A look back at TCU’s recent struggles against Iowa State
TCU’s season-long revenge tour has reached its final stop as the Horned Frogs close the 2022 season against Iowa State.
The Horned Frogs haven’t beaten the Cyclones since 2018, but overall the two programs are 5-5 since TCU joined the Big 12.
Considering TCU will enter the contest ranked No. 4 in the country while Iowa State will miss out on a bowl game, now appears to be the perfect time to get back above .500 against their conference foe.
Many of the current Horned Frogs don’t know what its like to beat Iowa State, but that wasn’t an issue against Oklahoma or Kansas State among others. However, many of the Cyclones that made life tough on TCU have moved on and that could end up being the difference in this one.
Let’s go through a quick recap of three-game losing streak to see what’s gone wrong and what will have to change when the two teams meet at 3 p.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
2021
Last year’s result was the most lopsided of the series as Iowa State pounded TCU 48-14 in Ames. The Cyclones piled up almost 550 yards of total offense with Brock Purdy throwing for 262 yards and Breece Hall rushing for 242. Max Duggan was sacked five times and picked off by a swarming Iowa State defense.
The Cyclones kept TCU from going bowling with the season-ending win.
2020
The COVID year was a strange season for everybody, but Iowa State took advantage of it by reaching the Big 12 championship game that year. The Cyclones started that Big 12 campaign with a 37-34 win at TCU at the end of September. Once again, Purdy and Hall had big days against TCU with the duo combining for 372 yards and four touchdowns.
Max Duggan entered the game in the second half and was prolific with 241 passing yards and three touchdowns. Iowa State pulled away with a Hall touchdown with under three minutes remaining before TCU added a touchdown as the clock expired.
2019
The start of the losing streak was another lopsided result as Iowa State rolled 49-24. This one was all about Purdy as he threw for 247 yards and rushed for 100 with four total touchdowns. TCU trailed 35-10 late in the third quarter and tried to make it a game with back-to-back touchdowns. Purdy iced the game with another rushing touchdown with 6:27 remaining.
If there’s anything to take away from the recent results is that TCU will be relieved to not have to deal with Purdy or Hall Saturday afternoon as both are in the NFL now. With a new crop of players struggling to maintain the standard those two established, the Horned Frogs should feel confident about snapping the streak.
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 12:33 PM.
