At some point, hearing Sonny Dykes explain another TCU loss starts to feel like a scene out of a Charlie Brown special. The words are there, the questions are there, and yet the message lands like a muffled trombone. There are only so many ways to describe defeat, and TCU has burned through most of them since its national championship run.
That’s what makes the conversation around the Sonny Dykes era so bleak now: not just the losses themselves, but how many different kinds of heartbreak the Horned Frogs have managed to collect. The 45-42 loss to Colorado in 2023 took the shine off the season that followed TCU’s trip to the national championship.
The 66-42 loss to SMU in 2024 was ugly in a different way, with Dykes ejected while his former school and one of TCU’s biggest rivals rolled the Frogs in front of a happy Dallas crowd. Then came the 27-24 collapse against Arizona State in 2025, along with the 41-28 loss to Kansas State a couple of weeks later.
And nobody in Fort Worth has forgotten the 65-7 demolition by Georgia in the national championship game.
Last Friday’s 29-28 loss to Arizona deserves a place in that same grim discussion.
What made it sting so badly was that TCU had not quit on the season. Whatever frustration has built around the program, this team kept fighting. The players kept showing up, even as criticism around the coaching staff grew louder and the fan base started looking ahead to a future beyond Dykes.
Against a ranked Arizona team trying to stay in the Big 12 championship race, that effort looked like it might finally pay off. Jaden Craig scored twice on the ground and also found Jordan Dwyer for a touchdown.
Hudson Hooper delivered a 93-yard pick-six, a huge swing that helped TCU recover from an early deficit. By the time the Horned Frogs built a 28-20 lead with 6:35 left, it felt like they had done enough.
Then Arizona made it interesting with 1:45 remaining, scoring to trim the margin to two points before failing on the two-point conversion. TCU still had to handle the kickoff and drain the clock. Instead, the game turned on what might be remembered as the pooch kick to end all pooch kicks.
The ball floated over TCU’s front line, and Ed Small muffed it. Arizona recovered at the Frogs’ 26-yard line, and Michael Salgado-Medina finished the job with a 37-yard field goal that put Arizona ahead with 38 seconds left.
TCU had one last chance, but Craig was intercepted on the next play.
A game that seemed headed toward a satisfying finish became another crushing loss, the kind built on one mistake after another. And maybe that’s what makes this one feel different from the others.
The Frogs have absorbed hit after hit this season and kept getting back up. Even when the goals got smaller, the effort never disappeared.
There was always some reason to think the next Saturday would bring a better ending.
Now, with TCU sitting at 4-5 and three games left, the margin for hope is shrinking. The Horned Frogs still have a bowl berth in front of them, and Saturday against Kansas State offers another chance to respond. They’ve found a way to keep fighting all season long.
But for the first time this year, it’s hard to feel certain they’ll have enough left to do it again.
In Other News...
TCU Just Landed A Frontcourt Answer Jamie Dixon Really Needed
TCU has found a timely frontcourt boost in Robbie Avila, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year from Saint Louis University, who is set to transfer to the Horned Frogs after being blocked from playing for the Billikens because of roster limits. The move gives Jamie Dixon a much-needed answer inside, and it comes with a built-in advantage for TCU, which has a roster exemption that lets the program add Avila without running into the 15-player cap.
Avilas path to Fort Worth has been shaped by more than just roster math. A preliminary injunction opened the door for him to pursue a fifth year of eligibility, and that makes his arrival especially valuable for a TCU team looking to address a clear positional need. For Dixon, it is the kind of addition that can change the feel of a frontcourt quickly, even if the full impact of the move will only become clear once Avila gets on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Could Get A Huge Midseason Boost If One Thing Breaks Right
TCUs basketball outlook could get a notable midseason jolt if Robbie Avila gets through the enrollment process in time. The former Saint Louis guard is expected to join the Horned Frogs after a legal fight over NCAA eligibility rules, and his path to Fort Worth has already been shaped by a Missouri state court ruling that gave him a permanent injunction to play despite roster limits.
The timing still matters, though, because Avilas debut hinges on when he officially enrolls in the academic calendar. If everything lines up, TCU could have him available as soon as November 19, giving the Horned Frogs a possible boost right as the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
TCUs Surprise Robbie Avila Move Could Reshape The Big 12 Race
Robbie Avilas next stop appears to be Fort Worth, with the former Indiana State and Saint Louis standout reportedly finalizing a deal to play for TCU in the 2026-27 season. The move comes after Avila was granted an injunction allowing him to play a fifth year, even though he could not be added back to the Saint Louis roster because of a prior settlement agreement.
For TCU, the fit is easy to understand. Avila would bring frontcourt depth and a different kind of offensive presence to a roster that could use both, especially in a Big 12 that rarely gives teams much margin for error. The question is how quickly he can adjust to a higher level of competition, but if the transition goes smoothly, this could be the kind of addition that quietly changes the Frogs outlook. [Read more 🡒]