Quick Thoughts: TCU Football 34, Stanford 27

The Horned Frogs overcome miscues to bring home the road victory over the Cardinal

Devastating Lack of Discipline

The opening defensive drive of the season featured TCU giving away 45 yards via penalty, twice giving the Stanford offense new life when it had failed on third down, resulting in the Cardinal grabbing the early lead. Costly mental mistakes and unnecessary penalties were a lowlight of the troubles TCU suffered in 2023, so it was disheartening to see that as an immediate issue yet again, although the defense did settle into a groove before a questionable Abe Camara unsportsmanlike penalty kept a Stanford drive alive for a late go-ahead score. In addition to the penalties was sloppy play on the offensive end. TCU lost two fumbles and had another that luckily bounced right into a TCU player’s hands; JP Richardson’s was deep in TCU’s end of the field, allowing a short field for a touchdown while Josh Hoover’s fumble on first and goal prevented a momentum-shifting score before halftime. There were also the turnovers on downs resulting from a failed fourth down attempt and a missed field goal, eliminating scoring opportunities. For as great a day as the starting WRs had, there were also three costly drops by Savion Williams and JP Richardson, each likely would’ve resulted in converted first downs. TCU is fortunate that this accumulation of mistakes didn’t result in a loss, but it will need to be cleaned up with tougher games ahead.

Life’s a Bech

TCU’s offensive MVP on the day had a career-best performance on Friday night, delivering the go-ahead 4th quarter touchdown as part of a monster 6 reception, 139-yard evening, repeatedly setting the Frogs up inside the 5. Frog fans have been awaiting the Bech breakout since his arrival in Fort Worth from LSU and his massive game along with those of fellow WRs JP Richardson and Savion Williams sets up for big things for QB Josh Hoover and the TCU passing attack this season.

Clean Pocket

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On 42 pass block plays on Friday night, Stanford only produced one sack and two total QB hurries. Meanwhile QB Josh Hoover was able to throw for 353 yards and two touchdowns, completing 67% of his passes while the Horned Frogs also rushed for 104 yards. There were plenty of questions about the TCU re-built offensive line throughout the offseason and it answered with a gem in the opener, keeping the pocket clean and producing holes in the running game. While there will certainly be more dangerous defensive fronts later in the schedule, it was an encouraging sign to see the unit produce this successfully in Week One.

New Defense, Who Dis?

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When Andy Avalos was brought on as the Defensive Coordinator, there was a clear goal to see vast improvement in the pass rush, both via scheme and personnel. It was a major focus in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in big time edge rushers Devean Deal, NaNa Osafo-Mensah, and Cooper McDonald. The move paid big dividends on Friday night as the Frogs totaled four sacks,10 tackles for loss, and another five QB hurries. Marcel Brooks had a standout day with 1.5 sacks, paying off all the promise he’s been known to have since arriving from LSU. Defensive lineman Tymon Mitchell made an interception off a Johnny Hodges deflection. New cornerbacks LaMareon James & JaTravis Broughton were outstanding in coverage, containing elite wide out Elic Ayomanor and the Stanford passing attack. Despite the penalties and mental miscues, this was a grand debut for Avalos’ defense.

Let Cam Cook

In his first start at running back for the Horned Frogs, Cam Cook put the team on his back when it needed him most. With TCU clinging to a three point lead, TCU took over in the redzone with just over two minutes to play in the game. Cook gained all 19 yards into the end zone for the game-sealing touchdown. He finished with 81 yards on 20 carries, a debut start that is encouraging as TCU has high expectations for Cook and the sophomore runner looks to be up to the task.