Dave Ammenheuser: TCU beats Oklahoma with big plays, deserves national attention
Wow.
No other three-letter word aptly applies.
TCU = Wow.
Saturday’s TCU 55-24 thrashing of visiting No. 18 Oklahoma did much more than entertain the capacity crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The lopsided win also taught college football fans two big lessons.
One, the over-hyped over-ranked Sooners are not nearly as good as the pundits thought they were when they ranked them ninth in the preseason polls.
Second, the under-hyped, under-appreciated Horned Frogs are primed to stir things up in the Big 12 in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season. Yep, this same team that scored only seven points against a terrible Colorado team in the first half of their opener on Sept. 2. Yep, this team that was projected to finish in the bottom tier of the Big 12.
The lackluster first-half against Colorado seems so long ago.
Yep, it was just a month.
A lot can change in college football in 30 days. And in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs should enter the Top 25 rankings in the coming days.
Is it too early to say a Big 12 championship is within this explosive team’s reach? Probably. But, ya’ gotta figure college fans across the country were startled when they saw the Horned Frogs put 27 points on the Sooners in the first quarter on Saturday.
And 41 points at halftime.
With 9:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs had already scored 48 points, the most ever in their 22 previous games against the Sooners. Keep in mind TCU was 1-9 in their 10 previous home games against the Sooners.
The Horned Frogs hit 55 before the end of the third quarter.
It wasn’t just the lopsided score that should rattle the college football landscape Saturday. It’s how the Horned Frogs did it.
Pure Sonny Dykes style.
Big plays. Lots of offense. Lots of play makers. Lots of highlight film material. Tens of thousands of happy fans.
They were beaten by the arm of Max Duggan (23 of 33 for 302 yards, three touchdowns) and the legs of Max Duggan (five carries, 116 yards and two touchdowns). But he wasn’t alone.
The big plays came quickly and often from Duggan and his teammates.
The starters totaled more than 630 yards in three quarters when Dykes took them out of the game. TCU finished with a 668-355 edge in yardage.
Kendre Miller ran 13 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns, Taye Barber had three catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, Emari Demercardo had eight carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, Gunnar Henderson had a 62-yard touchdown reception.
The Horned Frogs explosive offensive depth too much for an Oklahoma team that was embarrassed at home a week ago when it lost 41-34 to Kansas State. What could possibly be worse than that embarrassing loss?
Saturday’s defeat. Wow. The Frogs had only beaten OU five times previously, none by more than 13 points.
The Sooners were 6-point favorites in Fort Worth on Saturday. Within three minutes, the Horned Frogs’ defense forced the Sooners’ best player, wide receiver, Marvin Mims to fumble. Four plays later, Duggan connected with Savion Williams on a 19-yard touchdown pass and the point-spread was covered and the rout had begun.
Certainly there have been bigger TCU routs and more impressive scoring totals. Horned Frog fans will never forget the 82-27 drubbing of Texas Tech in 2014.
Yet, this rout deserves equal attention due to the expected quality of the opponent. And because of how much the Horned Frogs to continue to improve week after week. For a team that started so slowly 30 days ago ... simply: Wow.
Dave Ammenheuser is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor.
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 3:05 PM.