Black Friday was a bleak day for TCU Football, but Horned Frogs fans hope "sonny-er" days are ahead.
Among the cornfields of Ames, Iowa, the Horned Frogs were blown out by Big 12 foe Iowa State, 48-14 , on Friday, November 26, in Jack Trice Stadium (Midnite had predicted a 38-24 Iowa State victory).
Despite the dismal state of the TCU football program, which on
the Friday after Thanksgiving was on full display on national television, the
Horned Frogs and their fans on Monday, November 29, were introduced to the university's new head football coach -- Sonny Dykes. Watch: here
Dykes replaces TCU interim head football coach Jerry Kill, who replaced longtime head football coach Gary Patterson, who resigned on October 31 after being told he would not be retained as the Frogs’ head coach in 2022.
Patterson had been with the TCU football program for 24 years, the last 21 years as head coach. He was one of college football’s longest-tenured head coaches, ranking behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
Patterson joined the TCU football program in 1998 as the defensive coordinator on head coach Dennis Franchione's staff. He took over head coaching duties in 2000, when Franchione became Alabama's head football coach.
Patterson accumulated a 181-79 record at TCU, becoming the Horned Frogs' winningest head football coach.
In 2016, Patterson was honored when TCU unveiled within the school's athletic complex a statue of him and statues of former TCU quarterback Davey O'Brien and former TCU football coach Dutch Meyer.
The 52-year-old Dykes was hired following a national search. He comes to TCU from SMU, where he had been head coach for four seasons, 2018-2021, after taking over for Chad Morris, who left SMU for Arkansas and was the Razorbacks' head coach until 2019. Chad Morris is the father of TCU backup quarterback Chandler Morris.
Including Kill on an interim basis, Dykes is TCU's 32nd head football coach since 1897 (see list of TCU head football coaches: here).
Dykes went 30-17 at SMU, including 25-9 the past three seasons. The Mustangs achieved rankings in the AP top 25 in each of his last three seasons. That hadn’t happened in Dallas since the 1980s.
As the Ponies’ head coach, Dykes went 2-1 against TCU, including two consecutive wins.
The Frogs defeated Dykes and SMU, 42-12, in 2018. Dykes and SMU defeated the Frogs, 41-38, in 2019, and 42-34 this past September 25. The 2020 game between the two teams was canceled because of COVID-19 protocols within TCU's football program.
Prior to joining the SMU football program, Dykes was an offensive analyst at TCU during the 2017 season, when the Horned Frogs posted an 11-3 record, reached the Big 12 Championship Game and finished ninth in the country after a 39-37 victory over Stanford in the Alamo Bowl.
TCU is Dykes' fourth head-coaching job. In addition to SMU, Dykes has led the football programs at Cal and Louisiana Tech.
Dykes came to Fort Worth for the 2017 season from Berkeley, California, where he had been head coach of Cal from 2013-2016.
Dykes went 19-30 as head coach of the Pac 12 Golden Bears, progressing from one win in 2013 to an 8-5 finish in 2015. He was fired after going 5-7 in 2016.
As head coach of Louisiana Tech, Dykes went 22-15 over three seasons (2010-2012). He was the 2011 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year.
TCU and Patterson defeated Dykes' Louisiana Tech team, 31-24, in the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl.
Dykes, a native of Big Spring, Texas, is the son of former Texas Tech football coach Spike Dykes.
Dykes inherits an undersized and talent-lacking Horned Frogs team that against Iowa State and on several other occasions during the 2021 season showed little desire on the gridiron, with various players from time to time choosing to be bystanders instead of actively engaging in plays.
Considering the state of the TCU football program today, it's hard to believe that just over 10 years ago the Horned Frogs were on top of the college football world as Rose Bowl champions.
TCU’s loss to Iowa State left them with a 2021 overall record of 5-7, one win short of qualifying for a 21st bowl invitation since 1998.
A team with a 5-7 overall record is not bowl-eligible, but could receive an invitation if there are not enough teams with six wins to fill all 82 bowl spots. Teams with 5-7 records are sorted based on their NCAA Academic Progress Report.
The Frogs finished 3-6 in the Big 12, which landed them in eighth place.
Oklahoma State, with an 8-1 conference record and an overall 11-1 record, won the Big 12 regular-season championship, which ended Oklahoma’s six-year Big 12 title reign.
Baylor, 10-2 overall under second-year head coach Dave Aranda,
finished second in the Big 12 with a 7-2 conference record.
The Cowboys and the Bears will play in the 2021 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Conference Championship Game, at 11 am (Central), on Saturday, December 4, in AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
Oklahoma State is ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings. Baylor is ranked ninth.
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-2 Big 12), which finished third in the conference because of its loss to Baylor, is ranked 14th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Iowa State (5-4 Big 12) placed fourth in the conference, followed by Kansas State (4-5 Big 12) in fifth and West Virginia (4-5 Big 12) in sixth, since the Mountaineers lost to the Wildcats.
By virtue of its wins over TCU and Texas Tech, the University of Texas (3-6 Big 12), finished in seventh in the conference. Texas Tech (3-6 Big 12) finished in ninth, since it lost to Texas and TCU. Kansas, 1-8 Big 12, finished last.
Seven Big 12 teams qualified for bowl invitations. They are: Oklahoma State; Baylor; Oklahoma; Iowa State; Kansas State; West Virginia and Texas Tech.
Because Lincoln Riley has left OU to become head football coach at USC, the Sooners will be coached in their bowl game by interim Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, who was Oklahoma’s head coach from 1999 to 2017.
Baylor may also need an interim coach for its bowl game. The Bears' head coach, Dave Aranda, who is in his second year at the school, reportedly is a candidate for the head football coaching openings at LSU and Oklahoma.
Under Kill and difficult circumstances, TCU went 2-2, earning Kill respect and indebting him to TCU officials.
Not surprisingly, Kill recently was named the head football coach at New Mexico State (Las Cruces, New Mexico), replacing Doug Martin, with whom the school parted ways after the Aggies' season ended on Saturday, November 27.
Kill was reflective after the Iowa State loss.
“Those kids gave everything they had, but we’ve been depleted with injuries,” Kill said. “I feel bad for those kids, but the kids gave me everything they had. That’s all I can ask of them. It’s been a hard four weeks, but we went 2-2. It could’ve been worse; it could’ve been better.”
After the game, Kill wrote a final song as a Horned Frog. Listen: here
The victory over TCU broke a two-game losing streak by the Cyclones, who came into their Senior Day contest with the Frogs having lost three of their last five games.
Iowa State, with 23 seniors on its roster, accomplished its second consecutive perfect home season against Big 12 teams: 4-0 in 2021; 5-0 in 2020.
The win was Iowa State’s third consecutive over the Horned Frogs. TCU holds an 8-5 series lead. The teams are 5-5 since the Frogs began Big 12 play in 2012.
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, who has been rumored to be a candidate for one or more of the many open collegiate football head coaching positions, including the opening at TCU, said the win was the result of a great performance by the Cyclones.
“It was a fitting way for this senior class to put an end to their career,” said Campbell. “And one of the things that I would tell you is that the last five years of this football team, and this senior class, and this program is, you know coach (defensive coordinator Jon) Heacock said something really powerful last night to our kids and I think he was right on.
“He said ‘Man, for the last five years, Iowa state football, every time they’ve went onto the field and played they’ve given everyone something to hope for, something to live for, and something to love for.’ It’s a really special group. I think it’s a story that’s really powerful in a place and a time that it’s never been done. I certainly appreciate our senior class and our great fan base.”
Campbell wrote a song after the game. Listen: here
Iowa State’s dominating win over TCU was largely due to the dominating and record-setting performance of senior ISU running back Breece Hall.
The junior running back rushed 18 times through, around and over Horned Frogs for a career-high 242 yards, scored a career-best four touchdowns and set an NCAA FBS record by running for a touchdown in his 24th straight game, topping a mark that had stood for half-a-century. Arkansas' Bill Burnett had rushing touchdowns in 23 straight games from 1968-70.
Hall scored on runs of 39, 80 -- the longest of his career -- and four yards and caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Brock Purdy. It was Hall's 20th multiple-touchdown game, tying the Big 12 record.
Hall's performance against the Horned Frogs earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
When Hall wasn’t punishing TCU, it was Iowa State senior wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who in the game broke Iowa State’s record for overall receptions with seven passes (for 107 yards) to run his season total to 82 catches.
Cyclones tight end Charlie Kolar, who at 6’6” made many Frogs look like high-school players, caught five passes for 65 yards, giving him 59 for the season, a school record for tight ends. Kolar also broke his own ISU record for receiving yards by a tight end, running his season total of 723.
Against TCU, Purdy, who owns most of Iowa State's passing records, completed 21-of-30 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns, to Hall and tight end Chase Allen. He was not intercepted. Purdy finished 16-1 as a starter in Big 12 games at home.
By halftime, Iowa State had enough points for the victory, leading the Frogs 17-7. Early into the fourth quarter, the lead had ballooned to 34-7. Two late touchdowns by the Cyclones completed the beatdown of the listless Horned Frogs.
Iowa State amassed 541 total yards of offense; the Cyclones’ second-best total of the season The Frogs’ defense forced ISU to punt only twice.
Teams have easily run against the Frogs all season and this game was no different. Iowa State had 279 yards rushing. The Cyclones averaged 12.1 yards per rush as a team. Hall average 13.4 yards per rush.
Blame it on the tryptophan, but the Horned Frogs basically slept-walked through their final game of the 2021 season.
Most TCU fans probably fell asleep watching the Horned Frogs’ offense.
Unless their anger and frustration at the ineptness of TCU’s defense kept them awake.
TCU, which came into the game off a thrilling, last-second 31-28 home-win over Kansas on Saturday, November 20, scored for the 367th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NCAA history, but the 14 points was their second lowest total of the season. The Frogs lost to Kansas State, 31-12, on October 30, the day before Patterson resigned.
The Horned Frogs’ two scores were on touchdown passes by quarterback Max Duggan, who played despite a broken bone in a foot.
Duggan had successful foot surgery on Monday, November 29. Dr. Keith Horn removed a bone from the fifth metatarsal region of one of Duggan's feet and reattached a torn tendon. Dr. Horn said he was surprised Duggan was able to play through the surgery.
In the second quarter against Iowa State, Duggan connected with wide receiver Blair Conwright on a 47-yard touchdown pass. It was the longest reception of Conwright's career and capped a six-play, 75-yard drive.
In the fourth quarter, Duggan tossed a six-yard scoring pass to Tyler Guyton. It was the first career reception and touchdown for Guyton, a converted offensive lineman playing h-back.
Duggan, who starred as a high school quarterback in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and is 0-3 against Iowa State, completed 15-of-26 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Derius Davis caught four passes for 63 yards. Davis had a team-best and career-high 36 receptions for the season. Davis also had a 78-yard kickoff return, the second-longest of his career.
Taye Barber had two receptions for 56 yards.
Quincy Brown caught two passes for 22 yards.
Offensive tackle Andrew Coker had his first career reception, off a deflected pass.
Duggan, who will have surgery to repair the broken bone in his foot, ran for 28 yards on 14 carries. He was sacked five times as Iowa State defenders exploited TCU’s porous offensive line.
The Frogs ran for 132 yards on 39 carries, an average of 3.4 yards per rush.
Senior running back Emari Demercado, playing in his final game as a Horned Frog, was TCU’s leading rusher. He ran for 65 yards on 15 carries. The final three contests of his TCU career saw Demercado post his three-best rushing totals. He had 90 yards against Oklahoma State and 89 versus Kansas.
Ahmonte Watkins had 28 yards on eight carries.
Senior Jake Neufeld had a 14-yard carry on his first collegiate rush.
Defensive superlatives were limited.
Safety Nook Bradford had a team-best seven tackles.
Super senior defensive tackle Corey Bethley had a tackle to conclude his career with 99 stops.
Defensive end Dylan Horton recorded
his fourth sack of the season, tying defensive end Ochaun Mathis for the team
lead.
Welcome, Sonny Dykes.
You have your work cut out for you.
You and the Frogs open the 2022 season on September 3, against Colorado, at Folsom Field, in Boulder, Colorado.
Good luck!
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