TCU
TCU is 4-5 and No. 43 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 7.3 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 29-28 at Arizona in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Kansas State, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why TCU is No. 43
- TCU's rating is 7.3: the machine's estimate that TCU is 7.3 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 43 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 6.4, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 0.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: −2.5 after Week 1 (L 10-15 vs North Carolina) and +2.0 after Week 7 (W 17-6 at Baylor).
- Its record is 4-5. The 5 losses were to No. 22 BYU, No. 26 Arizona, No. 30 North Carolina, No. 56 UCF, No. 59 West Virginia, by 5.0 points on average. The 4 wins came by 24.2 points on average; the best was over No. 29 Baylor. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 48 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 42 Illinois (7.4); just below is No. 44 Mississippi State (6.2).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Sonny Dykes is in his 5th season at TCU (since 2022). This season: 4-5. At TCU overall: 40-22, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 203-311 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2439 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 12-7 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.8No. 49 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.9%No. 58 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 6.7%No. 100 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 286-966 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.4No. 127 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 12.8%No. 94 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 17.1%No. 68 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 23.8No. 100 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.81No. 73 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 43.4%No. 39 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 59.4%No. 82 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 15No. 123 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 15.8No. 12 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 4.83No. 22 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.5No. 35 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.3No. 24 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 5.8%No. 69 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 12No. 60 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 31.8%No. 23 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Jaden Craig203-310, 2439 yds, 12 TD, 7 INT
Rushing
- Jeremy Payne88 carries, 429 yds, 2 TD
- Jon Denman47 carries, 158 yds, 2 TD
- Jaden Craig76 carries, 121 yds, 4 TD
Receiving
- Kari Ashley52 catches, 655 yds, 4 TD
- Ed Small41 catches, 568 yds, 2 TD
- Jordan Dwyer36 catches, 495 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Hudson Hooper62
- Jamel Johnson54
- Max Carroll40
Sacks
- Koron Hayward6
- Ansel Din-Mbuh4
- Chad Woodfork2
Interceptions
- Hudson Hooper1
- Jamel Johnson1
- Kylin Jackson1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Jaden CraigMost passes in the last game9 games310 attempts100%
Carrying
- Jeremy Payne6 games88 carries43%
- Jon Denman7 games47 carries23%
- Amante Martin6 games26 carries13%
- Joe Pitchford4 games17 carries8%
Catching
- Kari Ashley9 games52 catches26%
- Ed Small9 games41 catches20%
- Jordan Dwyer5 games36 catches18%
- Jeremy Payne5 games18 catches9%
Tackling
- Hudson Hooper8 games62 tackles12%
- Jamel Johnson8 games54 tackles10%
- Max Carroll8 games40 tackles8%
- Jordan Lester9 games35 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 10–15 vs North Carolina (neutral site). The run game struggled: 2.7 yards a carry, 1.7 less than North Carolina usually allows.
- Week 2 W 63–7 vs Grambling. Grambling is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 31–7 vs Arkansas State. The passing game was the strength: 12.0 yards an attempt, 4.6 more than Arkansas State usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 4 L 13–21 at UCF. The run game struggled: 1.2 yards a carry, 2.7 less than UCF usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 5 L 10–17 vs BYU. The pass defense was the strength: BYU got 2.6 yards an attempt, 5.9 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 7 W 17–6 at Baylor. The run defense was the strength: Baylor got 1.6 yards a carry, 2.5 under what it usually gains. The machine had Baylor by 6.6 (67%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 8 L 20–24 vs West Virginia. The pass defense was the strength: West Virginia got 5.3 yards an attempt, 5.5 under what it usually gains. The machine had TCU by 11.8 (77%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; TCU lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 9 W 22–16 vs Kansas. The passing game struggled: 4.9 yards an attempt, 2.4 less than Kansas usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 10 L 28–29 at Arizona. The run game struggled: 2.3 yards a carry, 1.8 less than Arizona usually allows. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.