TCU QB Grade: Josh Hoover vs. SMU

Hoover made mistakes and added to a defensive failure.

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover against SMU 9/21/24 / Brian McLean - On Assignment Photo/TCU Horned Frogs On SI

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover had an up-and-down performance in an embarrassing 66-42 loss to SMU. He finished with an inefficient stat line of 28/43 with 396 yards and three touchdowns. However, he also had two interceptions and lost two fumbles.

There was a long list of things that went wrong for TCU against SMU; the offense was not the main problem, as they scored 42 points. But that was not enough when the defense gave up 66 points. Nevertheless, the offense still made several crucial mistakes, including five turnovers.

The first of those turnovers was a fumble by Hoover on a botched exchange between him and a running back. That fumble was returned for a touchdown and led to the beginning of the Mustang onslaught. Hoover cut the lead to 7-17 with a short quarterback sneak. He threw his first touchdown on 4th and 1 to Eric McAlister, and that made the score 21-24 SMU.

Hoover floated a pass that was picked off and returned for a touchdown that blew the game open as the Mustangs led 38-21. Hoover was able to connect with Jack Bech on a long touchdown pass shortly after TCU head coach Sonny Dykes was ejected from the game. Hoover was then strip-sacked for yet another turnover, which was returned to the one-yard line. The next chance for the Frogs to score was thrown away with another Hoover interception and the Frogs' horrible day continued.

A late touchdown to Bech cut the lead to 35-59, but nothing TCU did mattered at that point. Hoover was replaced by Ken Seals to end a nightmarish day for the entire team. While the final numbers do not look bad, Hoover's turnovers only compounded the poor defensive play into something much worse. The Frogs need to fix a lot of things moving forward, turnovers being their chief concern. That starts with Hoover.

Grade: C+

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