Will Saturday’s Iron Skillet matchup between TCU and SMU be the final installment of the century-plus-long rivalry series? What has impressed Horned Frog fans the most about the team’s offensive and defensive
performance so far this season? Which teams in the Big 12 appear primed for a run at the conference title?
With TCU now 3-0 after its 35-24 win over the Mustangs on Saturday, we took to X and polled our followers to gain some insight into how fans are feeling after the team’s third straight win to start the season! With each poll, we’ll provide analysis and give our thoughts as the Horned Frogs prepare for their Big 12 opener on Friday!
The fans want the Iron Skillet game back and frankly, so do I. With SMU investing more resources into reviving its football program, head coach Rhett Lashlee and his staff have turned the program around, reaching the CFP in its first season as a member of the ACC. Saturday’s game showed that both TCU and the Mustangs are capable of being competitive each year, which should motivate both schools to find a way to keep the rivalry alive in an age of college football where regional rivalries are being ditched. Admittedly, I was in favor of this game going away a few years ago, as the SMU game (which more often than not was a lopsided TCU win) drew little credit with a TCU win and more criticism with a TCU loss. Things have changed, however, and SMU is a much more competitive program than it has been in the past several years. I’d love to see the two schools keep playing.
Josh Hoover has certainly been a huge factor in TCU’s 3-0 start to the season, but I think the wide receivers have been the most impressive part of the offense’s high yardage and scoring output this season. Losing three NFL pass catchers (Savion Williams, Jack Bech and J.P. Richardson) has not deterred the Horned Frogs from throwing the ball around. I was concerned about these receivers before the season, but the early returns are excellent, as Jordan Dwyer, Joseph Manjack IV and Eric McAlister have all posted a 100-yard receiving game. After a slow start, McAlister went Beast Mode against the Mustangs, posting eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns in what will be one of the program’s all-time receiving performances. Big 12 play will be another animal, but the early results suggest TCU has successfuly reloaded at the wide receiver position.
TCU’s defensive line was a significant weakness last season, as the Horned Frogs ranked among the worst teams in the conference against the run. Since that time, TCU has graduated several upperclassmen and is leaning on key underclassmen like Markis Deal, Zach Chapman, Tristan Johnson and Washington State transfer Ansel Din-Mbuh. Those players have responded, as TCU held North Carolina to 50 rushing yards on 28 carries (1.79 yards per carry) and SMU to 94 rushing yards on 27 carries (3.58 yards per carry). Not only that, but the Horned Frogs have managed to get some pressure on the quarterback, with Paul Oyewale notching a sack against the Mustangs and Din-Mbuh earning 1.5 sacks in the Abilene Christian game. Again, Big 12 play will test this group much more than the first three games have, but the early returns on these young defensive linemen are very positive.
I’m coupling these two polls together since they relate to how fans think the Horned Frogs will perform in the Big 12 this season. It’s obvious at this point that nearly all TCU fans expect the team to be near the top of the conference standings. There’s good reason, too, as some of the preseason favorites (Kansas State and Baylor, specifically) have been shaky so far. Arizona State will be a great first test for TCU. ASU is lurking outside the top-25 rankings and could easily leap back into those rankings with a win over the No. 24 ranked Horned Frogs. I expected Iowa State to compete for the conference title this season and Texas Tech has been more explosive than I envisioned. Utah, another team sitting right outside the top-25 polls, has been the surprise team for me so far. I would’ve love to see TCU and Texas Tech play this season, but it could be a blessing in disguise they don’t.
