Horned Frogs Battle an Improved Cardinal to Earn First Win

© Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The Stanford Cardinal (0-1) began their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference by welcoming the Horned Frogs of TCU (1-0) to Palo Alto, Calif., but it was the Horned Frogs who began season with a win after downing the Cardinal 34-27 on Aug. 30.

Horned Frogs Wake Up

There are defensive battles and then, there is sloppy football that makes it seem like a defensive battle. This had flashes of defenses stepping up most often as the two teams had mental errors to end drives. The Cardinal had big plays on both sides of the ball to give them the edge at halftime 17-10.

In the second half, the Horned Frogs woke up, propelling them to the win. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover spread the ball around with eight difference receivers logging at least 1 reception. Jack Bech led the Horned Frogs receivers with 139 yards and a touchdown.

Turning Point for the Horned Frogs

It was a defensive stand by the Horned Frogs in the third quarter that helped them seal the win agains the Cardinal. With the Horned Frogs up 27-24, the Cardinal offense was unable to move the ball. A quarterback sack on Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels by linebacker Marcel Brooks forced a fourth down deep in their own territory that the Cardinal couldn't convert. Following the turnover-on-downs, the Horned Frogs took advantage of the field position and scored four plays later on running back Cam Cook's 7-yard touchdown with 1:51 left to play to seal the win for TCU.

What Does It Mean?

The Horned Frogs earned the victory but left with more questions than answers. The mental mistakes made by the Horned Frogs—two costly fumbles and committing seven penalties for 100 yards—are both concerns for head coach Sonny Dykes and his staff. TCU will take the field against Long Island on Sept. 7.

© Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

For the Cardinal, Daniels did well with his arm throwing for 163 yards but delivered some wow moments with his running ability. He finished with 87 yards rushing and had several timely runs of 20 or more yards. The Cardinal clash with Cal Poly next on Sept. 7.