Oklahoma Down 41–17 to TCU at Half; College Football World Reacts

As long as Oklahoma remains a member of the Big 12, the Sooners’ conference rivals are happy to get their licks in on the league power. OU fell 41–34 in an upset loss at the hands of Kansas State a week ago, and things look much, much worse this week at TCU.

At halftime, the Horned Frogs led the Sooners 41–17, with Sonny Dykes’s team racking up 479 yards of offense against the Brent Venables and Ted Roof-led defense. After an early second half score for TCU, the lead has been expanded to 48–17.

TCU’s offensive explosion has been led by quarterback Max Duggan, who has 281 passing yards and three scores through the air, along with 70 yards on the ground, 67 of which came on one long touchdown run. Emari Demercado and Kendre Miller each had 57 rushing yards at the half, with the team exceeding 200 yards on the ground total.

The offseason hire of Venables to replace offensive mastermind Lincoln Riley, who departed for USC, promised to pay dividends on the defensive end. Venables, who previously served as the Sooners’ defensive coordinator under Bob Stoops, emerged as an elite coordinator and head coaching candidate under Dabo Swinney at Clemson, helping the Tigers to a pair of national titles.

Oklahoma fans hoped that bringing in Venables would help keep them as Big 12 title favorites and in the College Football Playoff conversation. Others around the sport are certainly having fun at their expense, as that doesn’t appear to be the case just a month into the coach’s first season.

To make matters worse for the Sooners, quarterback Dillon Gabriel exited the game after taking a vicious blow to the head from TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who was ejected after the play. His backup Davis Beville is 1-for-6 for four yards.

Daily Cover: How Austin Riley Became the Cornerstone of the Braves’ Core