Nov. 29, 2021: Sonny Dykes is introduced as TCU’s new head football coach. The Dykes family flies into Amon G. Carter Stadium via helicopter.

The Dykes era at TCU started in grand fashion in November 2021. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Ellman Photography

March 22, 2022: Spring football practice begins. For the first time in more than 20 years, practices are regularly open to the public.

Aug. 1, 2022: Fall camp opens. An intense competition for the starting quarterback role unfolds; Chandler Morris wins the job right before the season kicks off.

Sept. 1, 2022: The Carter Boys TV show debuts on ESPN+. The weekly show features game recaps, student-athlete interviews and more behind-the-scenes footage as the season unfolds.

Sept. 2, 2022: The Dykes era gets underway on a beautiful night in Boulder, Colorado. TCU beats the Colorado Buffaloes, 38-13. Quarterback Chandler Morris exits with an injury; Max Duggan steps in and never looks back. Derius Davis returns a punt for a 60-yard touchdown and later earns Big 12 Special Team Player of the Week honors.

TCU quarterbacks Max Duggan and Chandler Morris warm up before the Frogs’ season-opening game in Boulder, Colorado. Morris won the starting job but was injured in the third quarter of the game. Duggan took over and went on to become the 2022 Heisman Trophy runner-up. Courtesy of TCU Football

Oct. 1, 2022: TCU destroys the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners in Fort Worth, 55-24, to move to 4-0. Dykes becomes the first TCU head football coach to win his opening four games since Francis Schmidt in 1929. The 49,094 fans in attendance constitute the second-largest crowd in Amon G. Carter Stadium history. Duggan’s 418 yards of total offense earn him Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors.

TCU receiver Taye Barber (4) scores a touchdown in the first quarter of the Frogs’ decisive 55-24 win over the Sooners. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Ellman Photography

Oct. 2, 2022: TCU debuts in the 2022 AP Poll at No. 17, beginning a steady ascent up the season’s rankings.

Oct. 8, 2022: With ESPN’s College GameDay show stationed in Lawrence, Kansas, TCU beats the undefeated No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks, 38-31. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston nabs 14 receptions for 206 yards and later earns Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

Oct. 15, 2022: TCU outlasts No. 8 Oklahoma State in a double-overtime thriller, winning 43-40. The Frogs’ three consecutive wins over ranked opponents is a first in program history. 

Oct. 16, 2022: TCU rises to No. 8 in the AP Poll, breaking into the nation’s Top 10 for the first time since 2017.

Oct. 22, 2022: The Frogs win a comeback game over No. 17 Kansas State, rallying from 18 points down to triumph 38-28. Students set an attendance record.

TCU fans wore black during TCU’s home win over Kansas State. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Ellman Photography

Nov. 5, 2022: With Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff show broadcasting live from Amon G. Carter Stadium, TCU beats Texas Tech, 34-24, to move to 9-0, its best record since the 2010 Rose Bowl season.

TCU hosted Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” show before the November win over Texas Tech. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Ellman Photography

Nov. 12, 2022: With College GameDay hosting its show live from Austin, Texas, the Frogs beat Texas 17-10. Dykes becomes the first football coach in TCU history to begin his career 10-0. The Horned Frog defense holds eventual Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson to 29 yards, while TCU running back Kendre Miller sprints for 138 yards on 21 carries. 

TCU running back Kendre Miller (33) was pivotal in the Frogs’ November victory at Texas. Asked after the game if he was the best back in the Big 12 conference, Miller answered an emphatic “yes.” Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Nov. 19, 2022: TCU improves to 11-0 after beating Baylor in Waco, 29-28, thanks to Griffin Kell’s walk-off field goal. Kell earns Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades and cements his place in TCU lore.

TCU kicker Griffin Kell (39) preserved the Frogs’ undefeated season with a walk-off field goal at Baylor in Waco, Texas. The successful execution of the play was dubbed “the bazooka on the Brazos.” Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Dec. 3, 2022: TCU falls in overtime to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Duggan leads a heroic effort to tie the game late with a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Jared Wiley. 

Dec. 4, 2022: The College Football Playoff committee ranks TCU No. 3. The Frogs learn they will be the first Texas team to compete in the College Football Playoff when they will meet Michigan in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve in Glendale, Arizona.

Dec. 10, 2022: Horned Frogs clean up during ESPN’s annual college football awards show. Duggan wins the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and comes in second for the Heisman Trophy. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson wins the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back. Dykes learns he is the ESPN Home Depot Coach of the Year.

TCU Football players cleaned up in the 2022 national awards. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (1) was the second Frog in three years to win the Jim Thorpe Award. Head coach Sonny Dykes won 10 national coach of the year awards. Quarterback Max Duggan (15) won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Photo by Carolyn Cruz

Dec. 31, 2022: In one of the most exciting and memorable games of the College Football Playoff era, TCU defeats Michigan, 51-45, in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Two pick sixes by TCU defenders seal the heroic win. Viewership tops 21.7 million, bringing the TCU brand to center stage.

TCU beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl thanks in part to two pick sixes, including one by safety Bud Clark (26). Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Ellman Photography

Jan. 9, 2023: Georgia defeats TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Frogs are the first Big 12 or Texas team to play in the game. TCU finishes the season as the country’s No. 2 team.