TCU Football: What Did We Learn Against Houston

Disappointment. Tempered expectations. Maybe even a seat warming up? Breaking down what fans can take away from the loss this past weekend.

TCU Assistant Coach Doug Meachem during the loss to Houston / Tony Beblowski, KillerFrogs

Recording last week's podcast preview episode with fellow writer Carson Wersal, we briefly discussed the matchup against Houston because we and many others thought TCU would have dominated it. Boy, were we wrong.

Picture this: You are on a plane 32,000 feet in the air, on your way to New Orleans to watch one of your best friends get married, thinking there is nothing that could possibly ruin this weekend. Then, the game kicks off. Houston scored on the game's opening drive and then proceeded to lead the entire rest of the game, never allowing the Frogs to even make it close. Well, that was my Friday night, and since then, I've rewatched the game twice, so let's talk about what fans can take away from it.

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The Quest For Perfection

It started in 2022, Dykes first year with the Frogs, when the team made it to the National Championship. The program, the fans, and the coaching staff have been chasing that season since the year it happened. Here's the thing, though: the 2022 season is not a regularity, but rather it is an outlier. Attempting to chase the storied success from that year, one loses sight of what the program truly is and has been since the 2000s.

TCU is not a program built to compete for a championship year in and year out.

Not many programs are. That is not the norm. The normal is once every two to three years; your program competes for a conference championship and could make a run for a title opportunity.

That want. That need that the fanbase and the coaching staff have for "perfection" has led us to where we are now—wanting to chase coaches out of town after being upset by a team you were favored to beat by more than 15 points. The perfection that has been asked of the sophomore quarterback Josh Hoover to win you games.

Now, Hoover hasn't been perfect, and the team has played below expectations for the season, but the quarterback is still third in the country in passing yards with over 2000 on the season. Yet, the remarks have been, "Well, he has a turnover problem" and "he struggled against Houston out of all teams.". The problem lies more profound than that. Hoover isn't calling the plays, and he isn't responsible for blocking for himself either, and he isn't the reason that TCU has failed to establish a run game.

More than one single problem can be pinpointed with the team right now. There is offensive play-calling falling apart when teams drop six-plus defenders into coverage every time. There is the problem that defensive players are still struggling to understand the scheme installed by first-year coordinator Andy Avalos. There is the problem of a lack of urgency from the team and a lack of being "fired up" to be playing. There is the problem of run blocking and pass blocking being unable to coincide on drives.

There is a problem of trying to be perfect on a broad scheme of things and forgetting the details.

Details that have caused the season to be where it is now. Like missing a blitz assignment resulting in a sack on a third down or the detail that Dykes has a contract until 2028 with money that will be owed if he was to be let go after this season.

Yes, it sucked for the fans and alumni of the team to miss out on a bowl game last season, and it has felt even worse to watch the team struggle the way they have this season. The disappointment is real. The hurt is real. This season is, unfortunately, real. Changes will be made; you can bet on that. And it's ok to chase after perfection, but not without losing sight of reality.

Enjoy the rest of the season and this bye week because TCU can't hurt you. But just know Saturday will come, and you will feel slightly upset not getting to see your Horned Frogs play, no matter what the ending result would be. That's what sports are about, that feeling of pride and enjoyment, so cherish it the rest of the way, no matter what happens.

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