TCU Football: A Friday Night Lights Disaster

The Horned Frogs failed to lead against Houston in one of the most embarrassing losses suffered in recent memory.

Oct 4, 2024; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes talks to an official during a timeout in the game against the Houston Cougars at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Two years removed from an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the national championship, TCU football has hit a new low. It has been nothing but disappointment for this program since that game, but this loss sent Frog fans into utter confusion.

Houston never trailed in a 30-19 win over TCU. After both teams had a turnover on downs, the Cougars led a seven-play drive which resulted in a Zeon Chriss touchdown pass to Devan Williams. A two-yard score from Re'Shaun Sanford and a field goal put Houston up 17-0. It left the home fans stunned as their team struggled all night long.

The Frogs finally got a response late in the first half as Savion Williams made a nice catch but a missed extra point made it 17-6. It didn't take long for Chriss to make his statement as he scampered 77 yards to put the Cougars up 24-6 at the half.

The offense started to put things together in the second half. Jeremy Payne punched it in from two yards out to cut the lead to 12 and Jack Bech scored once again to make it a one possession game. Trailing by eight and desperately needing a stop, Houston ran it right down the field and the defense couldn't get off the field. A field goal seemingly iced the game.

Josh Hoover went 23-37 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a rough night for the sophomore quarterback. He made a couple bad reads but was also under pressure consistently. The Cougars got to Hoover with a three man rush. J.P. Richardson led all receivers with nine catches for 98 yards.

The run defense continued to be a problem. The Cougars did nothing fancy and yet Andy Avalos had no answers. They allowed 207 rushing yards. The offense turned it over four times and seven in the last two games.

A lot of credit goes to Houston for coming out and taking it to the Horned Frogs. For a team that hadn't scored in the last two games, they looked like the more energized and excited team. The loss led to boos raining down at Amon G. Carter stadium as fans left disgruntled and disappointed.

Head Coach Sonny Dykes said this was a devastating loss and the players are hurt and embarrassed and that the fans deserve better than this. The standard has risen at TCU. A standard that was set by Gary Patterson and went to another level two years ago. Fans expect excellence and a program that can compete at the top of the conference. What happened on Friday night is inexcusable and fans have every right to express their frustration. This team needs to be better.


The Frogs will have a much needed bye week before they hit the road to take on Utah on October 19th.

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