Horned Frogs fans, TCU football is going streaking, as Sony Dykes' squad was able to overcome West Virginia by a score of 41-31 to keep their undefeated streak alive and their dreams of the college football playoffs alive with it.
Surprising? Eh, maybe a little bit, as TCU had to overcome the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, and now West Virginia to get to this point, but with just four games left to play and no ranked opponents left on the schedule – sorry Texas – the chances of TCU ripping off an undefeated season, their first since 2010, is very much a possibility.
And the best part? They're doing it all in the first year under new head coach Sonny Dykes, who took over for long-time head coach Gary Patterson and his mid-season replacement, Jerry Kill, earlier this year.
That's right, according to ESPN Stats, Dykes has become the first head coach in Big 12 history to start 8-0 in their first season in the conference. This current run also marks TCU's fifth 8-0 start over the last 20 seasons, with only Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Boise State having recorded more over that span of time.
Impressive stuff, right? Well, Dykes puts all the credit on his players, who are finding ways to win even when they get outplayed by their foes.
Sonny Dykes has become the first head coach in Big 12 history to start 8-0 in their first season in the conference.
It's TCU's 5th 8-0 start over the last 20 seasons. Only Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Boise State have done so more often over that span. pic.twitter.com/iuksMoDqxA
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 29, 2022
TCU Football found a good one in Sonny Dykes.
Speaking with reporters after his team's win over West Virginia, the former SMU head coach gave credit to his guys for consistently finding a way to win despite having to face adversity throughout the game.
“Alright, good to get a win,” Dykes said. “You know, when that games was on the schedule at the beginning of the year, we knew that was going to be a touch one and a grinder but we were fortunate to get the win today and I think part of what getting on a run like we are right now is you have to win some games where you probably don’t play your best and we’re certainly going to have to play better but again, you have to give West Virginia a ton of credit, they played with a ton of energy in the first half, I thought they played very physical, I thought they played very hard and in a lot of ways probably out played us in the first and I thought our guys settled in and played a little better in the second half and, you know, we made enough stops defensively and, you know, we made enough plays on offense to win but, you know, we just need to get better. I mean that’s the thing about getting on a run, you just need to find ways to win and we’ve been able to do that and I’m proud of our guys for doing that.”
Dykes' quarterback, Max Duggan, expressed a similar sentiment in his post-game media availability, as detailed by ESPN.
“We're not playing for how pretty it looks,” Duggan said. “We're playing to get that win, whether it's won by one or by 40. Obviously, there's things that we need to work on that will make it easier for us.”
“We're grateful to be 8-0. You're never going to take winning for granted. We know it's hard to win in this league, especially on the road.”
If TCU is going to run the table and come out of the Big 12 on top, they'll need to keep that team-first mentality alive and well.
Follow Us
Subscribe