For just the third time in the Gary Patterson era, his team lost to its cross-metroplex rival.
SMU came out firing on all cylinders and dismantled a TCU team that was flying high after a big road win 41-38.
“There’s a way to win and a way to lose. Have to give SMU credit. Coach Dykes. We got out-played and out-coached. Got to get ready to play,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “ There is no silver lining. When you start finding those you become average. In 2005 this was the only game I lost. Cost us the whole season. Every game counts one and we didn’t get ready.”
The Frogs entered the game with the second-best defense in the country, but was picked apart by SMU’s Shane Buechele, who had lost to TCU twice before while a member of Texas. Buechele completed 23 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
But it wasn’t just the air attack that was working. Three different Mustangs scored on the ground as SMU never trailed after building a 15-0 lead just nine minutes into the game.
The bright spot for the TCU offense was once again Darius Anderson. The senior running back had more than 160 yards and two touchdowns for the second straight week.
TCU seems to have officially picked its quarterback by going to true freshman Max Duggan to get the start and play the entire game. He only completed one of 10 passes in the first half for 22 yards to Dylan Thomas, but seemingly grew more confident as the game went on.
“I think Max competed to the end. He battled. We didn’t start well at all and that’s a lot my fault,” TCU offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie said. “At the end of the day I didn’t do a good enough job of getting him into rhythm.”
That rhythm came in the second half as Duggan completed 15 of 26 passes for 166 yards and three scores down the stretch. Thomas was his go-to target with four catches for 70 yards. In the red zone the true freshman went to right end Pro Wells, who had two touchdown catches for a total of 25 yards. Sewo Olonilua had a five-yard score
In the fourth quarter, TCU battled back and had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute. Wells’ second score came with 3:37 left and pulled TCU to within a field goal. The defense stood tall and forced a punt thanks in part to a bad SMU snap. The Mustangs handed the ball back to the Frogs at their own 36 with 2:35 to play.
A pair of runs made it third and three from the SMU 34-yard line, still likely 5-10 yards away from Jonathan Song’s field goal range. Duggan mishandled the snap and had to fall on the ball for a four-yard loss. That set up a desperation fourth down attempt that sailed incomplete over everybody’s head.
“I felt like Max gave us the best chance to win,” Cumbie said. “I didn’t do a good job of getting him early completions to get into rhythm. In the second half he was able to make some plays with his feet.”
Down a touchdown with 5:25 left in the third quarter TCU tried to get fancy inside the SMU red zone and it proved costly in a three-point loss. On third and four, Alex Delton got his lone snap of the game and tried to run up the middle for the first down and only picked up three yards. On fourth and one, TCU went to its Wild Frog formation and for the first time in three years attempted to pass out of it instead of just dive to the right for the one yard. Olonilua was sacked and TCU lost the ball on downs. SMU drove down and scored a touchdown and TCU never fully recovered.
"For three years we’ve ran two plays out of that wild frog formation," Cumbie said. "We’ve practiced it a lot and the one time we call (the Sewo pass) they cover it up."
The Frogs (2-1) will look to rebound when Big 12 play begins at 11 a.m. Sept. 28 against Kansas (2-2, 0-1)
