What We Noticed:

1. Racing out of the Gates

So much for slow starts. TCU came out of the tunnel sporting sweet liquid steel helmets and promptly caused a Baker Mayfield fumble on Oklahoma’s first possession. When the Frog offense took over, Kenny Hill tossed a dime to Jaelan Austin, marking the first time this season the first offensive play of the game resulted in a touchdown. TCU roared to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Ol’ momentum was definitely on the side of the home team, and the crowd was feeling it. If only the team’s ferocity had persisted into the second quarter …

2. Wide-open Williams

The mantra “TCU doesn’t rebuild. We reload” may sound repetitive at this point, but it’s just as relevant in 2016 as it has been any other year. Case in point: Taj Williams’ 210-yard receiving day ranked fourth in Honed Frog history. After scrambling the record book over and over in 2014 and 2015, Frogs such as Williams and Kenny Hill are doing it all over again. Hopefully someone in the records department procured a hefty stash of extra pens.

3. Thing of Beauty

Kyle Hicks’ 61-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown may have been the highlight of the game. Such spectacular plays are a rarity for a good reason – a scamper over half of the football field, unlike a long pass, requires juking a handful of defenders — seven for this score. Cadillac Hicks somehow seems to be improving each week, and the career-long reception was his best play yet in purple (or, em, black). Kudos also go out for the solid downfield blocking that made the touchdown possible.

Hicks for Six is becoming a familiar refrain in 2016. (photo by Sharon Ellman)

4. Gladney He’s Back

Has the defensive shuffling ceased for the time being? Granted, giving up 52 points was not the ideal outcome for the game, but at least in the secondary, the Fightin’ Frogs of old looked to be back. With Ranthony Texada playing his best game of the season at one corner position, and Jeff Gladney, recovered from the injury that sent Deanté Gray to defense, at the other, the secondary managed to confuse the Baker Mayfield-led Oklahoma passing attack. (About the 260 yards the Sooners gained from rushing, well, that’s another matter.) Going into the long stretch of Big 12 games, we’re happy to see Gladney and Texada filling the roles best suiting their skills.

5. Purple Hearts

Staring down a 49-31 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, TCU fans might have been feeling a tad demoralized. Sure, the field was full of talented athletes, but who would step up and lead a comeback? Turns out lots of Frogs had the chutzpah to keep on believin’. Challenging until the final whistle required many bold stops on defense, a string of great passes from Kenny Hill and deft catches from the receiving corps. The fan base can follow this leadership and get geared up for the second half of what is shaping up to be another unforgettable year in the Big 12.

Five Tweets That Told the Tale

#blackout pic.twitter.com/I40s6ioMch

— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) October 1, 2016

OUR HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE! Thank you @TCUstudentsect #LOUDER pic.twitter.com/rXPmFzSKj7

— K.Patterson (@kels_patterson) October 1, 2016

MUST WATCH: Kenny Hill with the pass, but Kyle Hicks made people look silly with the moves on this #SCTop10 run! #BeatOklahoma pic.twitter.com/vFecBtaVgA

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 1, 2016

It's getting crazy in #Funkytown pic.twitter.com/RzILg8d7e3

— Jeremy Clark (@JClarkHFB247) October 2, 2016

Combined 1st and 4th quarter scores: TCU 43, OU 10.

Combined 2nd and 3rd quarter scores: OU 42, TCU 3.

— Grant McGalliard (@grantmcgalliard) October 2, 2016