TCU Football

To say TCU head coach Gary Patterson was upset about how the aftermath of Saturday's 42-34 loss to SMU unfolded would be quite the understatement.

As Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram reported, Patterson unleashed on the Mustangs' program, criticized counterpart Sonny Dykes and connected the dots from SMU's decision to plant its flag on TCU's field to assistant coach Jerry Kill's concussion.

"I cannot substantiate that it was a SMU or TCU person, but it did happen," Patterson said when discussing Kill's concussion he suffered when he was knocked over multiple times during the scuffle that happened when the Mustangs wanted to plant their flag. "If we wouldn't have had the flags, it wouldn't have happened. OK?"

Davison noted video showed Kill was knocked over by TCU players at one point.

Kill, who retired from head coaching in 2015 and was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2005, has returned to work since suffering the injury.

Patterson also suggested SMU planned the entire stunt with the flags because it had someone ready to film it:

You don't think it was planned? They had a media person from their office that was out filming the flag getting set in the middle of the field. It's OK. But don't tell me there wasn't a plan somewhere there.

A guy [Kill] got hurt. Why I'm upset about it, a guy got hurt that things like that usually cause seizures. A guy got hurt. He got pushed down by our kids once on film in the middle of it and he got hit because I've got the proof to show it.

At the end of the day, whether it's SMU, TCU, I can't substantiate it. But at the end of the day it wouldn't have happened if we didn't have the flag situation.

SMU athletic director Rick Hard said there was "unequivocally" no plan and any suggestion to the contrary is "a complete fabrication."

Patterson also took aim at Dykes and suggested the SMU head coach should have contacted him to discuss the entire incident instead of reaching out to TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati:

Sonny has been a good friend of mine. I was disappointed that the AD got a call, I never got a call about Jerry getting hit. When we couldn't play in COVID, I made the phone call to Sonny Dykes, not him (Donati). I made the phone call saying, 'All of our quarterbacks are out. We can't play.' That's what the head coach of programs do. Not have one of their assistants text me in the middle of the night, or call my AD.

I still consider him a friend. I'm going to go forward with it.

Dykes was an assistant coach with the Horned Frogs in 2017.

As for the actual game, the Mustangs seized the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. They extended it to as many as 15 in the fourth quarter behind a dominant rushing attack that featured two backs who went over 100 yards.

TCU had no answer for Ulysses Bentley IV (153 rushing yards) or Tre Siggers (110 rushing yards), while wide receiver Danny Gray took advantage of the additional space the rushing attack created with 130 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai overcame three interceptions with four touchdown passes, and SMU improved to 4-0 on the season.

The Horned Frogs are 2-1 and now start Big 12 play against the rival Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

The Texas Bowl scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET between the Arkansas Razorbacks and TCU Horned Frogs has been canceled.

Bowl officials reportedly reached out to a team in hopes that it would take TCU's place in the game, according to Otis Kirk of Pig Trail Nation, but the unnamed squad could not do so.

The Texas Bowl was established in 2006 and has been played every year since. Both Arkansas and TCU would have been making their second Texas Bowl appearances, as Arkansas beat Texas in 2014 and TCU beat Houston in 2007.

Because of the unique circumstances surrounding this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many teams to decline bowl invitations, the Razorbacks were set to play in a bowl game despite going just 3-7.

Although Arkansas' record wasn't impressive, it made strides in its first season under head coach Sam Pittman after going 2-10 in both 2018 and 2019.

Notably, the Razorbacks beat Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee, and lost by three points or fewer against Auburn, LSU and Missouri.

TCU went 6-4 this season, which was an improvement over last year's 5-7 mark that resulted in the Horned Frogs missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2013.

TCU's biggest wins came against the likes of Texas and Oklahoma State, and they lost to Iowa State by only three points.

With the Texas Bowl no longer on the table, the New Year's Eve bowl slate is down to the Armed Forces Bowl (Tulsa vs. Mississippi State), Arizona Bowl (Ball State vs. San Jose State) and Liberty Bowl (West Virginia vs. Army).

TCU head coach Gary Patterson issued an apology Tuesday after using the N-word during a confrontation with Horned Frogs linebacker Dylan Jordan.

Jordan posted a statement about the encounter Monday (Warning: post includes a racial slur), which led multiple players to boycott yesterday's practice.

TCU offensive lineman Kellton Hollins confirmed the leadership council's meeting with Patterson:

"As a leadership council, we have spoken with Coach P about the events of today. We have discussed ways to move forward while keeping in mind the mental health of the football team. Coach P understands the significance of what he said. Regardless of the context, the word is unacceptable to use but even more so in today's climate. As a team, we will continue to hold coaches and everyone accountable especially as it pertains to the injustices of America."

Free-agent NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who played at TCU under Patterson, came to his former coach's defense.

"Can verify what you're hearing negatively is not the full story," Newhouse wrote on Twitter. "Don't let yourself get wrapped up in what sounds the most sensational. I will let Coach P speak for himself, but he has 30-plus years of a track record to stand on. Lets, for once, all be mature about it."

Another former player, who's also Black and spent five years playing for Patterson with the Horned Frogs, told Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he "never heard Patterson use a racial slur."

The 60-year-old Kansas native has been TCU's head coach since 2000, guiding the program to a 172-70 record with 17 bowl appearances in 20 seasons. The team has gone 11-6 in those postseason games.

He ranked 17th in the country with a $4.9 million salary for the 2019 season, per USA Today.

Patterson and the Horned Frogs are scheduled to kick off the 2020 campaign Sept. 26 against SMU, though the situation remains fluid because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Multiple TCU players refused to practice Monday morning after head coach Gary Patterson allegedly used the N-word in front of a player, linebacker Dylan Jordan wrote Monday (warning: contains a racial slur):

Jordan said Patterson used the racial slur Sunday at practice after the coach called him out for an Instagram post.     

"This behavior is not okay now or ever and there needs to be repercussions to these actions," Jordan wrote.

Multiple players came to Patterson's defense, saying the coach did not use the slur against a player and was telling them not to use the N-word in meetings (warning: tweets contain a racial slur):

Tight end Artavius Lynn provided more detail about how the players reacted:

On Tuesday, Patterson posted an apology on his Twitter account, saying his use of the racial slur was "unacceptable."

Patterson is going into his 20th full season as the TCU head coach, producing a 172-70 career record with the program.

The Horned Frogs are coming off a disappointing 2019 season where they finished 5-7, marking only the third time a Patterson-led team failed to reach a bowl game.

Jordan joined TCU last year as a 3-star recruit out of Pittsburg, Kansas. After initially planning to start his career at junior college, he was able to gain eligibility in July before the start of the season.

He was redshirted during his first season while only seeing action in two games, both in September against SMU and Kansas. The linebacker said Monday he was promised early playing time during the recruiting process. 

Five-star running back Zachary Evans, who 247Sports ranks as the 16th overall prospect in the class of 2020, chose to attend TCU on Monday, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.  

The 5'11", 200-pound Evans helped lead North Shore High School (Houston, Texas) to 2018 and 2019 Texas state championships on the 6A, Division I level. He rushed for 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 127 carries (12.6 yards per carry).

He signed a letter of intent with Georgia during the Early Signing Period, per Chris Hummer of 247Sports. However, Evans was expected to be released from that commitment.

EJ Holland of 247Sports wrote that "Evans may be the best running back to come out of the Lone Star State since [Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson]" and that he could "literally do it all."

Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle also praised Evans, writing that he has "taut muscularity that evokes Iron Man's armor and seemingly the preternatural ability to quickly read the second line of defense on the run."

Head coach John Kay offered his glowing remarks: "You have a lot of great backs out there with great vision or great power or great speed, he told Atkins. "His combination of all of those is what's been on display the last few weeks."

Ultimately, TCU looks like they are getting a future NFL prospect who's ready to dominate Division I ball right now.

TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's passion for music has been widely reported over the years, but he revealed to reporters on Tuesday that he's planning to take it a step further and connect with an unnamed recording artist to make an album.  

"I've always wanted to be able to do it," he said, per ESPN's Sam Khan Jr. "They've already been in the studio, they've already put it on tracks, and we're going forward. That's something that I never thought I'd get to do because I always stayed so busy."

"You might be really surprised when we get done with this," the 60-year-old added. "The guy that helped [rewrite] it, he put it in the modern age. If it hits No. 1, I'm gonna make all you guys all go out to some country place and you're all going to have to dance to it."

The 20-year TCU head coach said he's written 15 songs over the years, some of which have been updated over time.

While it's not clear what genre Patterson will focus on, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported in 2016 that his all-time favorite recording artist is Fleetwood Mac.

Patterson also showed off his singing and guitar-playing skills to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2013:

Patterson has a 172-70 lifetime record with the Horned Frogs.

Quentin Johnston announced his decision to flip his commitment from Texas to TCU on his personal Snapchat on Monday night, which he will make official by signing Wednesday:

According to 247Sports, Johnston is TCU's fourth 4-star prospect and 14th hard commit overall in its 2020 class.

Johnston had announced his commitment to Texas in August:

"It's a good business school," Johnston told Horns247's Mike Roach at the time. "It's a big family. Every time I go there the coaches are so happy to see me. That's like the good feeling and I like that every time I go there."

Johnston also commented on his "good relationship" with Longhorns wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer, who was fired earlier this month. The uncertainty within Texas' coaching staff could have played a big role in Johnston's decision to join TCU instead.

The Temple High School (Temple, Texas) product is ninth in Texas, 13th at wide receiver and 69th nationally in 247Sports' composite rankings. Johnston is now the second-highest rated player to commit to TCU since head coach Gary Patterson took over in 2000, per Drew Davidson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

While Mehringer's departure from Texas might have affected Johnston's desire to play for the Longhorns, Davidson reported over the weekend that "multiple assistants on Patterson's staff have been linked to other openings around the country." The Horned Frogs went 5-7 this season.

TCU kicker Cole Bunce was injured during a traffic accident and could miss the entire 2019 season, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.  

Schlabach reported Bunce was driving a motorized scooter when a car turned in front of him in Fort Worth, Texas. Police cited the other driver for failing to yield.

Bunce was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, and TCU head coach Gary Patterson confirmed he underwent "emergency surgery." Patterson didn't elaborate on the nature of his injuries.

"I don't think he'll be able to play the rest of the year," he said. "Sometimes you have luck, and sometimes you have no luck at all."

Bunce was 4-of-9 on field goals in 2019, including 2-of-5 on attempts between 40 and 49 yards. The senior was also the Horned Frogs' primary kickoff option, averaging 56.3 yards and recording 20 touchbacks on 62 kicks.

If Bunce is unavailable, fellow senior Jonathan Song will likely become TCU's primary field-goal kicker. Song went 9-of-12 overall and was a perfect 6-of-6 between 20 and 29 yards.

The TCU Horned Frogs were in the Mountain West Conference during the 2010 season, but that didn't stop them from capping off an undefeated campaign with a 21-19 victory over the Big Ten's Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

To hear TCU head coach Gary Patterson tell it during Big 12 media days (via RedditCFB), the fact then-Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst had his eyes on the same position with the Texas Longhorns didn't help the Badgers' cause:

"So Wisconsin goes into the Rose Bowl, their offensive coordinator and the offensive coordinator at Boise State were both vying for the offensive coordinator at Texas. So do you think you can just get the offensive coordinator at Texas job by running for 300 yards and not throwing the football and just pounding TCU? Probably not. So I took into consideration, the more I read the papers, the more I listened, that they would probably try to play action and do more. So we played to our advantage until the last drive. We had them locked, incomplete, 2nd-and-10, well now that plays the advantage of a smaller TCU team."

Throwing the ball was not a recipe for success in that game for the Badgers.

Quarterback Scott Tolzien finished 12-of-21 for 159 yards and zero touchdowns and threw an incomplete pass on a two-point conversion with two minutes remaining that would have tied the contest. Wisconsin never got the ball back.

It was a win for the Horned Frogs every time Tolzien dropped back to throw because that meant it kept the ball out of the hands of Wisconsin’s talented running backs. Montee Ball ran for 132 yards and a score while averaging 6.0 yards per attempt, while John Clay ran for 6.9 yards per attempt on his way to 76 yards.

It is not a stretch to suggest the Badgers would have won if they consistently pounded away at the Horned Frogs defense with the rushing attack. They could have at least kept the ball on the ground for the two-point conversion but elected to pass again.

Chryst eventually became the head coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2012 through 2014 and finished with a 19-19 record before returning to Wisconsin as its head coach. He is 42-12 in the last four seasons with four straight bowl game victories, including an Orange Bowl win over Miami.

While Chryst has largely found success with the Badgers as the head coach, it appears as if Patterson found a weakness leading into the 2011 Rose Bowl and exploited it for a head-turning win over a power-conference foe.