Recovering from heat stroke suffered while watching TCU demolish Southern University last Saturday, and preparing to travel to Dallas Friday night to watch the Horned Frogs retain the Iron Skillet with a victory over SMU!
Nearly 50,000 stunned football fans witnessed the 6-5 Horned Frogs ambush USC, 28-19. It was TCU's first bowl win in 41 years and has been credited by many as being the launching pad for the success the Frogs have been enjoying on the gridiron since that historic game.
Fast forward nearly 20 years to this past Saturday, September 1, when at the merciless time of 11 am the 16th-ranked Horned Frogs staged Fort Worth's version of the "Sun Bowl" at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Under a blazing, relentless Texas sun that drove temperatures in the stands into the upper 90s, and to a heat index of between 130 and 140 degrees on the field, TCU scorched the over-matched Southern University Jaguars 55-7.
The Frogs won their home-opener for the 17th consecutive season under head coach Gary Patterson, who started his 18th full season. The winning streak is tied for the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.
After the game, Patterson penned a three-word song. Listen: here
For its misery, Southern University received from TCU a reported payday of $500,000 and 375 complimentary tickets. There was no mention of the Jaguars or their fans receiving fans, towels or iced cold beverages. They, too, evidently had to endure the furnace-like atmosphere.
After the game, embattled Southern head coach Dawson Odums penned a song. Listen: here
If it wasn't for the sizzling weather on Saturday, the Frogs wouldn't have worked up a sweat against the Jags in what was both team's season-opener.
But, at least Southern's "Human Jukebox" band was as good as advertised, as were Southern's Dancing Dolls, otherwise known as "Those Girls."
In fact, if the Southern band would not have been headlining the halftime show, fans would have been exiting the stadium and heading for cooler temperatures in the second quarter, instead of waiting until the beginning of the third quarter.
By halftime, the Frogs had scored on their first six drives of the game and were leading the hapless Jags 38-7.
Also, by halftime, TCU sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson, starting the second game and first home game of his Horned Frog career, had thrown for three touchdowns and run for two scores.
Robinson completed 17 of 24 passes for 182 yards. His passing touchdowns were to three different receivers. True freshman Derius Davis caught a 12-yard TD from Robinson, who threw a six-yard TD pass to true freshman Taye Barber and a 12-yard scoring pass to sophomore Jalen Reagor.
Robinson scored on his only two rushing plays from 36 and nine yards, which were the first rushing scores of his TCU career.
Robinson became the first Horned Frog since Jeff Ballard in 2006 versus San Diego State to account for five touchdowns in the first half of a game. He also became the first TCU quarterback to win his first two starts since Marcus Jackson in 2008, who got wins over San Diego State and Colorado State.
Fittingly, Saturday was Davey Day in Amon G. Carter Stadium, in honor of TCU legend Davey O'Brien. O'Brien played quarterback for TCU from 1935-38. As a senior, he led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated season (11-0) and a national championship following a 15-7 victory over Carnegie Tech in the 1939 Sugar Bowl. He became the first player to win the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies in the same year. O'Brien was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. Today the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best quarterback by the Davey O'Brien Foundation.
No doubt, Robinson dreams of those same accomplishments. Perhaps not coincidentally, he got off to a good start on accomplishing those dreams on Davey Day.
After his exhilarating first half, Robinson gave way to three other quarterbacks in the second half. Sophomore Michael Collins made his TCU debut and had a 57-yard touchdown pass to TreVontae Hights. He completed three-of-five passes for 71 yards. Senior Grayson Muehlstein had his fist three career passing attempts and first career completion, 11 yards to John Stephens, Jr. Sophomore Karson Ringdahl (number 15 in your program) made his first career appearance late in the fourth quarter. He didn't attempt a pass, but ran once for two yards, so he would get his uniform dirty.
Using four quarterbacks in a game is a rarity for the Frogs. Only three quarterbacks saw action for TCU the entire 2017 season. TCU used 80 players overall in Saturday's blowout, including many true and redshirt freshmen, several of whom starred in their roles.
Davis was one of the true freshmen stars. In addition to catching one of the TD passes from Robinson, he returned a punt 73 yards for a score in the third quarter. The punt return for a touchdown was the first by a TCU true freshman in his collegiate debut since Deante Gray in the 2012 season-opener versus Grambling State. The last true freshman with a punt return for a touchdown was KaVontae Turpin against Kansas in 2015.
Davis' performance earned him Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week honors. The other Co-Newcomer of the Week honoree was Oklahoma State freshman running back Chuba Hubbard.
Offensively against Southern, TCU racked up 30 first downs and 499 total yards; 264 passing and 235 rushing. The Frogs' rebuilt offensive line allowed no sacks. TCU held the ball for nearly 35 of the total 60 minutes of game time.
Ten Horned Frogs caught passes. In terms of yardage, the leading receiver was Hights. He had one reception, the 57-yard touchdown. KaVonate Turpin and Reagor had four catches each. Jaelan Austin had three receptions.
In addition to the four quarterbacks, seven Frogs ran with the football. The leading rusher was sophomore running back Emari Demercado. He gained 57 yards on eight carries, with a long run of 22 yards. Junior running back Sewo Olonilua carried the ball five times for 43 yards. Junior running back Darius Anderson, who suffered a season-ending injury early last season, returned to action against Southern. Looking even bigger and stronger than he did last year, Anderson rumbled for 36 yards on eight carries.
Defensively, the Frogs held Southern to nine first downs and 185 total yards; 84 rushing and 101 passing. Southern quarterbacks completed only five of 18 passes, with the Frogs recording two interceptions.
Southern's touchdown came on 56-yard reception in the second quarter when there was a mix-up in the Frogs' secondary.
Recording interceptions for TCU were junior safety Innis Gaines and senior safety Ridwan Issahaku.
The Frogs pressured Southern quarterbacks the entire game and sacked them three times. Senior linebacker/defensive end Ty Summers, sophomore linebacker Garret Wallow and sophomore defensive tackle Corey Bethley got their first sacks of the season.
TCU punter Adam Nunez only had to punt twice. Kicker Cole Bunce was two-of-two on field goals (26 yards and 30 yards) and five-of-five on extra-point kicks, and kicker Jonathan Song returned from a season-ending injury last season to covert two-of-two extra point kicks late in the game.
After opening their season with a win at home, this Friday, September 7, the Frogs will play the first of three consecutive road games, although all of them will take place within Texas.
The first road trip is only about 40 miles long, to the Hilltop in Dallas to face longtime rival SMU of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The game will kick off at 7 pm. It will be televised by ESPN2. On the line, as usual, will be the historic iron skillet, which traditionally goes to the winner of the game.
The Frogs and Ponies used to play when both were members of the Southwest Conference. In fact, TCU and the Peruna Boys have met 97 times. TCU leads the series, 50-40-7. The Frogs prevailed in last year's game, 56-36, in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
TCU has won 10 of the last 11 games with SMU and 16 of 18. The Horned Frogs are 28-18-5 versus the Mustangs in Fort Worth and 22-22-2 in Dallas.
Patterson is 14-2 as a head coach versus SMU. Those 14 victories by Patterson over our barely tolerable neighbors to the east represent the most against a single team among his record-number of victories at TCU.
The Horned Frogs are facing SMU on a Friday night for the third time in their last five trips to Dallas. TCU beat SMU on Friday evenings in 2010 (41-24) and 2016 (33-3).
A familiar face will be on the SMU sideline. Sonny Dykes, who last year was an offensive analyst at TCU, is in his first season as head coach of the Ponies.
Dykes replaced Chad Morris, who at the end of the 2017 regular season resigned as the Mustangs' head coach to become head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Morris had become SMU's head coach in December of 2014. When Morrris left the Hilltop, SMU had a 7-5 record and was headed to the "highly anticipated", inaugural Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas. Dykes was hired and coached the Mustangs in their 51-10 bowl loss to Louisiana Tech on December 20, 2017.
Prior to TCU and SMU, Dykes was the head football coach at the University of California, Berkeley, from 2013-2016. Before he relocated to the west coast, Sonny was head football coach at Louisiana Tech, from 2010-2012.
Patterson is 1-0 versus Dykes. The Horned Frogs defeated Dykes' Louisiana Tech team 31-24 in the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl.
TCU is looking to open a season 2-0 for the 11th time under Patterson.
Dykes is looking for his first win as the head trainer of Peruna.
The Ponies started 2018 with a stunning 46-23 loss to mighty North Texas (Conference USA) in Denton on Saturday, September 1. The Mustangs scored all of their points in the fourth quarter.
North Texas junior quarterback Mason Fine completed 40-of-50 passing attempts for 444 yards and three touchdowns. North Texas also scored on an interception return for a touchdown and a 96-yard kickoff return. The Mean Green’s defense held SMU to four rushing yards and nine first downs. Watch highlights of the game: here
So, get out the recipe book and start thinking about what should be cooked in the iron skillet after Friday night's game.
Wonder what chicken-fried Buckeyes taste like?
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