Steven Johnson: Where does TCU turn after another disappointing Big 12 defeat?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but once again TCU committed a number of costly mistakes including turnovers and defensive breakdowns in a winnable game.

After the Horned Frogs’ 35-28 defeat to Texas Tech on Thursday, if there’s one word to describe the Horned Frogs this season it’s frustrating.

The fanbase feels it, the players feel it and Sonny Dykes does as well as the likelihood of TCU reaching a bowl game shrinks by the week. With games against No. 7 Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma remaining it would take a minor miracle for the 4-5 Horned Frogs to find themselves with enough wins to reach the postseason.

For the program to be here less than a year after making the national championship is jarring and there appears to be no end to the freefall.

The lack of improvement on the defensive side of the ball has been disappointing and costly in the win column. With seven starters back, TCU was expected to take the next step forward and be one of the Big 12’s best defenses.

Instead the defense was picked apart by a quarterback that hadn’t thrown for over 200 yards in a game this season until TCU showed up to Lubbock. The run defense looked elite earlier in the year, but it was just a mirage.

Tahj Brooks made Texas Tech history as he rumbled to 146 yards and sure, TCU played him tougher in the second half, but he already had 98 yards at halftime.

When asked afterward what changes needed to be made on defense, coach Sonny Dykes’ answer was telling.

“We’ve got to get our guys to play good,” Dykes said. “Our best players are not playing very well and guys that are good players that have played well for us in the past are not playing particularly well.”

Cornerback Josh Newton has been excellent as expected, but Dykes’ overall point feels true about the entire team, not just the defense.

Kicker Griffin Kell was absolute money last year making 17-of-19 attempts. This year he’s just 11-of-18 and missed a crucial field goal that would’ve tied it against Texas Tech.

The offensive line features three players that played extensively last year, but the regression up front has been staggering. But ultimately that regression lies on the shoulders of Dykes and the coaching staff.

Going back to the defense, the secondary, especially the play of the safeties in coverage has been a disappointment as well.

“We didn’t tackle well, gave up long plays in the passing game, the long touchdown,” Dykes said. “Those are guys we’re counting on to be our best players and so we’re going to have to get them to play better.”

If the answer doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence I understand, nobody wants to hear that their team’s coaching staff is struggling to motivate with just three games left in the season.

On one hand Dykes has made changes to the defense. Paul Oyewale ran with the second unit while Soni Misi got the start and Damonic Willams moved from defensive tackle to defensive end to start against the Red Raiders.

Freshmen safeties Jamel Johnson and Randon Fontenette got extensive playing time in the first half as well. Dykes is trying to find answers defensively, but obviously it hasn’t been enough with TCU allowing 41 against Kansas State and 35 against Texas Tech.

So where does TCU go from here? Quarterback Josh Hoover had the right mindset and message to the team despite throwing two costly interceptions against the Red Raiders.

“It’s not over, I’ve never quit anything in my life and neither have these guys,” Hoover said. “It’s not who we are, our coaching staff isn’t quitters either and we’re going to continue to figure this out until the last game. There’s only one option and that’s to not quit, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

It’s the right attitude to have, but I have to ask is not quitting enough for this TCU team to make a bowl game? The Horned Frogs played with effort in the second half, but it still wasn’t enough as the Horned Frogs turned a 21-20 lead into a 35-21 deficit quickly due to its own mistakes.

The mistakes keep piling up in phase and there hasn’t been much improvement. Hoover has continued to struggle with ball security, physicality continues to be an issue with the offensive line and there are still too many breakdowns on defense.

Whether or not that has to do with the 3-3-5 scheme or talent on defense really doesn’t matter at this point, the Horned Frogs haven’t gotten better and it feels unrealistic to expect that of the team with the remaining schedule left.

Even so, TCU’s players continued to say the right things post defeat.

“I just don’t want anybody to think it’s over,” safety Mark Perry said. “You’ve gotta just keep going no matter what. We need leadership right now. We just need everybody to stop all the extra, stop getting too high and too low and just work.”

Perry said with all of TCU’s experience and talent it’s been frustrating to watch the team underperform and under deliver.

“We’ve got to play like we know we can play,” Perry said. “We’ve yet to do that and it’s an irritating thing when you know you can play better and you’re not playing that way.”

In a year where TCU had every opportunity to compete for the Big 12 crown, the Horned Frogs will now have to settle for playing spoiler against a Texas or Oklahoma just to have a chance at the postseason.

It’s crazy how fast things can change in a year, huh?