SMU Mustangs @ TCU Horned Frogs Football Recap

SMU 40, TCU 33

Remember those slow starts over the previous few weeks for the Texas Christian Horned Frogs? Remember those foggy and groggy first and second quarters against the likes of Louisiana-Monroe and Portland State, starts that didn’t matter because of the relative quality of the opposition?

They matter now.

TCU couldn’t solve its chronic problem of starting slowly out of the gate. The team that dug a big ditch against Baylor and then dragged its feet through the previous two weekends was finally burned on home turf by a sleepyhead start. Despite fighting back in a game in which it was outplayed for three quarters, TCU couldn’t score in the final frame of overtime, as the Horned Frogs fell to SMU 40-33 in bonus panels on Saturday at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU tempted fate one too many times, and even in the friendly confines of its home ballpark, the Frogs weren’t good enough to deny a resolute adversary from Conference USA.

TCU capped a touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter when quarterback Casey Pachall connected with Josh Boyce for an eight-yard score to cut SMU’s lead to 27-17. But TCU’s kickoff went out of bounds, giving SMU a short field. The Ponies struck with all due speed, as receiver Darius Johnson hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback J.J. McDermott to stretch SMU’s lead back to 33-17 just a minute later.

So it was now-or-never time for the Frogs, and Pachall delivered. On a 73-yard drive, Pachall got TCU in the endzone in just 2:33 by going 6-8 for 63 yards, finishing with an 11-yard throw to Brandon Carter. Down 10, TCU chose to go for two to try and make it a one-possession game, but failed. Still needing two scores, and with SMU pinning the Frogs at their own 11-yard line with seven minutes to play. Pachall came up big again, hitting Ed Wesley on a 55-yard pass on the first play of the drive. With 4:38 left, a 29-yard field goal had TCU within seven points. The Mustangs no attempt at staving off the comeback, going three-and-out deep in their own territory and punting the ball back in just over a minute’s time. Eight plays later, Pachall found Luke Shivers for his only catch of the day to tie it at 33-33, and just like that, they were headed to overtime.

SMU scored on the second play of overtime, a 19-yard McDermott-to-Jeremy-Johnson connection to put the Mustangs up 40-33. Then, after a great offensive display in the fourth quarter, TCU failed to pick up a first down, when Pachall’s fourth-down pass caromed off his receiver’s hands and fell incomplete. TCU technically lost the game in that sequence, but it was the first half – and the digging of a 27-10 deficit – which truly put the Frogs behind the eight-ball. A chronic and negative pattern finally caught up with a team that is realizing just how hard it is to back up an unbeaten season with something equally special the next year.

TCU, now 3-2 and out of the Top 25, will try to regroup next week at San Diego State when visiting the 3-1 Aztecs.