This time last year, TCU became the first “victim” of Deion Sanders as the head coach of Colorado, as the Buffaloes went into Fort Worth and ambushed the Horned Frogs, just a few months removed from their appearance in the College Football Playoff to conclude the 2022 season.
This year – the Frogs didn’t open at home, and they weren’t about to be anyone’s victim, even when it appeared for a moment that Stanford might come back and send the game to overtime late in regulation.
Instead, TCU got a big performance from Josh Hoover – 353 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another – and got out with a 34-27 win.
They had to settle down and bounce back after Stanford grabbed the lead with 6:57 left in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Justin Lamson after TCU missed a field goal.
Hoover went 6-for-6 on what would wind up the game-winning drive, wrapping it with a touchdown pass to Jack Bech. That put TCU in front, 27-24, and they got one final score, an insurance score on a 7-yard run by Cam Cook with just under two minutes left.
It gives TCU momentum to compete in the new-look Big 12, which will include aforementioned Colorado, ironically enough, as well as Utah, Arizona State and Arizona, all coming over from the Pac-12.
To say it was a crisp performance by coach Sonny Dykes’ team, though, would be a misstep. Dropped passes were frequent, and they were flagged for over 100 yards in penalties.
Since playing in the CFP in 2022, TCU is 6-7.
“We made some critical, critical mistakes that typically get you beat,” Dykes said, “so we were fortunate to win.”
Stanford, on the other hand, is left oddly enough in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the likes of Miami, Florida State and Clemson – on the other side of the country – and does so after losing a 10th consecutive home game. The Cardinal last had a win at home on Oct. 22, 2022 against Arizona State.
TCU’s own home opener is next Saturday, Sept. 7, against Long Island University. Stanford will have another home game next week, as well, hosting Cal Poly.
