TCU isn’t letting one brutal moment define Ed Small.
The sophomore receiver has been one of the Horned Frogs’ most reliable players this season, but last Friday night in Tucson, he ended up at the center of the wrong kind of spotlight. Small’s botched onside kick recovery helped set up No. 22 Arizona’s 29-28 win over TCU, a collapse that saw the Horned Frogs give away a 28-20 lead with less than two minutes left.
Now, with TCU set to host Kansas State at 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU, the message inside the program is clear: move forward, and make sure Small knows he still has the full backing of the locker room.
“(I told him) there’s nobody that I love any more than you on this team,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said Tuesday. “Just as far as your character and work ethic.
If the game is going to be in anybody’s hands, I’d want it to be in your hands and sometimes things happen. That was the message.”
That support matters, because Small has earned plenty of trust. He has 41 catches for 568 yards and two touchdowns, and he was especially important early in the season while senior Jordan Dwyer missed the first three games with an injury.
Dwyer made sure to check on him after the loss, too.
“I definitely talked to him after the game, after that moment,” Dwyer said. “(I told him) to just keep his head up, he’s one of the hardest workers on the team.
A great guy, a great teammate. And he wants the best for all of us.
He wants the best results. So yeah, we talked to him and he was really down and upset.
“We’re all competitors, but I told him to flush it, you’re going to be OK. You’re a big part of this team, he’s a leader for us as well. So he’s back in good spirits and he’ll be fine.”
That’s the kind of response TCU needs as it tries to stop a three-game skid. The challenge won’t be easy: Kansas State brings the No. 1 passing defense in the Big 12 into Fort Worth.
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TCUs Undefeated Start Suddenly Comes With A Real Concern
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Jamie Dixon and several players pointed to the late-game execution that finally separated TCU from a stubborn opponent, and that is where the real concern begins to surface. The Horned Frogs found a way to win, but a game like this also leaves a reminder that the margin for error shrinks quickly once the competition tightens, and TCU will have to clean up the details if it wants the unbeaten run to mean more than just a clean record. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Season Suddenly Feels Very Different Under Joe Klanderman
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The broader league race has only added to the intrigue, especially with Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker putting together a historic performance that has NFL scouts paying close attention even as his future in Stillwater remains uncertain. For TCU, fresh off a loss to Arizona and bracing for possible changes in the coaching staff or roster, Baylors surge is another reminder of how quickly the balance can shift in the Big 12, and how much can still change before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Is Remembering One Of The Programs Most Complicated Coaches
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Dry also spent time at Tulsa and as an assistant at Baylor, and his footprint reached well beyond the sidelines where he worked. He helped shape the development of modern offenses, with ties to the early roots of the West Coast offense, and his broader coaching legacy was recognized with induction into Tulsas athletics hall of fame. [Read more 🡒]