Tag: TCU

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Jordan Hudson (7) against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former TCU WR Jordan Hudson transferring to SMU

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Former TCU wide receiver Jordan Hudson is heading to the other side of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and transferring to SMU, he announced Sunday on Instagram.

Hudson was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2022 out of Garland High School in suburban Dallas. He originally committed to SMU before flipping to TCU.

He entered the transfer portal in April after catching 14 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns with the Horned Frogs in 2022. He made two receptions for 34 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinal win over Michigan following the 2022 season.

Hudson, who has three years of eligibility remaining with the Mustangs, was ranked as the third-best player still available in the transfer portal by The Athletic.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan (15) against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chargers pick up TCU QB Max Duggan in seventh round of draft

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The Los Angeles Chargers selected TCU quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan with the No. 239 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday.

In Los Angeles, Duggan could compete for the back-up job behind starter Justin Herbert. Easton Stick was the only other quarterback on the Chargers’ roster entering the draft.

Duggan threw for 3,698 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions and added 423 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs in 2022 while guiding the Horned Frogs to their first College Football Playoff appearance. TCU beat Michigan to reach the national title game before losing 65-7 to Georgia.

In 47 games over four seasons at TCU, Duggan racked up 9,618 passing yards, 73 touchdowns and 28 picks and added 28 rushing touchdowns.

He was the 14th quarterback selected in the draft. Twelve quarterbacks went in the first five rounds, a record for the common draft era.

–Field Level Media

Sep 24, 2022; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) throws during warm-ups before playing the USC Trojans at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Oregon State QB Chance Nolan commits to TCU

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Former Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan announced Tuesday that he is transferring to TCU.

“Blessed and Excited for the Next Part #TCU #GoFrogs,” Nolan said on his Twitter account.

In three seasons with the Beavers, Nolan threw for 4,153 yards, 32 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 22 games (20 starts).

His best campaign was 2021 when he passed for 2,677 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

But last season, his string of 17 consecutive starts came to an end when he injured his neck against Utah on Oct. 1. He didn’t play again, finishing the campaign with 939 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in five games.

The Horned Frogs are looking for a quarterback to replace Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan, who led the team to the national championship game before a 65-7 loss to Georgia.

Sophomore Chandler Morris, who opened the 2022 season as the starter before sustaining a knee injury, and redshirt freshman Josh Hoover, were TCU’s top two quarterbacks during spring drills.

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive end Justice Finkley (1) and Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Keondre Coburn (99) sack Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Davis Beville (11) during the second half at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 releases football schedule for 14-team season

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The 2023 Big 12 football schedule, released on Tuesday, will make for some awkward get-togethers.

While BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are joining the league, Oklahoma and Texas have not yet departed for the SEC.

All 14 teams will play nine conference games, starting Sept. 16 when newcomer Houston hosts TCU, the 2022 College Football Playoff runner-up and a former Southwest Conference rival.

Texas will face just two of the Big 12’s newest entries, and the games will come back-to-back. The Longhorns will visit Houston Oct. 21 and host BYU Oct. 28

Oklahoma, meanwhile, will open its Big 12 schedule by visiting Cincinnati Sept. 23. The Sooners will later host UCF Oct. 21 and travel to BYU Nov. 18.

The annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma is set for Oct. 7 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

A rematch of last season’s Big 12 championship game, between TCU and equally surprising Kansas State, will be Oct. 21 in Manhattan, Kan.

Oklahoma State is slated to host Oklahoma on Nov. 4 in the Bedlam series matchup.

Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC in either 2024 or 2025. The two bluebloods’ decision to jump ship prompted the Big 12 to invite BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, some of the most successful athletic programs from outside the power conferences.

–Field Level Media

Aug 24, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Dan Enos prior to the game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas hires Maryland’s Dan Enos as OC

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One day after losing offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, Arkansas filled the vacancy Thursday with a familiar face in Dan Enos.

Enos, 54, was Arkansas’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2015-17. He’s since had stops on the staffs at Alabama, Miami and Cincinnati before serving as the offensive coordinator and QBs coach at Maryland for the past two seasons.

The Terrapins set various program records both years, including quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa breaking all of Maryland’s major single-season and career passing records. In 2022, Maryland ranked fourth in the Big Ten in total offense (401.2 yards per game), third in passing offense (259.8 ypg) and fifth in scoring (28.2 ppg) under Enos.

Briles departed Fayetteville on Wednesday to take the offensive coordinator job at TCU. He had served as Arkansas’ OC and QBs coach since 2020.

Arkansas went 7-6 (3-5 SEC) last season and beat Kansas 55-53 in a triple-overtime Liberty Bowl victory. Dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson said he will return in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) runs after a catch in the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

TCU WR Quentin Johnston, RB Kendre Miller declare for draft

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TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston and running back Kendre Miller, who helped Max Duggan lead the Horned Frogs to the national championship game, both declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday.

Johnston is considered among the top prospects at his position. Miller projects as a mid-to-late-round pick. Both were juniors in 2022.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Johnston caught 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, including a six-catch, 163-yard performance with a 76-yard touchdown against Michigan in the Horned Frogs’ semifinal win at the Fiesta Bowl.

In three seasons at TCU, Johnston had 115 receptions for 2,190 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added two rushing touchdowns.

Miller, a 6-foot, 220-pound back, was TCU’s starting running back in 2022 and racked up 1,399 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, ranking third and second in the Big 12, respectively. He was unable to play against Georgia in TCU’s national title game loss due to a knee injury.

“Our locker room was special and a big reason why this season was legendary,” Miller said in a video posted to Instagram. “We will forever be brothers and a team. We will be forever remembered as champions.”

–Field Level Media

Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates after winning the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7. News Joshua L Jones Syndication Online Athens

Georgia’s CFP rout draws record-low audience

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Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game between top-ranked Georgia and No. 3 TCU was the least watched FBS championship since the Bowl Championship Series era started 24 years ago, according to a report by Sports Business Journal.

Approximately 17.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Bulldogs drub the Horned Frogs 65-7. The game was televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU — the three networks that have carried the CFP title game in each of the last nine seasons.

Last season’s final between Georgia and Alabama brought in 22.6 million viewers, and the previous low was 18.7 million, which set when Alabama met Ohio State to cap the pandemic-ridden 2021 season.

The majority of viewers (16.6 million) tuned into ESPN for coverage of this season’s championship game, while 483,000 turned to ESPN2 and another 114,000 went to ESPNU. All three of those figures are down from last year, when ESPN pulled in an audience of 22.3 million and ESPN2 and ESPNU had 158,000 and 148,000 viewers, respectively.

Despite the record-low audiences for the title game, ESPN saw a 9 percent increase in viewership for the combined championship/semifinal matchups. No. 4 Ohio State faced the Bulldogs while No. 2 Michigan clashed with TCU in the semis, and those two games — paired with the final — brought in 20.9 million viewers after 18.9 had tuned in for each of the past two seasons.

Unlike the CFP final, the BCS final was only shown on one station. ABC carried coverage of the game for the first eight seasons, and Fox carried it for three before ABC took over again for Alabama’s game against Texas in 2010. ESPN then provided the lone broadcast for the final four BCS championship games ahead of the CFP era.

–Field Level Media

Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates after winning the NCAA College Football National Championship game between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Georgia won 65-7. News Joshua L Jones

Top dogs: Georgia No. 1, TCU, Michigan, Ohio State follow in final poll

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TCU finished runner-up in the national championship game and the Horned Frogs were No. 2 behind Georgia in the final AP Top 25 poll released Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (15-0) began the season ranked third and defended their national title on Monday night in a 65-7 rout to cap the first repeat in College Football Playoff history.

Georgia received all 63 first-place votes.

TCU (13-2) was unranked to begin the 2022 regular season but won 13 games to reach the championship game. Michigan (13-1), which lost in the CFP semifinals to TCU, finished third in the Top 25 ahead of Ohio State (11-2), Alabama (11-2), Tennessee (11-2), Penn State (11-2) and Washington (11-2). The Huskies finished the season with seven consecutive wins. UW is ranked in the final poll for the first time since 2018.

Ranked No. 1 entering the season, the Crimson Tide beat Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl with their only losses this season to sixth-ranked Tennessee (52-49) and LSU (32-31). The Tigers (10-4) landed at No. 16 in the season-ending poll.

Alabama was the last team to finish consecutive seasons ranked No. 1 (2011, 2012).

No. 9 Tulane (12-2) moved up five spots on the strength of the Green Wave victory over USC in the Cotton Bowl. The 46-45 loss dropped the Trojans (11-3) four spots to No. 12.

–Field Level Media

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) holds the trophy after winning the CFP national championship game against the TCU Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

CFP title game notebook: Georgia makes history with blowout

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It didn’t even take a full half for Georgia to show that it was eager to defend its national championship against a TCU squad that was looking to cap a magical season on a high note.

The Bulldogs took just 21 1/2 minutes to establish a 24-7 lead, went into intermission up by 31 and went on to finish with the most points in a College Football Playoff title game, downing the Horned Frogs 65-7 to become the first-ever back-to-back CFP champions.

After being picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, TCU exceeded expectations to become the first team to represent the conference on the biggest stage.

However, the Horned Frogs were unable to oust the top team in the nation at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where a number of players featured in Monday’s game could be spending a handful of their Sundays next season.

–The 58-point drubbing marked the largest margin of victory in a bowl game in college football history. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the win is also the second-largest margin over a top-five opponent, taking the back seat to No. 1 Army’s 59-0 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame back in 1944.

–Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was stellar, completing 18 of 25 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The Heisman Trophy finalist also rushed for a pair of scores to finish with six total, matching Joe Burrow’s CFP championship game record, which was set in 2020.

–Quarterback Max Duggan provided TCU’s only points, scoring on a 2-yard keeper with 4:45 left in the first quarter. The TD pulled the Horned Frogs within 10-7, but the Bulldogs went on to rattle off 55 unanswered points.

–Prior to Monday, TCU had scored at least 28 points in 13 of 14 games this season. In the other game — a win against Texas on Nov. 12 — the Horned Frogs totaled 17, but hadn’t scored less than 10 since a 24-6 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 14, 2020.

–Defensive back Javon Bullard was a defensive catalyst for Georgia in the first half, picking off Duggan twice and also recovering a fumble. He didn’t play in the second half, though, due to a shoulder injury.

–The Bulldogs outgained TCU 589-188 and picked up 32 first downs to the Horned Frogs’ nine. TCU’s offense was especially stagnant following the break, totaling just 67 yards, only 12 of which came on the ground.

–“As long as you don’t have entitlement in your program, you got a shot,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “And right now we don’t have that. It’s creeping — games like tonight make it that way — but we got a lot of humble guys.”

–Many sportsbooks had the over/under of Monday’s game at 62.5. Georgia covered the over by itself when Branson Robinson rushed for a 19-yard TD with 7:23 left to play.

–Field Level Media

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Christopher Smith (29) celebrates after defensive back Javon Bullard (22) made an interception against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second quarter of the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 Georgia manhandles No. 3 TCU for second straight national title

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Stetson Bennett passed for four touchdowns and rushed for two and top-ranked Georgia won its second straight national title by steamrolling No. 3 TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff championship game at Inglewood, Calif.

Bennett completed 18 of 25 passes for 304 yards and finished his career with a 29-3 record as a starter as the Bulldogs (15-0) trampled the Horned Frogs (13-2) from the outset. Bennett’s six total touchdowns match the mark set by LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2020 for most during the nine-season CFP era.

Brock Bowers caught seven passes for 152 yards and one touchdown and Ladd McConkey had five receptions for 88 yards and two scores for Georgia. Branson Robinson rushed for two scores, Kendall Milton added one and Adonai Mitchell had a touchdown grab for the Bulldogs, who outgained TCU 589-188.

Georgia’s Javon Bullard had three takeaways before intermission with two interceptions and one fumble recovery before missing the second half with a shoulder injury.

Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan was 14-of-22 passing for 152 yards and two interceptions for TCU, which was unable to match up with the Bulldogs. Derius Davis caught five passes for 101 yards.

Standout Horned Frogs running back Kendre Miller (knee) missed the game after being injured during the CFP semifinal win over Michigan on Dec. 31.

The Bulldogs wasted no time asserting themselves as Bennett ran 21 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game and Jack Podlesny added a 24-yard field goal with 6:51 left in the opening period.

TCU showed life when Duggan scored on a 2-yard run with 4:45 remaining before Georgia scored the game’s final 55 points.

Bennett drilled a 37-yard scoring pass to McConkey with 2:43 left in the first quarter, and ran 6 yards for another score to make it 24-7 with 8:30 left in the half.

The next two Bulldogs’ touchdowns followed interceptions by Bullard. The first set up Milton’s 1-yard run with 1:19 left and the other came two plays before Bennett hit Mitchell for a 22-yard score with 26 seconds remaining for a 38-7 halftime lead.

Bennett connected on a 22-yard touchdown pass to Bowers with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter. He added a 14-yard scoring pass to McConkey with 2:17 left in the period and Robinson later added two scoring runs.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart called timeout with 13:25 remaining in the contest to remove Bennett and give him a curtain call from the Georgia faithful. Bennett, a former walk-on, finished fourth in the Heisman balloting this season.

The Bulldogs defeated Alabama 33-18 in last season’s title game.

–Field Level Media