sideline.
That alluring
smell soon turned into the foul odor of rotten eggs.
On its ensuing
kickoff, Arizona resorted to a high pooch kick, instead of a traditional onside
kick. As TCU returner Ed Small turned and began running backwards to attempt an
over-the-shoulder catch of the fluttering football, TCU fans who sensed looming
calamity began exclaiming, “No Ed, no!”
Sure enough, Small
muffed the catch. Arizona recovered the football. Four plays later, the
Wildcats secured a 29-28 lead on a 37-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining
in the game.
On its first
offensive play in desperation mode, TCU was intercepted and once again the
Horned Frogs and their fans experienced the agony of defeat.
‘The Best
Hands’
“On the kick at
the end, we told the guys a pop kick likely was going to happen,” explained
Dykes, who was Arizona's offensive coordinator from 2007-09. “That’s the guy
(Ed Small) with the best hands on our football team. We had an opportunity to
field it and didn’t. It just didn’t work out. It’s just one of those things.
“I am proud of our
players’ effort. I thought the guys had a tremendous mindset. We expected to
win the game. There was no doubt in our mind that we were going to win. We’re
disappointed we didn’t find a way to do it. We’ve had too many of these games
where we’ve had a chance to win and we didn’t do it. It’s been a frustrating
year. Wish we could have made one more play down the stretch and won this
game.”
‘A Four-Quarter
Game’
“We always talk to
the team about football being a four-quarter game,” said Arizona head football
coach Brent Brennan. “And that’s what you saw (against TCU). It’s November.
These games are battles in this month. The players kept believing, even in the
tough moments of the game.
“I give a lot of
credit to coach Dykes. He’s a fantastic football coach. TCU is a good football
team. We knew we were playing the best defense in the Big 12, and we knew that
was going to be challenging. It was just magic the way the game finished. What a
special night.”
Other Week 10
Games Involving Big 12 Teams
- then-No. 9 BYU 20 (7-2, 4-2) at then-No. 3 Utah 28 (9-0,
6-0)
-
Iowa State 31 (4-5, 2-4) at Baylor 42 (6-3, 4-2)
-
Cincinnati 24 (5-4, 2-4) at then-No. 17 Houston 31 (7-2,
4-2)
-
Oklahoma State 66 (6-3, 4-2) at Kansas State 28 (4-5, 1-5)
-
Colorado 10 (3-6, 1-5) at Arizona State 20 (5-4, 3-3)
-
West Virginia 48 (5-4, 2-4) at then-No. 15 Texas Tech 53
(8-1, 6-1)
- UCF 33 (5-4, 3-3) at Kansas 32 (3-4, 1-5)
Rankings After Week 10
Utah leads the Big 12. Texas Tech is in second place. TCU is
in next-to-last place, above Kansas State, Colorado and Kansas, who share last
place.
TCU, Baylor and Texas A&M are the only Power 4
Conference teams in Texas that are not ranked in this week’s College Football
Playoff (CFP) rankings, the Associated Press (AP) top 25 poll or the Coaches
top 25 poll.
Big 12 teams included in the CFP rankings after week 10:
Utah, second; BYU, 10th; Texas Tech, 12th; Houston, 14th; Arizona, 23rd;
Oklahoma State, 25th.
Big 12 teams included in the AP poll after week 10 action:
Utah, second; Texas Tech, 10th; BYU, 12th; Houston, 14th; Arizona, 22nd; and
Oklahoma State, 27th.
Big 12 teams included in the Coaches top 25 rankings after
week 10 action: Utah, second; Texas Tech, 10th; BYU, 12th; Houston, 16th;
Arizona, 21st; and Oklahoma State, 28th.
TCU’s Offense
Shows More Life
Against Arizona,
TCU scored in its 429th consecutive game, the second-longest scoring streak in
NCAA history. The Frogs were last shutout on November 16, 1991.
The offensive unit
scored three of the Horned Frogs’ four touchdowns against Arizona (the TCU
defense scored the other touchdown). This was the first time this season that
the Frogs’ offense had scored 21 points against a Power 4 team.
“The offense
played well at times,” said Dykes. “I thought the offensive line held up well.
The offensive line has gotten better, but it’s still not as good as it needs to
be. It has to continue to improve. And we’ve got to get more balls into the end
zone. We’ve got to score more points. We have to be able to finish drives.”
Offensively, the
Frogs had to contest the Wildcats’ defense without their top two running backs,
Jeremy Payne and Jon Denman. So, TCU leaned on its passing game instead of its
usual pro-style offense that new offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis prefers.
Of the Horned
Frogs’ 62 offensive plays in the 29-28 loss, 41 were passing attempts, compared
to 21 rushes. Fifth-year quarterback Jaden Craig, who is a transfer from
Harvard, completed 28 passes for 232 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and one
interception.
Craig entered the
game against Arizona ranked second in the Big 12 with four 300-yard passing
performance and fourth in the Big 12 and 13th nationally in passing yardage
average per game.
Craig rushed for
12 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Wildcats. This was the third consecutive game in which
Craig rushed for a touchdown, which is a first for a TCU quarterback since Max
Duggan closed the 2022 season with three such games (Kansas State, Michigan,
Georgia).
Craig scored the
first points of the game on a seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
He scored TCU’s last touchdown on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter that
with the extra point gave TCU a 28-20 lead that eventually the Frogs could not
hold.
Craig threw a
combined 32 passes to senior wide receiver Jordan Dwyer, who is a transfer from
Idaho, and junior tight end Kari Ashley, who is a transfer from Navarro. Ashley
caught a career-high 14 passes for 95 yards. The receptions were the most ever
by a TCU tight end and the fourth-most receptions ever in a game in TCU
football history. Tight end Kelly Blackwell previously held the TCU record for
most receptions by a tight end in a game. He had 12 receptions against Missouri
in 1990.
Dwyer caught nine
passes for 86 yards. In the third quarter, he caught a six-yard touchdown pass,
his first of the season. Dwyer also drew multiple defensive pass interference
penalties against Arizona defensive backs, particularly senior cornerback Dwight
Bootle, II.
“There was
obviously a concerted effort to get Kari and Jordan Dwyer the ball,” Dykes
said. “It really was the first week all season that both of them practiced. The
fact they were healthy enough to go through practice this week helped us
game-plan.”
Arizona held the
Frogs to 49 yards rushing. Freshman running back Amante Martin led TCU in
rushing, with 35 yards on eight carries.
TCU led 14-10 at
halftime. The Frogs are now 3-1 this season when leading at the half and 33-5
under Dykes when leading at the half. Entering the game, TCU had won eight
straight games when leading at the half.
TCU’s Defense
Contributes Again
TCU’s defense, and
particularly senior linebacker Hudson Hooper, were why TCU led 14-10 at
halftime. The Frogs trailed Arizona 10-7 late in the second quarter when Hooper
intercepted a pass thrown by Wildcats’ quarterback Noah Fifita and returned it
93 yards for a touchdown.
The interception
was Hooper’s first in his career. It was the longest interception-return for a
touchdown in TCU football history by a non-defensive back, and the
fourth-longest interception-return ever by a Horned Frog. This was the TCU
defense’s second consecutive week with an interception-return for a touchdown,
and the third of the season.
Coming into the
game against Arizona, TCU’s defense led the Big 12 in scoring defense (eighth
in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and total defense (14th in FBS). Through
eight games, TCU's defense had allowed just 14.1 points per game and 287.6
total yards per game, ranking among the nation’s leaders in both categories.
Arizona’s offense
entered the game averaging 34.9 points and 455.6 total yards per game and led
by fifth-year quarterback Noah Fifita.
TCU’s defense held
the Wildcats under their offensive averages, but the Arizona offense had the
Horned Frogs’ defense on its heels at times, particularly in the fourth
quarter, when the game was on the line.
Fifita, who is the
preseason All-Big 12 quarterback, completed 24-of-37 passes for 313 yards. It
was his fourth consecutive game of throwing for more than 300 yards. He threw
two touchdown passes and the one interception by Hooper. He ran 11 times for 38
yards.
“Any time you have
Noah Fifita pulling the trigger, you have a chance,” said Brennan. “The
incredible plays … he is such a warrior. It was fantastic to watch him continue
to make plays in this game.”
Arizona’s Giovanni
Richardson dominated TCU’s defensive backfield. The sophomore wide receiver
caught 11 passes for 171 yards, including a long reception of 46 yards.
The Wildcats’
Isaiah Mizell, who is a sophomore wide receiver, had his string of three
consecutive 100-yard receiving performances broken by the Horned Frogs’
defense. He was limited to six receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown.
Fifth-year running back Quincy Craig, who is a transfer from Portland State,
caught four passes, including the Wildcats’ last touchdown of the game.
In addition to his
interception-return for a touchdown, Hooper had 12 tackles to lead TCU’s
defense. Senior safety Jordan Lester had eight tackles.
“The defense
played hard and well against an obviously good offensive football team,” said
Dykes. “The pick-six was a catalyst. On the last touchdown drive by Arizona,
the defense had two opportunities to recover a fumble, but didn’t.”
Two plays after
TCU couldn’t recover an Arizona fumble, the Wildcats scored a touchdown to pull
within two points of the Frogs at 28-26. Sixty-one seconds later, a field goal
gave Arizona its winning score of 29-28.
Special Teams
Not Special
It was not a
special night in Tucson for TCU’s special teams.
Small’s muff of
Arizona’s pooch kickoff after the Wildcats’ last touchdown in the fourth
quarter was the third miscue of the game by the Frogs’ special teams.
In the second
quarter, TCU faced a fourth-and-one at the Arizona 15-yard line. After a time
out by the Horned Frogs, TCU senior offensive lineman Jaheim Buchanon, who is a
transfer from FIU, was penalized for a false start, causing Dykes to settle for
a field goal attempt. Junior kicker Kyle Lemmermann missed the 37-yarder, wide
right.
In the third
quarter, Lemmermann’s 50-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Arizona
sixth-year defensive lineman Tre Smith, who is a transfer from San Jose State.
It was the first time TCU had a field goal blocked since September 30, 2023,
against West Virginia.
On a positive
note, TCU junior punter John Hoyet Chance, who is a transfer from Louisiana
Tech, had a game-long punt of 59 yards and he had another punt downed at the
Arizona three-yard line. Chance is averaging 43.82 yards per punt this season.
He has been named to the Ray Guy Award Midseason Watch List.
What’s Next for
Dykes and the Frogs?
A definite air of
uncertainty hangs over the TCU football program with three games remaining in
the Frogs’ regular season.
You might think
that the Horned Frogs losing to Arizona in the manner in which they did, during
a season that has been punctuated by consistently poor performances,
particularly on offense, would seal the deal on Dykes not returning as TCU’s
head football coach for the 2027 season.
In fact, at some
schools, Dykes already would be looking for new employment, despite an
appearance by the Frogs in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National
Championship Game after the 2022 season, two consecutive 9-4 seasons (2024 and
2025) that were climaxed by bowl wins, and a 40-22 overall record and a Big 12
record of 25-17.
However, TCU
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Buddie is known more for doling out
contract extensions than firing coaches. In fact, Buddie, who has remained out
of the limelight and deftly quiet during this infuriating TCU football season,
gave Dykes a contract extension during this past off-season. So, no doubt a
significant buyout would be necessary to send Dykes packing. There also would
be buyouts for other coaches on the staff, including Sammis and quarterbacks
coach Brad Robbins, both of whom were hired during this past off-season.
Despite dwindling
attendance at home football games and some fans wearing bags over their heads
and booing and chanting “fire Sonny,” buying out the contracts of football
coaches may not be high on Buddie’s priority list during a time when the
athletics department apparently is cash-strapped.
Also, keep in mind
that:
- Dykes is one of only eight active head coaches to have
appeared in the CFP National Championship game, along with Georgia’s Kirby
Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Notre Dame’s Marcus
Freeman, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Miami’s Mario Cristobal and Indiana’s Curt
Cignetti. Dykes and Cignetti are the only two coaches in CFP history to take
over a losing program and direct them to the CFP in their first season. That’s
pretty impressive company.
-
During his first four seasons, Dykes led TCU to 36 wins, the
most by a TCU head football coach since Francis Schmidt won 37 games from
1929-32.
-
Dykes and his wife, Kate, donated $1 million to TCU
Athletics on August 27, 2024: to honor former TCU offensive lineman and Dykes'
former colleague Jamal Powell by naming the weight room in TCU’s Harrison
Family Football Performance Center after Powell; and to establish an endowment
in memory of Shirley Enis (the late wife of TCU Trustee Hunter Enis), to
support women's athletics at TCU.
Thus, the
over-arching question for Buddie and TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini is: Can you
fire one of your football program’s most successful coaches, who also happens
to be a significant athletic donor?
Meanwhile, Dykes
and the Horned Frogs will host Kansas State on Saturday, November 14, in Amon
G. Carter Stadium, on the TCU campus, in Fort Worth, Texas. Kickoff is
scheduled for 1 pm (Central). The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Kansas State
Shares Last Place
K-State, which is
4-5 overall, is in last place in the Big 12, tied with Colorado and Kansas at
1-5.
The Wildcats have
lost three in a row. Their most recent loss was a 66-28 trouncing by Oklahoma
State in Manhattan, Kansas, on Saturday, November 7. Kansas State also has lost
to: Cincinnati, 31-26; Houston, 35-16; Arizona State, 28-17; and Colorado, 27-24
(OT). The Wildcats have beaten: Nicholls, 71-3; Washington State, 34-7; Tulane,
31-20; and Kansas, 35-24.
TCU is 8-11
all-time against Kansas State. The series began in 1922 with a 45-0 win by
K-State in Manhattan. Against the Cats, TCU is 5-3 at home, 3-7 on road, and
0-1 at neutral sites. As the Frogs’ head coach, Dykes is 1-3 against Kansas
State. The Wildcats have won four of the past five games against the Horned
Frogs and seven of the last 10 games, including a 41-28 victory last season on
October 11 in Manhattan.
In recent years,
the Horned Frogs and Wildcats have played meaningful and historic games against
each other.
On October 30,
2021, in Manhattan, Kansas State defeated TCU, 31-12. It was the final game of
Gary Patterson's head football coaching reign at TCU. On October 31, Patterson
essentially resigned after being informed by then-TCU Athletic Director
Jeremiah Donati and Boschini that he would not be retained as TCU’s
head football coach after the 2021 season.
In 2022, TCU won
the regular-season match-up between the two teams, 38-28, on its way to an
undefeated regular-season record and Big 12 regular-season conference
championship.
The 10th-ranked
Wildcats got revenge in the 2022 Big 12 Conference Championship Game in
AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, defeating the third-ranked Horned Frogs
31-28 in overtime. Of course, TCU went on to the College Football Playoffs,
defeating Michigan 51-45 on December 31 in the semifinal game in the Fiesta
Bowl, then losing the National Championship Game to Georgia, 65-7, on January
9, in Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, to finish the season 13-2 and ranked
second in the country.
Kansas State began
a new era of its football program with this season, as Collin Klein, one of the
greatest players in school history, became the 36th head football coach in team
history. He took over for Chris Klieman, who coached the Wildcats from 2019
until his retirement in December 2025.
Klein, who is 36
years old, is the sixth-youngest head coach in the FBS and the first K-State
alum to serve as head football coach since Ellis Rainsberger, who was head
coach from 1975 to 1977. Klein played for the Wildcats from 2008 to 2012. He
was K-State’s quarterback from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, he led Kansas State to
its first Big 12 Conference championship since 2003 and finished third in
voting for that season’s Heisman Trophy.
The quarterback
position has become a problem for K-State this season. Experienced quarterback
Avery Johnson started the team’s first five games, but has not played since
because of an injury that could cause him to miss the remainder of the season.
Backup quarterback
Jacob Knuth took over for Johnson, but he, too, became injured. Sophomore
Dillon Duff and junior Blake Barnett have since alternated at the quarterback
position, with Barnett supposedly healthy after previously being on crutches
for most of the season.
The Wildcats’
Offense
K-State’s offense
is averaging:
- 31.33 points per game
-
415.6 total yards per game
-
218.8 passing yards per game
-
196.8 rushing yards per game
The wildcats have
scored 17 touchdowns on the ground and 16 touchdowns through the air. Kansas
State quarterbacks have thrown six interceptions and been sacked 12 times.
Junior Rodney
Fields, Jr., is K-State’s leading rusher. He has rushed 113 times for 574
yards, for an average of 5.1 yards per rush. He has scored six rushing
touchdowns and has a long run of 75 yards.
The Wildcats’
receiving corps is led by senior wide receiver Jaron Tibbs and junior wide
receiver Derrick Salley, Jr. Tibbs, who is a transfer from Purdue, has caught
45 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns. He has a long reception of 33
yards. Salley, who previously attended Hutchinson Community College, has 22
receptions for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He has a long reception of 73
yards.
The Wildcats’
Defense
