TCU played the disrespect card, and coach Sonny Dykes let everyone know it
TCU and coach Sonny Dykes entered the Fiesta Bowl and CFP semifinal with a chip on the shoulder, feeling they were being overlooked. They were coached to say nice things about Michigan, Dykes essentially admitted in the postgame locker room after a 51-45 victory over the Wolverines.
But after the win he let loose a bit for his guys.
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“Let’s don’t forget why we’re here,” he told his team. “We’re humble, we’re hungry, and we stayed that way all year.”
And then he was anything but.
“Be sure postgame stuff you compliment Michigan. Stay all that stuff about them I told you guys … I’ll handle the shit talking, all right?” he said while his team hollered.
To the victors go the spoils, and they earned the right. Michigan self-destructed and the breaks didn’t go their way, but TCU came out fighting and never let up. They were physical and had a great game plan to take away the U-M running game, which missed Blake Corum in a big way.
That’s no excuse, of course. TCU lost its top rusher, Kendre Miller, and his backup, Elmari Demercado, ran for 150 yards in three quarters. But sophomore Donovan Edwards is not at Corum’s level yet, and the Wolverines couldn’t produce a consistent ground game. In hindsight, they probably should have run sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy more against a team that was stunting to the gaps with linebackers and safeties.
Dykes played the “tougher team” card in the postgame.
“I thought we were definitely the most physical team on the field tonight,” Dykes said. “We almost outrushed Michigan by 100 yards. Our ability to stop the run I think was a difference in the ballgame.”
They reportedly passed around a video of Michigan linebacker Junior Colson admitting he didn’t know what conference TCU played in as fuel.
“From that moment on, I’ve never seen the coaches that fired up,” Demercado said. “It was a little premature talking, but it backfired on them.
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“I think they never played a team as fast as us, and I think they didn’t realize that. They did a little premature talking, not really knowing what we’re capable of.”
McCarthy, for one, was talking about “smashing TCU” up front if they came with the 3-3-5 defensive approach. He didn’t talk much afterward, only giving the Horned Frogs a little credit before saying “we’ll be back” and marching off the stage.
That quote was one of many that got TCU’s attention.
“I definitely think that it motivated us,” linebacker Dee Winters said. “We heard all week that they were going to out-physical us. I think it just gave us a little bit of motivation. So, I think the guys handled it well during practice and were very physical. It showcased tonight.”
All that said, the Wolverines put up 45 points, and it should probably have been 60-plus if not for some red zone gaffes. They also gifted the Horned Frogs 14 points on pick sixes.
Dykes, though, focused on the “toughness angle,” saying he was ready to hear “all that crap” again before their national championship game with Georgia.
He’ll savor this one, though, for a while.
“It was kind of an old-fashioned Big 12 shootout in some ways,” Dykes said. “But, like I said, we came out with a very physical mindset. It was a physical football game. And as I said earlier, we were the most physical team on the field tonight. I think that was easy to see.”
