Why the blowout loss to SMU was the worst of coach Sonny Dykes’ tenure at TCU

Oftentimes in college football, it’s not about losing. It’s about how you lose.

Most college fans understand their program isn’t Alabama or Ohio State and don’t expect 12-0 seasons every year. But what fans don’t understand is when their team looks like the Horned Frogs have for the last six quarters.

After blowing multiple three-possession leads against Central Florida, the Horned Frogs were dismantled by crosstown rival SMU , 66-42, against a team that struggled to put up points against Nevada. There’s no delicate way to put it: Saturday’s loss was an embarrassing effort that has already sent a shock wave of displeasure throughout the fanbase.

For some around Fort Worth, it hasn’t been just the last six quarters that have been so troubling, their worry extended all the way to January 2023 after TCU was humbled in the national championship game vs. Georgia.

There have been a number of frustrating defeats since the Horned Frogs’ brief time at the top of the college football mountain. Losses to Colorado and Kansas State come to mind, but even those losses pale in comparison to what happened Saturday.

Sonny Dykes’ ejection at the start of the third quarter only inflamed what was the ugliest game of his tenure. Dykes said it was his first time he’s been ejected from a game and you have to wonder was it really just about a holding call that took off a touchdown?

Or was it about Dykes feeling the mounting pressure and criticism brewing as the Horned Frogs went from trailing 24-21 with 5 minutes remaining in the first half to down 41-21 at halftime.

In the postgame, Dykes said he knew this type of performance would bring out a legion of critics and to Dykes’ credit, he owned the fact that most of it is deserved.

“When something like this goes bad, there’s no escaping it, you’ve got to face the critics,” Dykes said. “The critics are warranted with our performance tonight without a doubt. You’ve got to own in and move forward, that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll have to rally the troops and move forward. I think we will.”

Will they? On paper the next two games at Kansas and vs. Houston may be the two most winnable games remaining on the schedule with how the Horned Frogs have looked.

But while they represent chances to get back in the win column and build momentum, the other possibility is TCU could lose two more games to two opponents that are both currently 1-3.

It’s hard to know what to expect from this team at this point. Dykes said earlier in the week he believed the first half against UCF was the best football TCU has played during his tenure, including better than some of the performances in 2022.

Well if that was the best half, the first half against SMU had to be among the worst. The fact that it came after a collapse at home only makes it more troubling.

So what is TCU’s problem this season? The Horned Frogs have upgraded at quarterback and talent isn’t an issue according to the 247Sports team talent rankings. By that metric TCU has the most talented roster in the conference with more former five and four-star prospects than anybody else in the league.

The Horned Frogs have a number of players that will be drafted. If it’s not talent then what? The offensive line that was put together through the transfer portal has underwhelmed, but that wasn’t completely unexpected with the way TCU’s defense performed in the fall against the unit.

But TCU only rushing for 65 yards on 32 carries isn’t something that anyone could have foreseen. On defense, Andy Avalos’ scheme was a breath of fresh air for 10 quarters.

There was a toughness, an edge the unit played with early on, but now the defense doesn’t look much different than it did under Joe Gillespie. UCF and SMU didn’t have to get creative to find weaknesses to exploit.

Inside zone, halfback power, mixed in with a little read option is all that was needed the last six quarters for teams to rush for over 380 yards while TCU managed just over 100 during that same period.

Dykes said afterwards that he still believes that this is a good football team, but how many good teams can’t run the ball or stop the run? Those are two basic foundations for any successful program, no matter how advanced the offenses become across the sport.

If you’re an offensive coordinator facing TCU, why cook up a creative scheme when you know you can pick up five to seven yards on the ground on just about every carry? That’s the dilemma facing TCU going forward this season, knowing that teams will test their toughness physically and mentally.

Speaking of mental, there has to be concern in the locker room that the Horned Frogs are about to fall into the same downward spiral as last year when Dykes said he believed the team never recovered from the upset against Colorado in the season opener.

“I’m worried about it for sure, I think that we can handle it, but I’m concerned,” Dykes said. “I think anybody would be. We’re going to have to have tremendous leadership and I think we do. Guys are going to have to take a lot of ownership of this and a lot of it starts with me. Part of being a man is going to face the stuff and there’s going to be a lot of stuff and there deserves to be.”

It’s on Dykes to strengthen the resolve of the team mentally and remind them that all of their goals are still possible with just one loss in Big 12 play. Whether or not that message gets through will have ramifications beyond just this season.