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TCU Receives Knockout Blow from Kansas State in Embarrassing 41-3 Loss

The Wildcats led from start to finish and pummeled the Horned Frogs in every aspect of the game.
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A week removed from arguably the most complete and convincing win of the season, TCU went in the complete opposite direction on Saturday in a brutal 41-3 loss at the hands of the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Oct 21, 2023; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes walks off the field following a loss to the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.

TCU head coach Sonny Dykes was "miffed" following the 41-3 loss to Kansas State. 

The Wildcats could do whatever they wanted on this TCU defense jumping out to a quick start. They drove 75 yards in eight plays capped off by a touchdown run by DJ Giddens to make it 7-0. Kansas State scored on seven of their nine offensive possessions and punted once. TCU also had 19 missed tackles matching their season high with week one against Colorado

They ran all over TCU putting together 343 yards on the ground. Treshaun Ward was the leading rusher with 89. The quarterback tandem of Will Howard and Avery Johnson was phenomenal. Howard went 10/16 for 154 yards and three touchdowns with 62 additional yards on the ground. Johnson went 5/10 for 90 yards, a touchdown, and 73 yards rushing. 

It was also a rough game for the TCU offense who couldn't get anything going. The fast-paced offense couldn't sustain a drive and only held the ball for 21 minutes. They were also 2-13 on third down. Josh Hoover went 23-43 for 187 yards and an interception.

The lone bright spot was once again Emani Bailey, who continues to churn with his opportunities. He had 12 carries for 100 yards. The lone points they scored in the game came on a big run by Bailey, but the drive mellowed out in the red zone. This seems to be a common theme for this offense, which ranks near the bottom in red zone offense. 

Sonny Dykes said, "I'm a little miffed how we can play as well as we did last week and as poorly as we did this week. Don't really understand it." Earlier in the week, Dykes said the team had a great week of practice, but after the game, he said, "Shocked, surprised...I'm embarrassed, and I think our players are (too)."

With another loss, TCU drops to 4-4 on the season, and that bowl game opportunity gets slimmer. TCU gets a much needed bye week before hitting the road to take on Texas Tech on November 2nd at 6:00 p.m.


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