Houston hoping to snap scoring drought at TCU

Field Level Media|published: Tue 1st October, 14:17 2024

Sep 28, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) hands off to running back Cam Cook (4) against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

TCU looks to build on its best performance of the year when it hosts reeling Houston on Friday evening in a Big 12 Conference clash in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) head home after a rousing 38-27 win at Kansas on Saturday that snapped a two-game losing skid. Josh Hoover passed for 356 yards and three TDs with 10 of his completions hauled in by Jack Bech for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

J.P. Richardson's 89-yard score on a punt return late in the third quarter put TCU in the lead for good.

"Our guys just got tougher -- tougher and grittier," TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. "Sometimes teams that lose two games in a row don't react that way. It says a lot about our players -- who they are, their character, the way they work."

Hoover has thrown for at least two scores in eight consecutive games while Bech's 10 catches in the win over Kansas were a career high. Bech has had 100-plus yards in four of five games this season.

The Cougars (1-4, 0-2) head north after a 20-0 loss at home to then-No. 18 Iowa State on Saturday. The defeat was Houston's second straight and followed on the heels of a 34-0 setback in Cincinnati on Sept. 21. It's the first time the Cougars have been shut out in consecutive games since 1994.

Houston rotated quarterbacks throughout the game, with Donovan Smith (8 of 12 for 71 yards and an interception) and Zeon Chriss (1 of 4 for 1 yard and a pick) each seeing significant playing time but amassing only a combined 72 yards through the air.

"We're looking for a guy to step up and be 'the guy,'" Houston coach Willie Fritz said. "We're giving two players the opportunity. If one guy shows it, then he will be the guy. Until that happens, we're probably going to keep rotating."

The Cougars rank last in scoring offense among the 134 teams in FBS, producing a total of 52 points, an average of 10.4 per contest. Thirty-three of those points came in a Sept. 14 win over Rice.

The Horned Frogs have swept the last nine meetings with Houston, including a 36-13 victory in Houston in 2023 that evened the all-time series at 13-13.

--Field Level Media

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