TCU Defeats SMU and Reclaims the Iron Skillet

McAlister caught eight passes for 254 yards and a whopping three touchdowns. The 254 yards make it the second-highest receiving yard total in a TCU game. A controversial call in the third quarter could've granted him four scores on the day, but the call was upheld and ruled incomplete. McAlister said, "That was in, I even had two feet, that's good in the league [NFL] too."

Hoover finished the day going 22 for 40 with 379 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. He had several instances where the Mustangs could've picked him off, but they couldn't, and the TCU air attack came to life in the fourth quarter.

The Horned Frogs were without their starting running back Kevorian Barnes, after he suffered an injury in last week's win over Abilene Christian. They turned to Jeremy Payne, who got a team-leading 12 carries for 53 yards. Trent Battle was the leading rusher with seven carries for 60 yards, and Coach Briles even drew up plays for Hoover to use his legs, which is a rarity.

TCU's aggressive approach on fourth down paid off

Sonny Dykes was rolling the dice in the early going on fourth down. After driving quickly on their first offensive possession, they called a QB draw on fourth and five, and Hoover got the first. The gutsy call was rewarded as McAlister caught a 27-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.

Coach Dykes was met with another decision on fourth and four at the SMU 25 with his team leading 7-3. He kept the offense on the field, and DJ Rogers kept the drive moving. Two plays later, Hoover found Jeremy Payne in the flat, and he scampered in for the touchdown.

TCU's defense bended but didn't break

Coming off last year, where TCU surrendered 66 points in the loss to SMU, all eyes turned to Andy Avalos' defense to respond and slow down Kevin Jennings. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it was much improved. The Mustangs did a good job of converting on third down early on, but it was the Frogs creating takeaways that made the difference.

Jennings completed 24 of his 38 passes for 290 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jamel Johnson came away with both INTs, but the interception with four minutes left helped put the game away. Coach Dykes gave praise to Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Kylin Jackson for their ability to slow down Jennings in the second half.

It can't be stated enough how meaningful this win is for TCU and the city of Fort Worth. This game brings the DFW metroplex together, and with this being the final rendition, TCU can claim eternal bragging rights, and the Iron Skillet can reside on campus. The fans and students showed out, with the university announcing a new student attendance record of 6,736. Coach Dykes said, "I love these guys. They showed some grit, and I'm really proud of them."

What's next for TCU?

The Frogs improved to 3-0 with a pair of wins over ACC teams. Their Big 12 schedule begins on Friday where they'll travel to Tempe to take on Arizona State. Kickoff is set for Friday at 8:00 p.m. on FOX.