Well, Sonny Dykes may have brought stability to Fort Worth, but TCU fans are not just looking for survival; they’re chasing a championship berth. After a disappointing 5-7 season in 2023, last year’s 9-4 record and New Mexico Bowl victory felt like a breath of fresh air. Best part? The result came after three 5-7 seasons (including 2021 and 2019) in five years. Despite the turnaround, fans aren’t celebrating it yet. As expectations are sky high, and the message is clear: nine wins are good, but this program aims for much more. Anything less than a strong finish will feel like a setback, and no one in purple wants a déjà vu.
With a schedule that seemed favorable, fans had every right to be optimistic about Sonny Dykes’ team last year. TCU got a boost from the Big 12’s changes, with Oklahoma and Texas gone, which should have led to a better start in 2024. The Horned Frogs were expected to win against teams like Stanford, LIU, SMU, Kansas, Houston, Baylor, Arizona, and Cincinnati. Teams like Utah, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State certainly presented challenges, but most of those games were close.
Now, even if most of it went their way, the Horned Frogs did face tough losses against teams that were projected to win (UCF, Houston, Baylor among others). And TCU’s beat writer Steven Johnson didn’t mince words before pointing it out on Brian Howell’s podcast. “The first year was amazing. Second year was kind of and, and then last year, even though they won nine games, I think there was still a little bit of a feeling from a fan base that, ‘Hey, maybe we didn’t capitalize on this schedule’; they were a game or two away from being able to play in Arlington,” Johnson said. Their 34-35 loss against UCF, especially, was nothing but shocking.
“They got upset by UCF. I think they were leading by three possessions in that game. I don’t, I still don’t really understand how they blew that game,” Johnson said. The Big 12 opener was a heartbreaker, as they squandered a 21-point lead at home. While quarterback Josh Hoover put up a strong performance with 402 yards and four touchdowns, the Horned Frogs’ defense faltered, especially on the interior line. The offense also struggled, with only 17 rushing attempts for 58 yards, including a mere two runs in the crucial third quarter. Even holding a late 34-28 lead, they opted for three consecutive passes instead of running the clock, resulting in a quick punt that set up UCF’s winning drive. Then their loss against Houston just made things worse for Sonny Dykes’s team.
As TCU hit a new low for the 2024 season, falling to 3-3 after a disappointing 30-19 home defeat against a struggling team. Despite being strong favorites, the struggling team left them in the dust in every aspect of the game. The defense surrendered 207 rushing yards, highlighted by a 71-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Zeon Chriss, and committed four turnovers. The 3-3-5 scheme continues to fail, as they struggle to stop the run and generate impactful plays in the passing game, managing only a single interception all season. “They got upset by Houston and that was a game that I think many people started wondering about maybe his even job secured and then you had the Baylor game,” Johnson said.
Sonny Dykes’s team’s defense repeated the same story against Baylor. They gave up 257 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs, which ultimately halted their championship run. So, while the expectations are high this year, TCU’s inconsistency bothers many. However, one thing remains constant, which is BYU’s trust in QB Josh Hoover.
Sonny Dykes QB becomes their ultimate strength
After a rocky 3-3 beginning and a defense that struggled, raising questions, TCU rebounded in 2024, winning six of their last seven games and silencing the doubters. Despite this, FanDuel sets their win total at a mere 6.5, reflecting continued uncertainty about the team’s potential. While the Horned Frogs have an 8-11 record in their last 19 games, their strong finish last year demonstrates their capability when they’re performing at their best. And that’s because offense took over most of the pressure, and it’s Josh Hoover’s exceptional leadership that turned things around for them.
That’s exactly what Steven Johnson is pointing at: “So if you look, TCU was three and three or something around there to start, and it was in large part because he [Hoover] was just turning the ball over so much. The back half, maybe his yards per game numbers went down a little bit, but you saw him have more control, more command over the offense, and that’s why TCU won, I think, six of seven to kind of close the year,” he said. But do the statistics back Johnson’s claims?
Turns out, the QB threw for 3,949 yards and 27 TDs with a completion rate of 66.5%. But the only concern that remains is, “I think he’s a guy—he has the arm strength. [But] He’s not the most athletic guy, and I think that’s why he’s maybe not in those same national conversations with a lot of guys,” Johnson added. So despite an impressive run, those 11 interceptions show some inconsistency. But even with that, Josh Hoover is the one who took Sonny Dykes’s team to a 9-win season, and he will surely finish big this season. Now, with this playmaker, let’s see if Sonny Dykes’s championship hopes turn into reality or not.
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