TCU looks to correct myriad mistakes and find its running game when it hosts Long Island University for its home opener on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Horned Frogs (1-0) opened their season on Aug. 30, producing a 34-27 road win over Stanford. TCU trailed 24-20 with 6:57 to play but took charge with a 74-yard march that culminated in a 4-yard TD pass from Josh Hoover to Jack Bech.
After stopping Stanford on the ensuing possession, the Horned Frogs salted away the win with 7-yard scoring run from Cam Cook with 1:31 remaining.
“Obviously, there are things we need to clean up, but when we needed to make plays, we made plays,” Hoover said.
Hoover passed for 353 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bech hauled in six passes for 139 yards and JP Richardson had six catches for 107 receiving yards. Combined with Savion Williams’ 85 yards, it marked the first time in program history that the Horned Frogs had three receivers with at least 85 yards in the same game.
TCU outgained Stanford 457-286 while the Horned Frogs defense racked up 10 tackles for loss with four sacks. But TCU also had seven penalties for 100 yards and lost two fumbles.
“We were mentally tough,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “When we had to get stops, we got stops. When we had to score touchdowns, we scored touchdowns.”
The Sharks (0-1), an FCS school that plays in the Northeast Conference, head to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex after absorbing a 27-21 loss at Albany last Saturday. Luca Stanzani passed for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, and Ludovick Choquette amassed 128 yards on 15 carries and caught four passes for 22 yards and a TD.
Choquette’s 11-yard scoring catch on Long Island’s first possession of the second half gave the Sharks a 21-17 lead. His efforts in the season opener garnered NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Sharks defensive tackle Taveon Wheeler earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors by recording five tackles (two for a loss) and a sack versus the Great Danes.
“We are definitely ahead of where we were as a football team at this time last season,” LIU third-year coach Ron Cooper said. “We are stronger and faster and understand what we are trying to do.”
