Frogs Let
Historic Opportunity Slip Away
By Tom C. "Midnite" Burke
It has become evident that you just can’t trust TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes to lead the Horned Frogs to victory in the really big games.
The latest disappointment occurred on Saturday, August 29, across the pond, in Dublin, Ireland, about 4,500 miles from the comfort of TCU’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. The heavily favored Frogs of the Big 12 Conference were upset 15-10 by the University of North Carolina in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Midnite Madness had predicted a 23-20 victory for TCU.
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| Tom C. "Midnite" Burke |
What happened? Did the “Luck of the Irish” not apply to Horned Frogs? Where were those magical Leprechauns and their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? After all, it rained during the game (by the way, Dublin averages 150 days of rain each year).
Dykes, who is in his fifth season as head coach of the Horned Frogs and who received a contract extension from Athletics Director Mike Buddie in the Spring, 1-2 in three of TCU’s most program-defining games, including two consecutive losses, going back to the 65-7 trouncing third-ranked TCU received from the top-ranked University of Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 9, 2023, in Englewood, California.
Dykes led the Horned Frogs to that national championship game by orchestrating a 51-45 TCU College Football Playoff Semifinal Game victory over the University of Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, but that game is a distant memory.
Front and center today is the Dublin Debacle, during which the Frogs looked nothing like a Power 4 Conference team. Despite being as much as a 10-point favorite on the Emerald Isle, TCU lost to an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team they overwhelmed and embarrassed 44-18 in last year’s season-opener, on Labor Day Monday, in the Tar Heels’ backyard of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition, North Carolina is reported to be the second least-experienced team among Power 4 schools this season.
“I give North Carolina a lot of credit,” said Dykes. “They have improved from last season. They did what they had to do to win. Their defense really played well. I am disappointed we didn’t play better. All of us have to learn from this game. We have to be critical of ourselves. We can’t let this happen to us again.”
“This was a special trip for our team, a great experience,” said North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick. “We didn’t just come out here for the experience. We were inspired at our rally when Chancellor (Lee) Roberts said we came out here for the experience and we came out here to win. And that’s what the players did. It’s a good start. A great team win for us. I can’t say enough about the efforts of everybody.”
With the loss, TCU is 0-1. The Frogs finished last season 9-4 overall, 5-4 in the Big 12. After their 30-27 overtime victory over USC, the Horned Frogs were ranked 25th in the season’s final Associated Press (AP) College Football Bowl Subdivision ranking. The Frogs’ finish to their 2025 season and their top-25 ranking prompted Dykes to proclaim, “This is a good football program that is on the verge of being a great program.”
TCU’s next game on its good-to-great journey is on Saturday, September 12, against Grambling State University, in Amon G. Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm (Central). The game will be televised on ESPN+. Grambling opened its 2026 season with a 49-7 win over Clark-Atlanta on August 29.
With the loss to UNC in Dublin, Dykes’ record in international games fell to 1-1. When he was head coach of the University of California, the Golden Bears played in Australia on August 27, 2016 (local Sydney time), during Dykes’ last season at Cal. The Bears defeated the University of Hawaii 51–31. Because of the extreme time difference, the game aired in the United States on the evening of Friday, August 26.
With the win over the Horned Frogs, North Carolina is 1-0. The Tar Heels finished last season 4-8 overall, 2-6 in the ACC and tied with Florida State and Virginia Tech for 13th place in the 17-team conference.
The Tar Heels improved their series record with TCU to 4-1.
UNC’s next game is on Saturday, September 12, against East Tennessee State, in Chapel Hill. Kickoff is scheduled for noon (Eastern). The game will be televised on the ACC Network.
This was the sixth Aer Lingus College Football Classic and the fifth consecutive edition since the event resumed in 2022. The inaugural game was played on September 3, 2016. Georgia Tech defeated Boston College 17-14. Other Aer Lingus College Football Classic games:
- 2022: Northwestern defeated Nebraska, 31-28
- 2023: Notre Dame defeated Navy, 42-3
- 2024: Georgia Tech defeated Florida State, 24-21
- 2025: Iowa State defeated Kansas State, 24-21
This was the first of two international games this season featuring teams from the Big 12 Conference. Kansas and Arizona State will meet on September 19 in the Union Jack Classic. The game will be played in London’s historic Wembley Stadium.
College football will return to Ireland next year. Pitt will meet Wisconsin in the 2027 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, on August 27, 2027.
Distractions for Both Teams
The focus of last year’s TCU-North Carolina game was Belichick’s collegiate head coaching debut and his young, voluptuous girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, who at the then-age of 24 years old was 50 years younger than the coach.
This year’s game featured distractions for both teams.
The Tar Heels came into the game without their general manager, Michael Lombardi, and defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick, and with a new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, whose college coaching career has featured its controversies.
Lombardi was placed on paid administrative leave on July 27 after a Human Resources complaint was filed. The university formally confirmed it was investigating him three days later.
Steve Belichick is on a medical leave.
The Horned Frogs came into their rematch with North Carolina with a new offensive coordinator, Gordon Sammis, a new starting quarterback, Jaden Craig, and a new quarterbacks coach, Brad Robbins. All three were making their TCU and Power 4-Conference debuts.
TCU also came into the game without their projected starting safety, Jacob Fields, who had transferred to TCU after a standout season at Louisiana Tech. Fields was dismissed from the team following an August 13 physical altercation with junior wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma in the Horned Frogs’ locker room.
Days before the game in Ireland, TCU rescinded the Star-Telegram’s credentials to cover Horned Frogs athletics over the newspaper’s coverage of the incident.
The Star-Telegram is the only media outlet that covers TCU athletics on a full-time basis. The newspaper’s TCU sports beat writer, Steven Johnson, traveled to the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and covered the Horned Frogs’ loss, despite lacking media credentials from TCU.
Dykes spoke with reporters in Ireland about the locker room incident on the Thursday prior to the game.
"It was something that was certainly out of character for the team and the young man that was involved," Dykes said. "Look, you got 110 football players. I mean, things happen sometimes. You've got to find ways to move through them, and man, these young kids are resilient. It's like anything else, when something bad happens, it becomes a teaching moment."
Not missing an opportunity to jab an in-state Big 12 Conference rival, former Texas Tech football player turned billionaire oil-and-gas CEO Cody Campbell, who is bankrolling Tech’s massive payments to its athletes, targeted the Horned Frogs through a social media post.
Campbell posted: "Fort Worth is 'Where the West Begins.' The Star-Telegram has full access to the Texas Tech football program and is always welcome in Lubbock. Hope to see you Saturday!"
“Where the West Begins” is a slogan that since the 1920s has been displayed on the front-page banner of the Star-Telegram’s printed editions, of which there now are only three a week.
The Star-Telegram was co-founded by Amon G. Carter and began publication in 1909. Carter was the newspaper’s longtime publisher and his name has long adorned TCU’s football stadium.
On Sunday, August 30, Fields turned himself in to Tarrant County (in which Fort Worth is located) authorities for an assault charge stemming from the locker room incident. The arrest warrant affidavit said Ezukanma suffered a brain bleed and concussion after Fields punched and kicked him in the head. Fields posted bond and was released. He has retained a defense attorney.
An Historic Disappointment for TCU
TCU’s lethargic, mistake-filled loss to North Carolina was a monumental disappointment and embarrassment in many ways.
This was an historic game for TCU, as it was the Frogs’ first game in a foreign country in the school’s 153-year history (the game originally was scheduled for September 5, in Fort Worth).
The trip and the game were the opportunities of a lifetime for many associated with the football program and the university.
TCU-North Carolina was the marquee game that opened the 2026 college football season.
The spotlight was shining brightly on the Horned Frogs’ football program, the university, Fort Worth, the state of Texas and the Big 12 Conference.
It was an opportunity for the TCU football program to begin the season with a statement victory and steal some attention from Texas Tech, BYU and Houston in the Big 12, and the University of Texas, Texas A&M and SMU within Texas.
Thousands of Horned Frogs fans had bought into Dykes’ pre-season rhetoric about the impending greatness of this team and invested the money and valuable vacation time necessary to travel to Dublin in support of the Frogs (some reports indicated that as many as 8,000 TCU fans attended the game).
With a victory in Dublin, TCU could have generated momentum and further heightened the enthusiasm of Horned Frogs fans.
“This was a disappointing performance,” a dejected Dykes said in an understatement after the game. “I didn’t see this coming. I’m disappointed for our fans. I thought we had tremendous support. Appreciate them coming over here (to Ireland) and supporting us, like they always do. We have the best fans in the country. I’m sure they are disappointed, and I am too. We just let them down. I am disappointed we didn’t play better.”
The three most disappointing aspects of the games were the Frogs’ mistakes, the ineffectiveness of TCU’s offense and the lackluster performance of Craig.
Penalty Flags Fly
The Horned Frogs were penalized 11 times for 89 yards. North Carolina was flagged three times for 20 yards. The officiating crew was from the ACC.
Erasing penalties and reducing penalties were a focus of TCU’s offseason. In 2023, TCU ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the Big 12 in penalty yards and 11th in total penalties. TCU ranked 10th in both categories out of 16 conference teams in 2024. In 2025, TCU ranked 12th in the conference in total penalties and 15th in penalty yardage. The Frogs were 103rd in the FBS last season in penalties per game, averaging seven.
After the game, when Dykes was asked what the Horned Frogs could have done differently to avoid being penalized so often, he said, “Not have ACC officials.”
Offense, Craig Fail to Impress
After offensive coordinator Kendal Briles departed for the University of South Carolina and starting quarterback Josh Hoover transferred to the University of Indiana, Dykes brought in Sammis and Craig, who is one of the Frog’s five captains, to run a ball-control offense. Dykes believes such a traditional, physical offense can help the Frogs reach the Big 12 Conference Championship Game for the first time since 2022.
Sammis, who is just 10 years removed from coaching the offensive line at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), spent the previous four years at UConn, the last two as the Huskies' offensive coordinator. UConn is a Group of 6 football program that competes as an independent in football.
Craig, a former zero-star recruit, was a full-time starter the final two years of his four-year career at Harvard, in the Ivy League, in which there are no athletics scholarships. As a senior, he set Harvard single-season records for passing completions (208), touchdown passes (25) and passing yards (2,869). Craig finished his career with the Crimson as its all-time leader in passing yards (6,074) and touchdown passes (52). He made first-team All-Ivy League twice and took Harvard to the FCS Playoffs in 2025.
Despite their success at lower levels of collegiate football, doubt reigns supreme about Sammis and Craig at the Power 4 Conference-level after the TCU offense failed miserably in the loss to North Carolina.
Against North Carolina, the Frogs went up 10-3 on their first two drives in the first quarter. Sophomore running back Jon Denman scored the fourth touchdown of his career on a two-yard run and junior placekicker Kyle Lemmermann kicked a 31-yard field goal.
TCU didn’t score again, even though the Frogs got the ball eight more times during the game’s final 49 minutes. Craig and his offensive teammates often looked dazed, confused and lethargic, and the play calling by Sammis was ultra-conservative and lacked continuity.
TCU scored for the 421st consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NCAA history behind Florida (473 games), but the 10 points are the least scored by the Frogs since a 41-3 loss to Kansas State on October 21, 2023, in Manhattan, Kansas.
TCU had scored at least 30 points in its last 10 season-openers, which was the longest active FBS streak.
TCU also lost its streak of scoring at least 28 points in 30 straight non-conference regular-season games. It was the second-longest streak by an FBS team in the last 45 seasons.
The Frogs accumulated only 281 yards of total offense against North Carolina; 175 yards through the air and 106 yards on the ground. The rushing stat is misleading, as the Frogs lost 60 yards on the ground, including a fumble by Craig that he recovered and three sacks of the fifth-year senior.
TCU had just two passes completed beyond 15 yards in the air, and the Frogs only converted one-of-five fourth-down attempts.
Dykes opted to go for it on critical fourth downs in the red zone on TCU’s last two drives, and the Frogs failed both times.
On the Frogs’ next-to-last drive of the game, Payne was stuffed on fourth-and-one from the five-yard line on a simple run up the middle.
On TCU’s final possession of the game, Craig threw an incompletion when rolling left on fourth-and-two from the 10-yard line. If he had chosen to keep the ball and run, he might have gotten a first down. Instead, the Tar Heels got the football on a turnover on downs and ran out the final 4:05 of the game.
If field goal attempts had been converted on both of those fourth downs, TCU could have won the game 16-15.
“Looking back now, obviously, I wish we had kicked the two field goals, but at the time, it makes sense to try,” Dykes explained. “When you’re not moving the football, you’ve got to try to get the ball in the end zone.”
Craig completed 20-of-32 passes for 175 yards. He threw no touchdown passes or interceptions. He had a long completion of 40 yards. He was sacked three times, including once when he turned over the football on a fumble. He fumbled another time, but recovered the football.
Craig and Sammis had ample opportunities in their first-ever FBS game to produce a rousing comeback victory for the Frogs, but both failed.
In Craig’s and Sammis’ defense, TCU was without two starting wide receivers. Fifth-year senior Jordan Dwyer, who is a transfer from Idaho, and Ezukanma missed the game because of injuries.
In his postgame remarks, Dykes defended Craig. He said he is a talented quarterback and that he and the program believe in Craig 100 percent.
TCU junior running back Jeremy Payne rushed 25 times for 142 yards, the second-most yards of his career and the third 100-plus yard game of his career. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had a long run of 48 yards, the longest by either team. Payne added 27 yards on five receptions.
Dating back to the 2024 season, TCU has had a running back eclipse 135 rushing yards twice. Both times, it has been Payne. He rushed for 174 yards against Cincinnati in 2025.
Sophomore wide receiver Ed Small had nine receptions for 65 yards. He had a long reception of 17 yards. Senior tight end Ka’morreun Pimpton, a transfer from LSU, had one reception, for 40 yards, which was the second longest play by the Frogs. Senior tight end Kari Ashley, who transferred from Navarro Junior College and previously played at Georgia Tech, caught three passes for 17 yards.
Defense Controls Tar Heels
TCU’s defense, which returned most of last year’s defensive line and senior preseason All-Big 12 safety Jamel Johnson, gave up 322 yards of offense to the Tar Heels (232 passing yards and 90 rushing yards), but only 13 points, on one touchdown and two field goals.
When you hold a Power 4 Conference team to 13 offensive points, you expect to win the game.
UNC quarterback Billy Edwards, Jr., a transfer from Wisconsin who is in his sixth year of eligibility, completed only 16 of 28 passes. The Frogs sacked him three times.
Redshirt junior tight end Jelani Thurman, a transfer from Ohio State, was the Tar Heels’ leading receiver. He caught five passes for 94 yards. He had a long reception of 35 yards. Junior wide receiver Jordan Shipp had five receptions for 71 yards, with a long reception of 19 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver Trech Kekahuna, a transfer from Wisconsin, caught three passes for 38 yards. He had a long reception of 21 yards.
TCU’s run defense especially was stout, despite missing injured senior defensive end Zach Chapman.
Redshirt junior running back Benjamin Hall, a transfer from the University of Michigan, was UNC’s leading rusher with 36 yards on 11 rushes. Sophomore running back Jaylen McGill rushed five times for 33 yards. He scored a touchdown on a nine-yard run in the first quarter.
Junior placekicker Aeron Burell, a transfer from LSU, kicked a 20-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter.
TCU senior linebacker Max Carroll led the Frogs’ defense with nine tackles. He also forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles. He is the first TCU player to recover multiple fumbles in a game since at least 1995.
Sophomore safety Julius Sims and senior linebacker Michael Short, a transfer from the University of North Carolina, had six tackles each. Johnson, who is a team captain, had five tackles. Senior defensive tackle and team captain Ansel Din-Mbuh, a transfer from Washington State, had two sacks, the most of his career, and 2.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive end John Schobel had his first career sack and a tackle for loss. Junior safety Kaden McFadden forced a fumble.
Unfortunately, the most notorious defensive play of the game by the Frogs came on the final play of the game. With 30 seconds left in the game and UNC facing a fourth-and-one on the TCU 45yard line, TCU senior defensive tackle Markis Deal jumped offsides, giving the Tar Heels a first down and allowing the Tar Heels to run out the clock.
Special Teams ‘Snap’
North Carolina last season never led Power-Four opponent at halftime, but the Tar Heels went ahead of TCU on a safety and led the Frogs, 12-10, at the half.
After a snap from fifth-year senior long-snapper Aaron Bowers, a transfer from Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, sailed high over the head of junior punter John Hoyet Chance, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, Chance had to kick the football out of the back of the end zone for a safety, to keep North Carolina from potentially recovering the football for a touchdown. Earlier in the game, Chance handled a bounced snap when he was in punting formation.
The safety scored by UNC on the play was the first safety scored by a TCU opponent since Texas scored one in a 33-31 loss to the Frogs in Austin on October 3, 2020.
Chanced punted twice against the Tar Heels. He averaged 43.5 yards per kick. He also handled kickoff duties. His three kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.
Placekicker Lemmermann converted his lone field goal attempt of 31 yards.
Dykes Believes in Team
“This was a disappointing performance. We were here to win the game,” said Dykes. “I never doubted our players’ focus. We missed a lot of opportunities and at times we played inexperienced. We’ll make corrections and get better. I believe all of us will give everything we have to ensure we become a good football team.”
Additional Game Insight
Box score: here
Game highlights: here
TCU post-game remarks: here
Additional remarks by Dykes: here
North Carolina post-game remarks: here
