The Frogs’ Fourth-Quarter Rally Keeps Their Big 12 Title Hopes Alive. 

Tortillas were flying as the opening kickoff sailed through the October air at Amon G. Carter Stadium last Saturday afternoon.  

A little extra flour on the field didn’t seem to bother the Frogs, who pushed past their longtime rivals from Lubbock, 35-34, to improve to 5-3 (3-2). 

The win over Texas Tech allowed TCU to retake the Saddle Trophy, which has resided in Fort Worth for five of the last six seasons, 2023 being the lone exception.  

Another must-win game awaits in Week 10, at least if the Frogs are to have a chance of making it to AT&T Stadium on Dec. 7.  

A win at Baylor on Saturday, combined with an Iowa State loss in Ames against these same Red Raiders and a Kansas State loss at Houston, would pull the Frogs within a half-game of Big 12 title game position with three regular season contests remaining. 

“We’re making a lot of mistakes. It’s still not great football,” said head coach Sonny Dykes in his postgame press conference. “But we’re playing hard. And they’re starting to gain some confidence from grinding out some tough wins.” 

Here are five takeaways from the Frogs’ triumph against Texas Tech, the 26th in program history. 

Savion Williams’ six total touchdowns are a career-high with still a third of the regular season remaining. Photo by Percise Windom

Savion, Superstar 

Less than five minutes into regulation and before the FOX broadcast even began, Savion Williams had already tallied a 35-yard rushing touchdown. 

Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles continues to feed the fifth-year wide receiver with carries — 18 of them the past two weeks — after Williams handled three total rush attempts over the Frogs’ first six games. 

By the end of the first quarter, he’d scored his sixth TD of the year and second of the day, taking a Josh Hoover seam pass 75 yards to the end zone on the first play of the team’s third offensive drive.  

“He’s just a football player,” Hoover said of Williams after the win. “He’s a receiver, he’s a running back, he’s a tight end, he could play quarterback, he could play punter, whatever he wants to play.”  

On the Frogs’ final drive, with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, three of four handoffs went to Williams as the offense aimed to ice away a win. 

Texas Tech would force a punt to get the ball back with 29 ticks to go, but not before an 11-yard first down run from Williams bled precious time off the clock, dimming the Red Raiders’ hopes for a rally. 

TCU is 2-0 since getting Williams more involved in the ground game. He’s accounted for 144 of the team’s 249 rushing yards over the past two weeks. 

The formula is simple: Get the ball in the hands of the Frogs’ senior standout by any means necessary. 

With 19 TD throws, Josh Hoover is amidst one of the more prolific passing campaigns in school history. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Turnover-Happy Hoover 

For all the spectacular plays — his 2,270 passing yards led Big 12 quarterbacks entering Week 9 — Hoover has committed multiple giveaways in four of the Frogs’ past five games.  

A recent addition to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, he lost a fumble after taking a sack less than 60 seconds into the second quarter, setting up red zone field position for the Red Raiders, who cashed in a touchdown four plays later. 

Hoover added his seventh interception of the year a few possessions after that, giving Texas Tech the ball in plus territory once again, though that drive would fizzle out at the Frogs’ 33-yard line before kicker Reese Burkhardt pushed a 50-yard try wide right. 

On TCU’s opening drive of the third quarter, a deflected Hoover pass landed in the hands of a Texas Tech defender, putting him in a nine-way tie for the 12th-most interceptions thrown in the FBS this season.

All turbulence aside, Hoover settled in from there, throwing a pair of touchdowns in the final frame to engineer his second career fourth-quarter comeback.  

“Once he had a handle on what was going on, it looked like he just let the game come to him,” Dykes said after the win. “Once he did that, I thought he was very effective and moved the ball well down the stretch. And it was just enough to win.” 

TCU’s defense has stacked up a combined six sacks in wins over Utah and Texas Tech the past two weeks. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Fourth Quarter Frogs

The defense did its part to ensure TCU walked away with a home win despite the Frogs trailing 31-21 entering the fourth. 

Not only did it contain Texas Tech to three points in the final 15 minutes, but the defense also earned a vital takeaway to reclaim possession on the Red Raiders’ penultimate drive.  

As Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond attempted to spin away from linebacker Johnny Hodges on a keeper, nose tackle Hakeem Ajijolaiya met the football with his helmet to force it loose.  

Moments later, defensive lineman Markis Deal emerged from the pile in possession of the ball. 

“I hit my max vertical on the sideline. I jumped four or five times because I didn’t think everybody realized it was a fumble at first,” Hoover said.

It was the type of late-game stop the Frogs had been unable to get over the first half of the season. 

“I just trusted my training, point blank, period,” Ajijolaiya said after the game. “[Andy] Avalos and [JaMarkus McFarland], they put you in a position to make plays, and I just trusted my training.” 

With Baylor’s offense finding its stride by way of 97 combined points the past two weeks — including 59 against Texas Tech on Oct. 19 — more defensive heroics may be needed Saturday night in Waco. 

Time of Possession Problems

The Red Raiders ate up 37:25 of the possession time, the most for any Horned Frog opponent this season. 

The Frogs had eight offensive drives of three or fewer plays, one resulting from Williams’ long touchdown catch and another Eric McAlister’s go-ahead 84-yard catch-and-run fourth-quarter TD, but the others were abbreviated mostly because of turnovers and three-and-outs. 

Not that time of possession is the be-all, end-all when it comes to winning, last Saturday’s victory being the latest example. But if the Frogs can find more consistency in the run game and take better care of the ball, it would only help the team close out more wins in the fourth quarter.  

Devean Deal’s hot streak has coincided with a recent resurgence from the entire Horned Frog defense. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Deal or No Deal 

Linebacker Devean Deal has made his presence known the past two weeks, turning back-to-back starts into a combined three sacks and 14 tackles.  

His nine total tackles last Saturday tied Namdi Obiazor for the team lead, while his five solo takedowns were second only to Bud Clark’s six. 

The Frogs’ two sacks per game are tied for 53rd among 134 FBS programs — not bad considering the defense’s slow start. But it’s no secret a formidable pass-rush has been the key to many a great defense. TCU has only grown stronger in that category with Deal’s uptick in playing time.  

It’s safe to say the Tulane transfer has earned some additional reps. No other Horned Frog has recorded three sacks in a two-game span all season.  

 — Corey Smith