UNIVERSITY PARK — On his long walk from the field to the visitors’ locker room in the third quarter Saturday when his night was over, Sonny Dykes was not at all embarrassed. Hardly. With his head held high and his fists clenched as TCU supporters packed the crowd, he looked as if he was leading a homecoming parade.
Only his old school chased his new one off the field with 66:42.
Over the course of a game in which SMU scored touchdowns via fumble, punt and interception return and missed a kick return for six touchdowns because of a bunion, the feeling grew that nothing was impossible.
For example, TCU’s kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half was canceled for holding, after which Dykes was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
And then another Flag and boots.
No matter which side of the iron frying pan you are on, friends, this question is serious:
Weren’t you entertained?
Trust me, you will miss it when it’s gone.
“He contested the holding call, made a play and clearly went back into the well one time too many for this refereeing team… This is going to be a long road back to the TCU locker room.”
Thom Brennaman on the firing of TCU coach Sonny Dykes against SMU.pic.twitter.com/TiBgBB3eNy
— Awful Announcement (@awfulannouncing) 22 September 2024
After next year’s game in Fort Worth, the series between the old rivals will be on hiatus until at least 2030. That’s what TCU wanted, not SMU. After Saturday, you can’t blame the Horned Frogs. After the way the Mustangs treated them, the idea of playing someone who apparently takes it personally doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.
After a home loss to Central Florida in which they blew a 21-point second-half lead, another public humiliation was the last thing Dykes or his Frogs needed. The Mustangs were only too happy to go one step further.
That’s 238 steps if you count.
The Frogs’ problem against the Knights was that they couldn’t stop the run or run the ball. Last week, they gave up 289 yards rushing while only managing 58 yards themselves. Not only did the Mustangs rack up 238 yards rushing, they held the Frogs to 65, which is a trend. And not just at the line of scrimmage.
Since its miraculous run to the national championship game, TCU has been on a steady downward path. Dykes thought he had the problem under control this season with the installation of a new defensive coordinator in Andy Avalos and the return of Josh Hoover at quarterback. The first sign that he may not have fixed the problem came with last week’s second-half collapse.
The most recent sign was Hoover’s game on Saturday. Before the game, he had thrown 119 passes without intercepting a single one. He was too high and too late on many of his passes, giving up two interceptions to Ahmaad Moses and dropping the ball twice. Two of those turnovers led directly to touchdowns.
Combined with TCU’s abysmal play on special teams, this sloppy play made for a historic night for the Mustangs, whose 66 points were the most scored by a team in series history.
Given SMU’s performance in its 18-15 loss to BYU in the Mustangs’ last home game, it’s safe to say no one could have predicted this. Dykes said he certainly didn’t. But BYU is not TCU. Never underestimate the emotional power of an old-fashioned feud.
I also don’t think SMU will get the same adrenaline rush as the ACC schools whose flags fly over the east side of Ford Stadium. What do Stanford and Cal and North Carolina and Georgia Tech have against SMU and vice versa?
None of those schools’ coaches have ever abandoned SMU for its biggest rival. The mayor of Dallas and city council members don’t wear t-shirts that say Clemson sucks.
Dykes acknowledged that this was a “big game” for SMU, not just because of the feud, but because it was the Mustangs’ first win against a power conference team under the Lashlee administration. But it’s an emotional game for TCU, too. Dykes revealed this last year when asked after the game how he felt about being one step closer to ending the feud.
“Hurrah,” he then said.
After Saturday’s game, he said he had apologised to his team for the first sending off in 165 games of his 15-year career. He said he was “embarrassed” although he felt it was “unjustified”. He declined to go into detail as he felt it was “not in my best interests”.
“Two different referees, two different penalties,” he said. “I deserved the first one with all my heart.”
“The second one? I don’t know where it came from.”
Still, he said it was “100 percent my fault” and blamed himself for being absent for much of the second half as his team fell further behind. That makes him even more concerned about the Frogs’ next road game against Kansas.
At least he’s got the SMU game behind him. Just one more of those. If it goes like this one, from both sides, it’ll be a great finish.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
Photos: The Iron Skillet returns to Dallas as SMU crushes TCU 66-42
More coverage from TCU-SMU
— 5 thoughts from SMU-TCU: Mustangs dominate in all phases, score impressive win at Iron Skillet
– SMU defense and special teams score points and fuel offense in win over TCU
— SMU’s big day and Sonny Dykes’ ejection remind fans why Iron Skillet will be missed
— TCU head coach Sonny Dykes ruled out of Iron Skillet game at SMU
– “They just lost to SMU on The CW”: Mustangs and ACC troll TCU’s social media team
— SMU starting running back LJ Johnson leaves TCU game due to injury
— Photos: The Iron Skillet returns to Dallas as SMU smothers TCU 66-42
For more college sports coverage from the Dallas Morning News, click here.
