Tag: TCU

Oct 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson reacts during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

USC names Hall of Famer Gary Patterson as new DC

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Southern California has tabbed a Hall of Famer to run its defense by announcing Friday that former TCU coach Gary Patterson is the school’s new defensive coordinator.

Earlier this month, Patterson was announced as part of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. That honor comes after he went 181-79 in 21 seasons (2001-21) with the Horned Frogs, including a 13-0 campaign and No. 2 finish to the 2010 season when Andy Dalton was the school’s quarterback.

“As a Hall of Fame coach who is one of the game’s most highly regarded defensive minds, he brings a wealth of success and experience to our program,” USC football coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement. “His impact will be immediate, elevating our defense and strengthening the culture we’ve built.”

Patterson, who turns 66 next month, replaces D’Anton Lynn, who left after two seasons for a similar role at Penn State.

Patterson was defensive coordinator at TCU from 1998-2000 before becoming head coach. The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defensive five times while he was on campus, including three straight seasons from 2008-10.

Patterson was the national Coach of the Year in both 2009 and 2014. He won 10 or more games 11 times.

Following an 11-3 season in 2017, Patterson went just 21-22 over the next 3 1/2 seasons and he and TCU agreed to part ways when the team was 3-5 in 2021.

Patterson’s last on-field position was as an on-field analyst at Texas in 2022. He was hired as a consultant at Baylor in 2024 before resigning prior to the season.

Riley is 35-18 in four seasons at USC but has been unable to field a national championship-caliber squad despite having 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, for two of those seasons.

–Field Level Media

Jeremy Payne’s OT jaunt lifts TCU past No. 16 USC in Alamo Bowl

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Jeremy Payne broke two tackles on his way to the game-winning touchdown and TCU shocked Southern California 30-27 in overtime to win the Alamo Bowl in dramatic fashion Tuesday in San Antonio.

TCU faced third-and-20 and needed at least a field goal to match USC and force a second overtime. Ken Seals threw a checkdown to the running back Payne, who made multiple Trojans miss while remaining inbounds along the left sideline and then sprinting to the end zone.

“We’re trying to figure out if (we’re) about to kick a field goal,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said in the postgame TV interview. “He makes about four guys miss. You got to give our guys credit. So proud of this group, they hung in there. It didn’t look great. Jeremy made plays, Ken made plays. Defense kept us in the game.”

The unlikely play capped a comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for TCU (9-4).

Payne finished with 73 rushing yards and one touchdown along with six receptions for 50 yards and the winning score. Seals, who got the start after quarterback Josh Hoover opted out in anticipation of entering the transfer portal, finished 29-for-40 for 258 yards, the one TD and one interception.

“He’s going to be a Fort Worth legend,” Dykes said of Seals, a former starter at Vanderbilt who backed up Hoover for two years. “Never buy a drink in Fort Worth the rest of his life. He’s a great college football story. Just persevered, hung in there, and then he got his time. He got his time, he got his chance, he made the most of it and he was ready.”

Jayden Maiava completed 18 of 30 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for USC (9-4). King Miller rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown but was stuffed twice from the 2-yard line during overtime, leading the Trojans to settle for Ryon Sayeri’s fourth field goal of the night. Tanook Hines caught six passes for 163 yards.

Jaden Richardson made a highlight-reel play to put the Trojans ahead in the final minute of the third quarter. A backup wide receiver with 11 receptions in two seasons for USC, he leapt and leaned back with his right arm outstretched to pluck Maiava’s 21-yard pass out of the air. Richardson tapped one foot in bounds on his way down for his first FBS touchdown.

The two-point conversion, a pass to Taniela Tupou, was successful to give the Trojans a 21-14 lead. Sayeri converted from 41 yards out for a 10-point cushion with 9:37 to play.

The Horned Frogs answered with a 75-yard drive culminating in Payne’s 5-yard touchdown run with 4:24 left. TCU forced a USC three-and-out and used the remaining 2:44 to set up Kyle Lemmermann’s 27-yard field goal to force overtime.

Freshman running back Jon Denman rumbled in from the 5-yard line to put TCU up 7-3 early in the second quarter. The drive was arranged by Jamel Johnson’s fifth interception of the season.

USC answered quickly. Miller had a 24-yard rush across midfield before ending the drive with a 2-yard score.

TCU wideout Major Everhart converted a fourth-and-2 in the red zone, nearly scoring a touchdown on an 11-yard jet sweep, and Seals cashed in on a 1-yard keeper on the next play to make it 14-10 with 4:58 left in the half.

Sayeri cut the margin to 14-13 with his 28-yarder just before halftime.

Christian Pierce intercepted Seals during the first minute of the second half and USC drove to the TCU 7, but Maiava underthrew a pass to the end zone that Channing Canada picked off.

–Field Level Media

No. 16 USC to test depth vs. TCU in Alamo Bowl

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No. 16 Southern California fell short of the College Football Playoff and had a handful of key players opt out of its Alamo Bowl matchup against TCU on Tuesday in San Antonio.

But to coach Lincoln Riley, much of the benefit of bowl season is derived from getting in work for younger players in advance of next season.

“I think in some instances there’ll be some guys that get some burn in this game that maybe haven’t played at all or very, very little,” Riley told reporters earlier this month.

“I mean, honestly, the games, the bowl game is great, and they’re great experiences. If you said, though, what’s the most valuable part of all of this, it’s days like this where we’re just pouring reps into all of these guys. The energy’s just different because all these guys kind of feel like it’s their time.”

The greatest example of that for the Trojans (9-3) could be their pass catchers. Wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are opting out to focus on NFL draft preparation, and tight end Lake McRee is not expected to play in the Alamo Bowl either. They comprise USC’s top three receivers, who combined for more than 2,300 yards and 19 touchdowns.

That opens a door for freshman receiver Tanook Hines, who’ll be playing in his home state and who caught 28 passes for 398 yards and two TDs this year.

Hines and his teammates will have quarterback Jayden Maiava (3,431 yards, 23 TDs, eight interceptions) still running the show.

“Remarkable player,” Maiava said of Hines, per 247Sports. “Sky’s the limit for him. Super excited, and he knows I trust him out there.”

USC was in the CFP mix late into the season and won four of its last five games, but a 42-27 loss at Oregon on Nov. 22 essentially eliminated the Trojans from contention.

This will be USC’s first-ever trip to the Alamo Bowl, where TCU (8-4) will have a home-state advantage. The Horned Frogs won the Alamo Bowl in the 2015 and 2017 seasons under then-coach Gary Patterson.

Now Sonny Dykes is in charge and has coached TCU to its third eight-win season in four years. He spoke at length about wanting his players to value every game in front of them, whether it’s the national championship game, a regular-season affair or the Alamo Bowl.

“We have a tremendous culture, and again, I think it revealed itself at the end of the year, in the fact that our guys played so hard down the stretch and it meant something to them,” Dykes said of a team that finished the regular season with wins over then-No. 23 Houston and Cincinnati.

That didn’t keep starting quarterback Josh Hoover from entering the transfer portal and skipping the Alamo Bowl. Former Vanderbilt starter Ken Seals, who’s been TCU’s backup the past two seasons, is getting the nod.

“Ken started 22 games in the SEC,” Dykes said. “He’s been a great teammate, a great practice player. Now he’s going to get a chance to go perform on the big stage. He’s excited about it, our team believes in him, and we’ve moving on quickly.”

TCU’s other opt-outs and transfers are minimal. Safety Jamel Johnson (89 tackles, four interceptions), echoing USC’s coach, spoke about how bowls can help a program.

“It feeds into next year. We want to leave this place better than how we found it,” Johnson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was us coming together one more time. It’s just a blessing and something we wanted to do.”

–Field Level Media

TCU QB Josh Hoover to skip Alamo Bowl, enter transfer portal

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TCU quarterback Josh Hoover announced Thursday that he will forgo playing in the Alamo Bowl and enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2.

“I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to represent TCU for an incredible 4 years,” Hoover wrote in a statement on social media. “It has been a dream to be able to play and graduate from this university and I will forever be grateful for that.

“… I’ve prayed about this and decided that I will be entering the transfer portal.”

Hoover has been the Horned Frogs’ starting quarterback since taking over in 2023, midway through his redshirt freshman campaign. He ranks third in TCU program history with 9,629 career passing yards, 71 touchdown passes and 771 completions.

In 12 games in 2025, Hoover threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns, along with a Big 12-leading 13 interceptions.

TCU (8-4) faces No. 16 Southern California in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30.

–Field Level Media

Josh Hoover leads TCU’s offensive outburst in weather-delayed rout of Cincinnati

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TCU running back Jeremy Payne rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, paving the way for a 45-23 home win for the Horned Frogs over Cincinnati.

The Horned Frogs finished with 544 total yards, holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes and limiting the Bearcats to just 115 rushing yards.

Cincinnati entered the month of November 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12. The loss Saturday was the team’s fourth straight to end the season.

With 7:58 remaining in the first quarter and TCU (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) leading 7-0, the game entered a weather delay with lightning and heavy rain in the Fort Worth area. The rain delay lasted one hour and 33 minutes.

When the game resumed, it didn’t take long for the Horned Frogs to make big splashes offensively. The Horned Frogs scored 21 points in the first quarter, their most points in the first quarter in three years. Quarterback Josh Hoover threw three touchdowns in the first quarter, completing six-of-seven passes for 153 yards.

The Bearcats (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) also came out of the rain delay swinging for big plays. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby completed his first 14 passes for 169 yards, with two of his completions going for touchdowns to keep the Bearcats within striking distance.

But a turnover on downs and a muffed punt by the Bearcats contributed to TCU accumulating 302 total yards of offense in the first half and a 31-17 halftime lead. The 31 first-half points were the most allowed by the Bearcats since 2019.

The Bearcats also couldn’t convert in the red zone late in the second quarter, having to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Stephen Rusnak. Sorsby missed four of his next six throws to close out the first half.

After being sacked just four times through Cincinnati’s first 11 games, Sorsby was sacked three times by the Horned Frogs’ defense Saturday. Sorsby finished 23-of-33 for 282 yards and three touchdowns.

Hoover was efficient and prolific for TCU, finishing 19-of-22 for 306 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth touchdown pass came early in the third quarter when he found Joseph Manjack IV for a 42-yard reception. Manjack fumbled the ball at the two-yard line, but Jordan Dwyer recovered the ball in the end zone for a TCU score to extend the Horned Frogs’ lead to 38-17.

Payne closed out the game’s scoring with a 51-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

–Field Level Media

TCU capitalizes on miscues, upsets No. 23 Houston

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Josh Hoover passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns and visiting TCU overcame four turnovers to upset No. 23 Houston 17-14 on Saturday.

TCU (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) survived after Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez missed a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 38-yard attempt he pushed wide left with 46 seconds remaining. The Horned Frogs snapped a 14-14 deadlock with 11:21 left when Nate McCashland nailed a 29-yard field goal after Jordan Dwyer returned a punt 53 yards to the Houston 29.

Hoover tossed three interceptions and the Horned Frogs had two touchdowns negated by penalties. Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 114 yards, but Julius Simms picked off Weigman’s fourth-down pass late in the first half in the end zone to preserve the Horned Frogs’ 14-7 halftime lead.

Houston (8-3, 5-3) responded to the McCashland field goal by pushing deep into TCU territory only for Sanchez to leave a 49-yard kick short. After Houston’s Latreveon McCutchin made a fourth-down stop at the Cougars’ 5-yard line, Weigman found Amare Thomas for a 23-yard gain before scrambling for 38 yards to set the table for Sanchez, who missed again.

TCU enjoyed a rousing start, particularly Hoover. The Horned Frogs covered 75 yards in eight plays on their opening possession, a march capped by a 33-yard scoring pass from Hoover to Eric McAlister at the 11:20 mark of the opening period. Hoover went 5-for-5 on that drive.

The Horned Frogs extended to a 14-0 lead later in the first when Hoover moved the chains with passes of 26, 17 and 11 yards, the latter two connections involving Joseph Manjack IV. On the 10th play of that drive, Hoover hit Dwyer for a 17-yard scoring strike with 1:45 left in the opening quarter.

Hoover was 12-for-14 passing with 148 yards and two touchdowns entering the second quarter. The Horned Frogs amassed 176 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per play in the first period but the avalanche of turnovers and penalties enabled Houston to work its way back into contention.

–Field Level Media

Bear Bachmeier, No. 12 BYU roll past TCU

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Bear Bachmeier passed for 296 yards and one touchdown and added a score on the ground to help No. 12 BYU cruise to a 44-13 victory over TCU on Saturday night in Big 12 play at Provo, Utah.

LJ Martin rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and Parker Kingston added a scoring run for the Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12), who impressively rebounded from last week’s 29-7 loss to then-No. 8 Texas Tech.

Carsen Ryan caught a touchdown pass and Tanner Wall returned an interception for a score for BYU. Bachmeier completed 23 of 33 passes and added 59 rushing yards, Kingston caught five passes for 80 yards and Faletau Satuala also had an interception for the Cougars.

Josh Hoover completed 10 of 23 passes for 183 yards and two interceptions for the Horned Frogs (6-4, 3-4), who lost their second straight game. Jon Denman rushed for a touchdown and Eric McAlister had four receptions for 107 yards.

The Cougars outgained TCU 447-298. BYU didn’t punt until the game was more than 50 minutes old.

The Cougars took control of the game with a strong first half.

Will Ferrin opened the scoring with a 52-yard field goal and he booted a 35-yarder as time expired in the first half as BYU led 27-10 at the break.

Kingston scored on an 11-yard run to give the Cougars a 10-0 lead with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter. Bachmeier tacked on a 17-yard scoring run to give BYU a 17-point advantage with 10:16 left in the first half.

TCU got on the board when Nate McCashland kicked a 22-yard field goal with 7:17 left, but BYU answered with Bachmeier’s throw that Ryan turned into a 43-yard scoring play to make it 24-3 with six minutes left.

Denman scored on a 13-yard run to pull TCU within 14 with 1:14 left in the half.

In the third quarter, McCashland kicked a 33-yard field goal for the Horned Frogs and Ferrin had a 29-yarder as BYU took a 30-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

Martin scored from the 1 to boost the BYU lead to 24 with 13:36 left in the game.

Wall piled on with a 68-yard interception return as Hoover’s throw was high and caromed off the hand of McAlister. The ball went directly into the grasp of Wall, who displayed his running skills while scoring. Wall began his BYU career in 2021 as a receiver.

–Field Level Media

No. 12 BYU, eager to shake off first loss, takes aim at TCU

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BYU’s unblemished record has vanished, but a beatdown only counts as one loss.

The No. 12 Cougars will attempt to bounce back from a 22-point setback when they host TCU on Saturday night in Big 12 play at Provo, Utah.

BYU (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) didn’t look like one of the nation’s better teams last weekend in a 29-7 loss to then-No. 8 Texas Tech during a conference showdown at Lubbock, Texas. The Cougars were held to a season-low 255 yards and committed three turnovers.

“I hate losing,” Cougars tight end Carsen Ryan said Tuesday. “We had an opportunity to do something special this year and go 12-0, and we lost that chance. … Our destiny’s still in our hands. We’ve just got to go out and perform and bounce back as an offense, especially.”

The loss means the Cougars likely need to win each of their final three regular-season games — and probably win impressively — to land a spot in the College Football Playoff. BYU missed out last season when it was 10-2 on the selection day before finishing with victory in the Alamo Bowl.

“We don’t care about the eye test,” Cougars receiver Chase Roberts said. “We’ve just got to take care of the next three games. That’s what we have got to do when you have critics out there that don’t respect BYU.”

The Cougars are 1-1 against ranked teams this season, having beaten then-No. 23 Utah at home on Oct. 18. Next week, BYU visits No. 25 Cincinnati before hosting UCF to finish the regular season. The Bearcats also are 5-1 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech leads the league at 6-1.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake isn’t caught up in scenarios. He wants to let things play out on the field.

“We’ll circle the wagons, get back to work and figure this thing out,” Sitake said. “That’s the remedy. We’ve got to get back to work and figure this thing out.”

The Cougars have lost five straight games — four by 25 or more points — against TCU, most recently falling 44-11 in 2023 at Fort Worth, Texas. BYU last beat the Horned Frogs in 2007 when both programs were in the Mountain West.

TCU coach Sonny Dykes sees a stout BYU squad that will be a stern test for his team.

“They’re a big, physical team. It’s a typical BYU team,” Dykes said Tuesday. “They’re always built up front. That’s always been their history.”

TCU (6-3, 3-3) is in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 after falling 20-17 to visiting Iowa State last weekend.

Horned Frogs star quarterback Josh Hoover has thrown just eight interceptions, but two were against the Cyclones. He also isn’t happy that the offense scored just three first-half points and has failed to score a touchdown in the opening quarter in four of its six Big 12 games.

“That’s something we’re focused on this week, starting fast and being completely ready and tuned up from the jump, not wasting drives,” said Hoover, who has passed for 2,690 yards and 23 touchdowns this year. “It’s a different time in college. We’ll have nine possessions on Saturday, and you can’t waste any of those.”

Bud Clark had two interceptions against Iowa State to move into a tie for fourth place in TCU history with 15 picks. He is tied with fellow safety Jamel Johnson for this season’s team lead with four.

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier has been intercepted just four times. He has thrown for 1,881 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding nine scores on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Aiden Flora’s punt-return TD helps Iowa State snap skid at TCU

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Aiden Flora returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown with 6:32 left to help lead Iowa State to a 20-17 win over TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Cyclones (6-4, 3-4 Big 12), while the loss virtually eliminated TCU (6-3, 3-3) from the Big 12 race.

TCU got the ball back in the final minute, but the Horned Frogs couldn’t get anything going and their two-game winning streak was snapped.

TCU trailed for much of the game before taking the lead with a long drive to start the second half.

Josh Hoover capped off the 15-play, nearly six-minute drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dwyer to put the Horned Frogs up 10-6.

After Bud Clark’s interception – his second of the game – gave TCU the ball back, the Horned Frogs then ripped off another long drive, extending the lead to 17-6 on Trent Battle’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Cyclones weren’t going away, though, as quarterback Rocco Becht and running back Carson Hansen teamed up to inject some life into an Iowa State offense that had been stagnant since an early touchdown drive.

On third-and-4 early in the drive, Becht scrambled for 25 yards to keep the drive alive, and Hansen followed with a 24-yard run on the next play.

Hansen eventually finished off the drive with a 1-yard run to pull the Cyclones within five after the two-point conversion failed.

Iowa State’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, and Flora sliced through the middle of the field for his first career punt-return touchdown.

The Horned Frogs trailed 6-3 late in the first half when Clark picked off Becht to give TCU a chance to tie the game or take the lead going into the break.

Josh Hoover hit a pair of long passes to quickly drive to the brink of the Iowa State 10, but Nate McCashland’s 25-yard field goal try was no good to keep Iowa State on top going into halftime.

Hansen ran for 108 yards on 28 carries, his third consecutive 100-yard game.

TCU outgained the Cyclones 432-272, including 319 passing yards from Hoover, who threw a touchdown and two interceptions.

Dwyer had 11 catches for 108 yards while Eric McAlister had 11 catches for 107 yards in the loss.

The loss was TCU’s first at home in over 13 months.

–Field Level Media

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs running back Trent Battle (6) is tackled by Baylor Bears linebacker Matthew Fobbs-White (50) and linebacker Kyland Reed (45) during the first half of a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Three interceptions help TCU hold off rival Baylor

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Josh Hoover passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns, but it was the TCU defense that was the difference as the Horned Frogs held off rival Baylor 42-36 on Saturday afternoon in a key Big 12 Conference clash in Fort Worth, Texas.

TCU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) survived three lightning delays in the fourth quarter and a late Baylor surge to get back on track in the conference race. Hoover hit on 22 of his 31 throws, and the Horned Frogs’ defense intercepted Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson (who led FBS in passing yards entering Saturday) three times to counteract his 318 passing yards.

Kevorian Barnes rushed for 106 yards and two TDs, including a 14-yard burst up the middle on the first play after the third lightning delay that pushed TCU’s lead to 42-21.

Baylor (4-3, 2-2) committed four of the game’s five turnovers. Robertson had two touchdown passes, but his third interception came with 11 seconds left to play after the Bears recovered a late onside kick.

The Bears struck first, moving 92 yards to a 1-yard scoring plunge by Bryson Washington. Hoover found DJ Rogers with an 8-yard scoring pass as a response four minutes into the second quarter as TCU tied the game at 7.

After a Washington fumble, Barnes shoved his way into the end zone from 5 yards out to give TCU a 14-7 edge with 6:10 to play before halftime. Connor Hawkins then drilled a 42-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the quarter to bring the Bears to within 14-10.

Hoover added a 6-yard TD pass to Jordan Dwyer with 11 seconds to go before the half to make it 21-10 just three snaps after the duo hooked up for a 41-yard connection.

TCU stoked its advantage to 28-10 when it opened the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Hoover to Ka’Morreun Pimpton. But the Bears answered with a scoring drive on their first second-half possession, closing to within 28-18 when Robertson found Jadon Porter on an 18-yard TD toss and added a two-point conversion pass to Josh Cameron.

Hawkins kicked a 41-yard FG on the first play of the fourth quarter that cut the Baylor deficit to seven points. The Horned Frogs swung back as Trent Battle raced untouched for a 65-yard TD run that gave them some breathing room.

Then came the weather delays and Barnes’ 14-yard touchdown run that ultimately proved to be the winning points.

Keaton Thomas’ 24-yard return of a fumble by Hoover with 3:08 to play and a 35-yard TD catch by Kole Wilson with 30 seconds left to give Baylor late life.

–Field Level Media