TCU football falls flat as season ends with blowout loss to Iowa State
TCU football had a fitting finale to the 2021 season with news breaking during the game that Sonny Dykes would be heading to Fort Worth.
A year that saw the school part ways with longtime coach Gary Patterson in the middle of it and players battle a growing list of injuries ended with a 48-14 loss at Iowa State on Friday.
Oh, and a new coach is headed to TCU. As expected, Dykes will take over the program, sources said, but the school refused to confirm multiple reports Friday. TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati declined comment on the situation.
An official announcement is not expected until early next week.
On the field, the Frogs looked like a team depleted by injuries. They were without their top two running backs, Zach Evans and Kendre Miller, and their top receiving threat, Quentin Johnston. The defense faced similar depth issues.
“Those kids gave everything they had, but we’ve been depleted with injuries,” TCU interim coach Jerry Kill said. “I feel bad for those kids, but the kids gave me everything they had. That’s all I can ask of them today. It’s been a hard four weeks, but we went 2-2. It could’ve been worse, it could’ve been better.”
Iowa State took advantage with a dominant performance, ending TCU’s dreams of becoming bowl eligible. The Cyclones improved to 7-5 on the season, while TCU finished 5-7.
Iowa State running back Breece Hall played the starring role, rushing for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. He scored on runs of 39, 80 and 4 yards.
Kill called Hall the best running back in the Big 12 “by far.”
“He’s from Wichita, Kansas,” Kill said. “That’s where I was born. That’s why he had a great day. There’s a lot of great people who come from Wichita, Kansas. He’s a good football player. I’m not going to take anything away from him. He’s the best back in this conference by far.”
Said TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: “He’s a solid back. He’s a great player. He’ll be a great player wherever he goes. I wish him well, but a lot of it is just a lot of missed tackles and plays we should have made.”
As a team, the Cyclones finished with 279 yards rushing including a 40-yard TD run by Jirehl Brock in the first half. They averaged 12.1 yards per carry on the day compared to TCU’s 3.4 yards per carry.
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy had a successful day throwing the ball, too, throwing for 262 yards and two TDs.
The Cyclones had 541 yards of total offense compared to TCU’s 348 yards.
The Frogs scored two touchdowns. They had one in the first half on a 47-yard pass from Max Duggan to Blair Conwright and one in the second half on a 6-yard pass from Duggan to offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, who is listed at 6-foot-7, 312 pounds.
Duggan finished 15 of 26 passing for 216 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Duggan, who has been playing through a broken bone in the fifth metatarsal area, is expected to undergo surgery next week in Dallas and return in time for spring ball.
Senior Emari Demercado led the team in rushing with 65 yards on 15 carries.
At the end of the day, TCU finished with its second losing season in the last three years.
“This season didn’t go the way we planned, but I feel the way we ended the season was strong,” Demercado said. “With everything we went through, it brought the team closer. The fact that we were able to fight through that adversity? I think this is a special group.
“As players, we learned a lot. I’ll never be disappointed in this year. We’re disappointed in the results, but what you can take from the entire season is something big.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 6:33 PM.
