Why Sonny Dykes wasn’t satisfied with TCU football’s win over Abilene Christian
Most of the time when teams win by three possessions, it’s an occasion for celebration or satisfaction.
It was the exact opposite for TCU after its 42-21 win over Abilene Christian in the home opener Saturday. While the offense was sharp, the defense didn’t play with the same fire or intensity that it showed for most of the blowout win over North Carolina.
“Sometimes, we just seem like at halftime, we just came out and didn’t have the same kind of mindset and killer mentality we needed to in the second half,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “And I’ve got to do a better job getting our players ready when they have that kind of situation.
“Last week and a half ago against North Carolina, we were up 20-7 at halftime and scored on our first position in second half. And really felt like we pulled away, and just for whatever reason tonight, we didn’t. We didn’t have that same kind of mentality. We gotta have that.”
It’s human nature to let your foot off the gas when you lead 28-0 at halftime and 42-9 in the second half like TCU did. Even so, the Horned Frogs’ lack of execution and physicality on defense in the second half were alarming to Dykes.
Sonny Dykes says TCU not ‘as focused’
How did Abilene Christian score 21 points against TCU while only being able to muster up seven against Tulsa in a 35-7 loss? When asked if he thought the team was looking ahead to SMU, Dykes was transparent with his answer.
“I didn’t think we had as good a week. I didn’t think we were as focused in practice as we were going into North Carolina,” Dykes said. “I had that sense a little bit. I told the guys in the locker room, we just can’t afford to not prepare and play our best. Especially in the Big 12, week in, week out you’re going to get beat if you don’t play well and if you’re not excited to play.
“And so it just seemed like we lost a little bit of our edge at halftime being up 28-0. And that’s something that we have to do better. We’re trying to get there as a program.”
Dykes also knows the lack of a killer instinct could doom TCU once the schedule becomes more difficult. Abilene Christian converted 12 of 17 third downs, with three conversions coming up on passes of at least 20 yards.
TCU cornerback play concerning
The TCU defense had four sacks, but couldn’t consistently generate pressure on Stone Earle when only rushing four. It’s understandable that defensive coordinator Andy Avalos would want to mostly remain vanilla schematically, but the secondary’s play was still concerning.
Multiple cornerbacks were flagged for defensive pass interference, and the unit struggled with the physicality and size of the Wildcats’ receivers.
“I think we’re probably a little late getting turned around and reacting to the ball,” Dykes said. “We had a problem a couple times a corner where they underthrew those balls. I was a little disappointed the way we played at that position overall. I didn’t think we played very well at corner.”
Earle had the best game of his career, which started in 2020, with 276 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. All of that isn’t just about the defense easing up and not playing with intensity. Earle has been in blowouts before, but never has been this productive.
The Wildcats’ receivers won far too many individual matchups against an experienced secondary, and TCU must rebound quickly before facing SMU and quarterback Kevin Jennings.
It may feel like nitpicking after a blowout win, but for a team with aspirations to make the College Football Playoff, every game is an opportunity to meet that standard on the field.
TCU didn’t do that in the second half, and the Horned Frogs won’t be able to get away with that effort against the Mustangs or Arizona State in two weeks.
But there is a bright side. Dykes has a clear area of emphasis to address over the next week of practice, and the Horned Frogs should have a stronger understanding of how important it is to finish games.
Great programs and coaches are always trying to find small areas for improve. The Horned Frogs have a clear area they can focus on as they begin the toughest part of their schedule.
