TCU’s football team snapped a two-game losing streak and earned its second Big 12 win of the season with a 44-11 victory over BYU at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Horned Frogs offered a complete team effort led by a passing offense that put up 584 yards and four touchdowns.
“That was big for us,” head coach Sonny Dykes told members of the media after the win. “For two weeks, it felt like: ‘What more could go wrong?’ I think everybody felt the pressure of that. It was big for us to get off to a good start. [Defense and offense] played off each other well. We gained a lot of confidence.”
TCU seized control early as defensive back Millard Bradford intercepted BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis’ first pass attempt and returned it for a touchdown. The Horned Frogs’ offense added to the lead on a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Hoover, filling in for injured starter Chandler Morris, to wide receiver J.P. Richardson to take an early 14-0 lead.
After the TCU defense came away with a fumble recovery on a sack, Hoover moved his team down the field quickly and connected with tight end Jared Wiley for another score. BYU scored a touchdown and added a two-point conversion to pull within two possessions, but TCU had one more scoring drive before the end of the half to take a 31-8 lead into halftime.
The Horned Frogs picked up where they left off after halftime. Hoover led another scoring drive to begin the third quarter, and Griffin Kell converted his second field goal of the day — giving TCU a comfortable 30-point lead through three quarters.
BYU could not turn a late interception into points, and Kell added one final field goal.
Hoover finished the game with 439 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions on 37-of-58 passing. Four different TCU receivers scored touchdowns, and the running game added 137 yards.
Slovis accounted for 132 of BYU’s 243 yards.
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WHAT TO KNOW
— TCU earned its fourth win of the season, snapping a two-game losing streak and improving to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12.
— BYU and TCU have played each other 12 times in football. Each team has won six times, and TCU holds a 6-4 advantage when playing as members of the same conference.
— Hoover made his first career start, replacing Chandler Morris, who suffered an MCL sprain last week.
— TCU improved to 10-2 in Big 12 play under Sonny Dykes.
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BY THE NUMBERS
— Hoover finished with 37 completions and four touchdown passes, the best performance of a TCU quarterback in his debut since Matt Vogler’s 44-completion, five-touchdown game against Houston in 1990.
— TCU held a BYU offense that averaged 318.6 yards and 31 points per game to just 243 yards and 11 points.
— TCU converted 12 of its 19 third-down opportunities, while BYU clocked only 2-14.
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WHO SAID
— Hoover on his first start: “Our guys … gave me chances to make plays all game long. We threw 60 balls, and I never had pressure. That’s unheard of. I felt like we left some points out there, but it was great to get back in the win column.”
— Dykes on Hoover’s debut: “What can you say about Josh? I thought he played incredibly well. Not surprised. He’s the most prepared guy on our team — composed, never got rattled. The moment was never too big for him.”
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NEXT UP
— TCU (4-3, 2-2 in the Big 12) plays Kansas State (3-2, 1-1) on the road at 6 p.m. CT next Saturday.
