2018 TCU Horned Frogs football team

The 2018 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 123rd TCU football team played as a member of the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, on the TCU campus in Fort Worth, Texas. They were led by 18th-year head coach Gary Patterson. They finished the season 7–6, 4–5 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They were invited to the Cheez-It Bowl where they defeated California.

2018 TCU Horned Frogs football
Cheez-It Bowl champion
Cheez-It Bowl, W 10–7 OT vs. California
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	7–6 (4–5 Big 12)
Head coach	Gary Patterson (18th season)
Co-offensive coordinators	Sonny Cumbie (5th season) Curtis Luper (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Chad Glasgow (4th season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Amon G. Carter Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Big 12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Oklahoma y$^		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 9 Texas y		7	–	2					10	–	4
Iowa State		6	–	3					8	–	5
No. 20 West Virginia		6	–	3					8	–	4
TCU		4	–	5					7	–	6
Baylor		4	–	5					7	–	6
Oklahoma State		3	–	6					7	–	6
Kansas State		3	–	6					5	–	7
Texas Tech		3	–	6					5	–	7
Kansas		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Oklahoma 39, Texas 27
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Horned Frogs signed a total of 22 recruits.

College recruiting information (2018)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ochaun Mathis DE	Manor, TX	Manor High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Esteban Avila OG	Grand Prairie, TX	South Grand Prairie High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	308 lb (140 kg)	Mar 7, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Atanza Vongor S	Grand Prairie, TX	South Grand Prairie High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Mar 11, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Trevon Moehrig CB	Spring Branch, TX	Smithson Valley High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 12, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
John Lanz C	Denton, TX	Guyer High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	May 5, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Justin Rogers QB	Bossier City, LA	Parkway High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	May 31, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Hidari Ceasar S	Richwood, LA	Richwood High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 7, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
John Stephens WR	Logansport, LA	Logansport High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	Jun 15, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Chase Van Wagoner WR	Allen, TX	Lovejoy High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Kris Dike OT	Van, TX	Van High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ben Wilson LB	Sumner, WA	Sumner High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 23, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Anthony McKinney OT	Rockford, IL	Iowa Western Community College	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	Jul 13, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Derius Davis CB	St. Francisville, LA	West Feliciana High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Jul 28, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Taye Barber WR	Cypress, TX	Cy Springs High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 30, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Tevailance Hunt WR	Texarkana, TX	Texas High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 4, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Bryson Jackson WR	Houston, TX	Kingwood Park High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	Sep 15, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ian Burnette OG	Wimberley, TX	Wimberley High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	Oct 1, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Pro Wells TE	St. Petersburg, FL	Northwest Mississippi Community College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Dec 3, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Fabian Franklin RB	Hattiesburg, MS	Hattiesburg High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Dec 11, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Izaih Filikitonga DE	Euless, TX	Trinity High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jan 20, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jacoby Simpson LB	Houston, TX	MacArthur High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Feb 5, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ar'Darius Washington CB	Shreveport, LA	Evangel Christian Academy	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Feb 6, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "TCU Football Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved February 11, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 11, 2018.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy[1]	Ty Summers	LB	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[2]	Ben Banogu	DE	SR
	Ty Summers	LB	SR
Maxwell Award[3]	Darius Anderson	RB	JR
Doak Walker Award[4]	Darius Anderson	RB	JR
Butkus Award[5]	Ty Summers	LB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[6]	Ben Banogu	DE	SR
Ray Guy Award[7]	Adam Nunez	P	JR
Paul Hornung Award[8]	KaVontae Turpin	WR	SR
Wuerffel Trophy[9]	Ben Banogu	DE	SR
Walter Camp Award[10]	Ben Banogu	DE	SR
	Darius Anderson	RB	JR
Ted Hendricks Award[11]	Ben Banogu	DE	SR
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[12]	Darius Anderson	RB	JR
	Jalen Reagor	WR	SO

Big 12 media poll

The Big 12 media poll was released on July 12, 2018 with the Horned Frogs predicted to finish in third place.^[13]

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Oklahoma	509 (46)
2	West Virginia	432 (2)
3	TCU	390 (1)
4	Texas	370 (1)
5	Oklahoma State	300
6	Kansas State	283 (2)
7	Iowa State	250
8	Texas Tech	149
9	Baylor	125
10	Kansas	52

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	11:00 a.m.	Southern*	No. 16	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	FSN	W 55–7	42,219
September 7	7:00 p.m.	at SMU*	No. 16	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, TX (98th Battle for the Iron Skillet)	ESPN2	W 42–12	24,216
September 15	7:00 p.m.	vs. No. 4 Ohio State*	No. 15	AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX (Advocare Cowboys Showdown; College GameDay)	ABC	L 28–40	64,362
September 22	3:30 p.m.	at Texas	No. 17	Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	FOX	L 16–31	100,321
September 29	6:00 p.m.	Iowa State		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	ESPNU	W 17–14	42,664
October 11	6:30 p.m.	Texas Tech		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (61st West Texas Championship)	ESPN	L 14–17	44,387
October 20	11:00 a.m.	No. 9 Oklahoma		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	ABC	L 27–52	45,055
October 27	2:00 p.m.	at Kansas		David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	FS1	L 26–27	15,069
November 3	2:30 p.m.	Kansas State		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	FS1	W 14–13	40,486
November 10	11:00 a.m.	at No. 7 West Virginia		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	FS1	L 10–47	60,007
November 17	11:00 a.m.	at Baylor		McLane Stadium Waco, TX (114th Revivalry)	FS1	W 16–9	45,140
November 24	7:00 p.m.	Oklahoma State		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	FOX	W 31–24	42,394
December 26	8:00 p.m.	vs. California*		Chase Field Phoenix, AZ (Cheez-It Bowl)	ESPN	W 10–7 OT	33,121
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[14]

Personnel

Roster

2018 TCU Horned Frogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Jalen Reagor So WR 2 Jaelan Austin Sr WR 4 Taye Barber Fr RB 6 Darius Anderson Jr WR 7 John Stephens Jr. Fr WR 9 Te'Vailance Hunt Fr QB 10 Mike Collins So WR 11 Dylan Thomas Jr WR 12 Derius Davis Fr QB 13 Justin Rogers Fr WR 14 Chase Van Wagoner Fr QB 15 Karson Ringdahl So QB 17 Grayson Muehlstein Sr WR 18 Bryson Jackson Fr QB 19 Grant Beucler Fr WR 19 Ni'Jeel Meeking  Fr RB 21 Emari Demercado So WR 22 Jarrison Stewart Sr WR 27 Jack Heathcott So WR 28 Patrick Zeller Sr RB 30 Omega Stallworth So WR 31 Michael Byrd Jr. So RB 33 Sewo Olonilua Jr WR 35 Jack Powers Fr WR 37 Niven Raj So TE 39 Jacques Guillot Sr TE 47 Carter Ware  Fr RB 48 Reggie Cole  Fr OT 51 Quazzel White  Fr G 52 Trey Elliott Sr C 53 John Lanz Fr C 55 Kellton Hollins So OT 56 Austin Myers So G 60 Nate Guyton Jr G 62 David Bolisomi  Jr C 65 Colson Altman So G 66 Ian Burnette Fr OT 68 Anthony McKinney Jr C 69 Coy McMillon  Fr G 70 Cordel Iwuagwu  Jr C 71 Blake Hickey Jr OT 72 Kris Dike Fr G 74 Chris Graynor Sr OT 77 Lucas Niang Jr G 78 Wes Harris  Fr G 79 Esteban Avila Fr WR 80 Al'Dontre Davis Fr TE 81 Pro Wells So WR 82 Ryan Martin Jr WR 83 Brady Stringer So RB 84 Jason D'Armore So TE 84 Cole Novak Sr TE 85 Christian Williams Sr WR 87 TreVontae Hights  Jr TE 88 Artayvious Lynn So WR 89 Austin Ahrendt Sr TE 98 Casey McDermott Vai Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 1 Jawuan Johnson Sr S 2 Niko Small Sr S 3 Markell Simmons Sr CB 4 Keenan Reed Jr S 6 Innis Gaines Jr LB 7 Arico Evans Sr S 9 Atanza Vongor  Fr LB 11 Montrel Wilson Jr CB 12 Jeff Gladney  Jr S 14 DeMauryon Holmes  Fr DE 15 Ben Banogu Sr S 16 C. J. Caesar II  Fr S 17 Trevon Moehrig Fr LB 18 Ben Wilson Fr S 20 La'Kendrick Van Zandt  Fr CB 21 Noah Daniels  Fr CB 22 Michael Onyemaobi  Fr LB 23 Alec Dunham Sr CB 24 Julius Lewis Jr S 26 Vernon Scott Jr S 27 Ar'Darius Washington  Fr CB 28 Tony James Sr LB 30 Garret Wallow So S 31 Ridwan Issahaku Sr DE 32 Ochaun Mathis  Fr S 33 Ryan McGee Sr LB 34 Blake Patterson  Fr LB 35 Elias Garcia So S 37 Travis Carpenter Fr DE 40 Michael Epley Sr DE 41 Brandon Bowen So LB 42 Ty Summers Sr DT 43 Izaih Filikitonga  Fr DT 44 Ezra Tu'ua Sr LB 46 Connor Koch  Fr LB 47 Jacoby Simpson Fr CB 48 Caleb Biggurs  Fr DT 54 Joseph Broadnax Jr. Sr DE 86 Gary Overshown So DT 90 Ross Blacklock Jr DE 91 L. J. Collier Sr DT 93 George Ellis III  Fr DT 94 Corey Bethley So DT 95 Terrell Cooper  Fr DE 97 Christian Applewhite Jr DT 99 Soni Misi So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 29 Adam Nunez Jr K 32 Jonathan Trujillo Fr P 34 Andrew David Jr K 37 Cole Bunce Jr K 39 Maxwell Finch So K 40 Ray Thomas So P 41 Dillon Jones So P 42 Dearan Roche Fr K 46 Jonathan Song Jr LS 49 Antonio Ortiz Fr LS 50 Donovan Cahill So LS 59 Parker DuBose  Fr LS 61 Wil Houston So	Head coach Gary Patterson (Head coach, 18th season) Coordinators/assistant coaches Curtis Luper (Co-offensive coordinator/RBs, 6th season) Sonny Cumbie (Co-offensive coordinator/QBs, 5th season) Chad Glasgow (Defensive coordinator/LBs, 17th season) Jarrett Anderson (Inside Wide receivers Coach, 21st season) Rusty Burns (Outside Receivers Coach, 10th season) Paul Gonzales (Safeties Coach, 7th season) Chris Thomsen (Offensive Line Coach, 2nd season) Zarnell Fitch (Defensive Line Coach, 5th season) Dan Sharp (Defensive Line Coach, 18th season) Jeremy Modkins (Cornerbacks Coach, 7th season) Nick Kelly (Co-Graduate Assistant–Offense, 2nd season) R. J. Fleming (Co-Graduate Assistant–Offense, 3rd season) Jonathon Darby (Co-Graduate Assistant–Defense, 2nd season) Ilaiu Moeakiola (Co-Graduate Assistant–Defense, 2nd season) Jake Brown (co-offensive Analyst, 1st season) Tony Savino (co-offensive Analyst, 3rd season) Brian Hernandez (co-defensive Analyst, 1st season) Darrell Patterson (co-defensive Analyst, 1st season) Garrett Altman (Co-Graduate Assistant–Video, 1st season) Michael Downing Jr. (Co-Graduate Assistant–Video, 1st season) Demontie Cross (director of player personnel, 1st season) Brett Lemoine (director of high school relations, 2nd season) Rachel Phillips (director of Recruiting Relations, 2nd season) Matt Lewis (Director–Football Operations, 16th season) Don Sommer (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, 18th season) David Gable (Assoc. Director–Sports Medicine, 16th season) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 29, 2016

Game summaries

Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	7	0	0	7
No. 16 Horned Frogs	17	21	17	0	55

See also: 2018 Southern Jaguars football team

At SMU

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Horned Frogs	0	14	14	14	42
Mustangs	9	3	0	0	12

See also: 2018 SMU Mustangs football team and SMU–TCU football rivalry

Vs. Ohio State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Buckeyes	10	3	20	7	40
No. 15 Horned Frogs	7	7	14	0	28

See also: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

At Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Horned Frogs	6	7	3	0	16
Longhorns	7	3	14	7	31

See also: 2018 Texas Longhorns football team and TCU–Texas football rivalry

Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cyclones	0	7	0	7	14
Horned Frogs	0	7	7	3	17

See also: 2018 Iowa State Cyclones football team

Texas Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Raiders	3	0	7	7	17
Horned Frogs	0	7	0	7	14

See also: 2018 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

Oklahoma

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Sooners	14	14	10	14	52
Horned Frogs	7	17	3	0	27

See also: 2018 Oklahoma Sooners football team

At Kansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs	0	10	7	9	26
Jayhawks	7	0	10	10	27

See also: 2018 Kansas Jayhawks football team

Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	0	0	6	13
Horned Frogs	7	0	7	0	14

See also: 2018 Kansas State Wildcats football team

When the two Big 12 conference teams that both wear purple got together for the 2018 matchup, Kansas State lost quarterback Skylar Thompson to an injury in the first quarter and the Wildcats wen to backup Alex Delton. Kansas State kept the game close but missed a PAT leaving the score 14-13 in favor of TCU. "Of course I feel horrible for him," Snyder said. "He's one of the young guys. He didn't lose the ballgame for us. There were a bunch of us that made mistakes that contributed." With the loss, K-State was left in a position to win the last three games in order to be eligible for post-season bowl games.^[15]

At West Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs	3	0	7	0	10
Mountaineers	0	24	16	7	47

See also: 2018 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

At Baylor

	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs	3	6	7	0	16
Bears	6	0	3	0	9

See also: 2018 Baylor Bears football team

Oklahoma State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	3	0	7	14	24
Horned Frogs	0	7	17	7	31

See also: 2018 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

Vs. California–Cheez-It Bowl

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Bears	7	0	0	0	0	7
Horned Frogs	0	0	7	0	3	10

See also: 2018 California Golden Bears football team and 2018 Cheez-It Bowl

Statistics

Scoring

Scores against non-conference opponents

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 19 13 20 7 59 TCU 24 42 45 14 125

Scores against the Big 12

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 7 3 14 7 31 TCU 6 7 3 0 16

Scores against all opponents

1 2 3 4 Total Opponents 16 16 34 14 80 TCU 30 49 48 14 141

Rankings

Further information: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	16	16	15	17	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	16	16	14	17	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Honors and awards

Preseason awards

• Ben Banogu (DL)

Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year

Preseason All-Big 12

• KaVontae Turpin (WR/KR/PR)

Preseason All-Big 12 (Return Specialist)

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2019 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	29	L. J. Collier	DE	Seattle Seahawks
2	49	Ben Banogu	OLB	Indianapolis Colts
7	226	Ty Summers	LB	Green Bay Packers