Why TCU football’s win over Houston was a sign of growth | Opinion
Has a victory over a ranked opponent ever inspired less confidence than TCU football’s 17-14 win over Houston on Saturday?
Judging by the reaction of some of the fan base on social media, you would’ve thought the Horned Frogs lost to the then-No. 25 Cougars instead of picking up their first ranked win since the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
The reaction isn’t completely unreasonable, as the game ended up being a perfect summary of TCU football this season.
The Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) flashed dominance, jumping out to a 14-0 lead on the road, but then they allowed Houston back into the game with four turnovers, two penalties that wiped touchdowns off the scoreboard and two more penalties on fourth down that kept a Cougars scoring drive alive.
It’s not unreasonable to be frustrated that TCU needed two missed field goals to survive in a game it thoroughly controlled.
I get it.
But with the way this season is going, don’t the Horned Frogs deserve some type of credit for being able to overcome those obstacles, even if self-inflicted, against a good opponent? A win is a win after all, right?
The answer is yes. In the midst of a two-game losing streak that ended any hopes of making the Big 12 championship game, the Horned Frogs could’ve punted on the final two games of the season.
TCU didn’t quit on Sonny Dykes
The TCU team that played in Houston showed no signs of quitting on the season or head coach Sonny Dykes, and that’s a testament to the staff for keeping the locker room together in a season that has fallen short of everyone’s expectations.
“They showed a fight. We had to overcome a ton of adversity,” Dykes said. “Four turnovers, we had 300 yards of offense in the first half and only 14 points to show for it. Normally when you do that, and you make those kinds of mistakes, you lose the game. To our guys credit, they just strained so hard and played so hard, they weren’t going to let it happen.”
That level of effort was missing in a 44-13 loss at BYU on Nov. 15 when it didn’t feel like TCU was fully engaged, despite playing a top-15 opponent.
The execution was questionable against Houston, but the effort certainly was not — and Dykes isn’t wrong. Those mistakes led to losses in the past like against Arizona State and Iowa State. So isn’t what we saw on Saturday a sign of growth?
Remember, the Horned Frogs were playing without one of their best defenders with preseason All-Big 12 safety Bud Clark missing his first game of the year with an injury. Leading rusher Kevorian Barnes and starting left guard Cade Bennett also missed the game, along with key reserve running back Trent Battle.
The injuries and self-inflicted mistakes would’ve led to a loss nine out of 10 times, but the Horned Frogs showed their football character in the way they endured the absence of some of their best players.
Young safeties Julius Simms and Jordan Lester filled in seamlessly for Clark, with Simms snagging a pivotal interception in the end zone on fourth and goal.
Jeremy Payne had his first career 100-yard rushing game just 30 miles away from his hometown. True freshman running back Jon Denman also showed why his future could be a bright one as he helped TCU take nearly five minutes off the game clock with eight carries on TCU’s final drive.
The reshuffled offensive line played exceptionally, with just one sack allowed against an all-out blitz. A defense that let BYU have its way in Provo bounced back behind another stellar performance by linebackers Kaleb-Elarms Orr and Namdi Obiazor.
It wasn’t pretty, and TCU was often its own worst enemy Saturday, but it still felt like a sign of progress for a team that had seemed to regress in November.
“It says a lot about who they are. I couldn’t be more proud of a football team and an organization,” Dykes said. “That was a tough, hard-fought win.”
One win over Houston isn’t enough to salvage the season and ease all the growing anxiety about the direction of the program, but at the end of the day, TCU finally defeated a ranked opponent and showed the type of fight fans desperately wanted to see.
It’s not everything, but it’s certainly worth something.
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 11:56 AM.
