TCU coasted past Long Island University in its lone 2024 regular-season matchup against a non-Power Four program, topping the Sharks 45-0 in Saturday’s home opener.  

The game was the Horned Frogs’ first shutout since October 2017. 

“I told our team afterward, ‘It’s really difficult to get a shutout in college football,’ ” coach Sonny Dykes said after the win. “It was a heck of a job by us defensively. I thought we did a good job of playing physical, tackling and getting off the field most of the time on third down.”  

TCU’s offense also controlled the action with a balanced attack that converted all six red zone visits to touchdowns. 

Quarterback Josh Hoover had a string of 14 consecutive completions on his way to 267 passing yards and two touchdowns. Twelve players recorded a catch. Seven tallied at least one carry. The Frogs had four rushing scores in a game for the third time since the start of last year. 

With wins over Stanford, a 3-9 team last year, and an FCS opponent in Long Island, the Horned Frogs have fared well on the driving range. Now kicks off the nine-hole gauntlet of the conference slate, plus a Sept. 21 trip to take on ACC newcomer SMU.  

Here are five takeaways as TCU celebrates its second win of the season and eyes a Week 3 home tilt against UCF and All-Big 12 preseason Newcomer of the Year KJ Jefferson. 

Defensive Personnel Have Elite Potential

TCU’s defense has given the Horned Frog faithful reason to believe it could be among the Big 12 elite this season. 

Johnny Hodges’ return looks to have sparked the linebacking group. His seven tackles Saturday night tied safety Richard Toney Jr. for a team high. 

Fellow linebacker Namdi Obiazor is on pace for 24 tackles for loss and nine sacks through the first two contests, but the Frogs are getting pass-rush contributions from all over the place.  

Six different players have logged at least a half sack, including Notre Dame transfer NaNa Osafo-Mensah, a defensive lineman who notched his first solo sack Saturday. 

“The front seven is amazing,” Toney said. “A lot of those guys are really physical. They want to make plays. They want to get to the ball. We got straight dawgs up there in that front seven.” 

Linebacker Cooper McDonald logged four tackles, including a tackle for loss, during Saturday’s shutout of Long Island University. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Let Cam Cook

After an encouraging outing at Stanford, running back Cam Cook backed it up with a three-touchdown effort in Week 2, totaling 58 rushing yards on 13 carries.  

“I’m going to make the most out of any chance I get,” Cook said after the game. “I was blessed to be out there.” 

While Cook posted a second–straight 60-plus–yard, touchdown-yielding performance, the rush offense averaged only 3.4 yards per tote on 37 team attempts.  

Dykes said there’s room for improvement in run blocking.  

“This was a different approach defensively than we expected to see. We’ve got to do a better job of adapting and adjusting,” the coach said. “People are chopping their front up on us, a lot of line movement. We’ve just got to be good fundamentally.” 

Earle Eats in 2024 Debut

Wideout JoJo Earle wasted little time getting going in Saturday’s shellacking of the Sharks, grabbing a 5-yard touchdown from Hoover on a quick out less than 90 seconds into the second quarter.  

Fellow wide receiver — and former high school quarterback — Savion Williams found Earle for a 15-yard completion a play earlier to drive the Frogs into the low red zone after offensive coordinator Kendal Briles dialed up a reverse pass. 

Having missed significant time with injury, Earle said it felt good to get between the white lines and make an impact.  

“I haven’t played ball in a little bit. I missed all of spring and the majority of fall camp,” Earle said postgame. “It’s been a long time.” 

Dykes said he’s glad to see the Alabama transfer healthy. Earle’s ability to slot in at different spots has been valuable to the offense. 

“We intended to play him outside this year and felt like he could make the biggest impact playing outside receiver,” Dykes said. “Some guys started to go down, particularly Major [Everhart], and then, with [Jack] Bech moving outside, JoJo bounced back inside, which I think has been a good move for him.” 

Takeaways Christian University

The defense keeps finding ways to generate turnovers.  

Obiazor intercepted Long Island quarterback Luca Stanzani on a deflected third-quarter pass after defensive lineman Tymon Mitchell picked off Stanford signal-caller Ashton Daniels a week before. 

“Tips and overthrows, you gotta get those,” Obiazor said. “I just saw the ball in the air. I made a play on it and did a little bit with it, but I’ve gotta get in the end zone next time.” 

TCU has also forced a pair of fumbles through the first two weeks of the regular season. Though it’s yet to recover one, activity around the ball is promising.  

The Frogs defense tied for the second-fewest interceptions and second-fewest fumble recoveries in the Big 12 last year. It looks like that could change this season. 

Don’t Forget About Dominique

Running back Dominique Johnson punched his way over the pylon for a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, extending TCU’s lead to 24-0. 

The TD plunge was the junior’s first in purple. It came on just his seventh carry of the campaign. He also peeled off a 20-yard run on the offense’s third possession of the night, helping move the Horned Frogs into field-goal range.  

The Arkansas transfer had a career year for the Hogs in 2021, stacking up 5.9 yards per carry en route to 575 rushing yards and a team-high seven touchdowns on the ground. 

Two ACL injuries in as many years reduced production during the later stages of Johnson’s time in Fayetteville. Early indications are that he’s coming back with a vengeance in 2024. 

— Corey Smith