TCU Football: Defense Dominates Enroute to 38-13 Win

The Sonny Dykes era has officially begun in Fort Worth, and it started off in style.

Twitter: @TCUFootball

In the first game under new Head Coach Sonny Dykes, TCU took down Colorado 38-13 Friday night in Boulder, Colorado. This was the first time ever these two teams squared off on the gridiron, and everything went in favor of the Frogs, especially in the second half. 

Two touchdowns from Derius Davis helped lead the way for the Horned Frogs. His first touchdown came on a 60-yard punt return where he scampered up the left sideline to give TCU the lead. That punt return tied KaVontae Turpin's TCU record of four career punt returns for touchdowns. His second touchdown came on a 27-yard run behind an incredible block by tackle Brandon Coleman to put the Frogs up 24-6.

The punt return TD was tough 💨 @TCUFootball pic.twitter.com/lM2oG27QCW

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 3, 2022

Colorado controlled time of possession early in this game. In fact, at halftime TCU had only 67 total yards of offense but still led. Perhaps the weather delay contributed to the slow start. However, the defense wasn't phased by the delay and were a force to be reckoned with on Friday. Senior Dee Winters was a stand out, flying all over the field and had excellent anticipation. He had four tackles and a sack. Freshman Damonic Williams, who is only 17 years old, had a terrific 4th down stop on Colorado's opening possession and also added a sack. 

There was a lot of controversy surrounding the starting quarterback spot for Friday's game. Coach Dykes stated that he planned to use all three quarterbacks in this game which did happen. However, it was sophomore Chandler Morris that drew the start. He completed 13 of his 20 passes for 111 yards adding 18 yards on the ground before he had to leave the game due to an apparent knee injury. 

Senior Max Duggan, who was last year's starter, came in for Morris and led TCU to three scoring drives. He almost had a rushing touchdown himself but he tripped under his feet. Freshman Sam Jackson came in for the last few minutes and showed off his speed with 44 yards on the ground including a rushing touchdown. 

Team Stats	TCU	Colorado
Time of Possession	26:42	33:18
Total Yards	413	348
Passing Yards	138	235
Rushing Yards	275	113
First Downs	17	20
Penalties	7	5

TCU's offense relied heavily on the rushing attack. There were gaping holes in the Colorado front seven leading to huge gains. TCU ended up rushing for 275 yards, and all touchdowns came from the ground. Kendre Miller led the way with 52 yards and added a 3-yard score which I felt was TCU's best offensive possession. Emari Demercado had four carries for 49 yards including a 43-yard score to put TCU up 14-6.

Oh my goodness. Emari Demercado put that Colorado safety in a blender https://t.co/IFCJhfwgbX

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 3, 2022

Another highlight is that TCU didn't have any turnovers or sacks allowed. This is something Coach Dykes would love to see every game and is a recipe for success. TCU's offense was conservative with the passing attack. There were a lot of check downs and Morris was getting the ball out quick. The wide receivers were involved in the rushing attack and getting them in the open field seemed to be a point of emphasis for TCU.

As for Colorado, it was a rough night offensively and defensively. The Buffaloes went with a two-quarterback approach with J.T. Shrout and Brendon Lewis. Neither quarterback offered a lot on Friday, but Shrout showed that he has the potential to be the starter moving forward. Colorado scored their first touchdown with 1:14 left in the game via a touchdown pass from Shrout to Jordyn Tyson. Fans were not happy with the conservative offensive game plan and their refusal to go for it on 4th down despite trailing.

The Colorado defense wasn't on the field much in the 1st half but towards the end of the game you could see the fatigue wearing in. Players were worn out and giving up huge plays allowing TCU to tack on extra points. 

The Buffaloes will travel to Falcon Stadium to take on Air Force next Saturday while the Horned Frogs will look to make it two in a row in their home opener against Tarleton State next Saturday at 7p.m.

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