No. 7 TCU pulls away for 9-0 in 34-24 win over Texas Tech

Associated PressNov 5, 2022, 6:12 PM EDT

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Max Duggan and the TCU Horned Frogs are learning to play with a perfect record that makes them playoff contenders.

That’s the view of first-year coach Sonny Dykes, who watched his team pass another test Saturday.

Derius Davis returned the first punt 82 yards for a touchdown, Kendre Miller ran for the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter and No. 7 TCU pulled away in a 34-24 victory over Texas Tech.

Davis caught one of Duggan’s two fourth-quarter TD passes as the Horned Frogs reached 9-0 for the first time since 2010, a 13-0 season that ended with a Rose Bowl victory and No. 2 national ranking.

The Big 12’s No. 1 offense in yards didn’t get its first touchdown until the fourth, and TCU has trailed in the second half of four of its six conference victories.

“Despite everybody in the program kind of doing everything we can do to preach the one-game-at-a-time thing, I think there are times our players start to see the enormity and gravity of things,” Dykes said. “It starts with us as a coaching staff and just making sure our guys feel free.”

The Red Raiders (4-5, 2-4) went ahead 17-13 in the third quarter on Tyler Shough‘s 33-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Sparkman, but ended up falling to 2-4 against ranked teams in coach Joey McGuire‘s first season.

“Frustrating game because we have the lead,” McGuire said. “Just got to make plays to win the game.”

The previous perfect run for TCU came in the Mountain West Conference and was before the College Football Playoff.

The nine-game winning streak is the longest since the Horned Frogs won 16 straight spanning the the 2014-15 seasons. In 2014, one-loss TCU had joined the Big 12, but was left out of the first four-team CFP.

“Our deal is let’s just try to figure out a way to win a game and then at the end of the year, we’ll sit down and see what we have to do,” Dykes said. “I think the way we’ve tried to approach this has served us well.”

Defensive standout Tyree Wilson made the first big play for Texas Tech with a fourth-down tackle for loss when TCU was driving up 7-0 after Darius’ return up the right sideline and back toward the middle.

Wilson, though, sparked the Horned Frogs’ go-ahead drive with a facemask penalty when his sack of Duggan would have put TCU in third and long.

A pass interference penalty in the end zone put the ball at the 2-yard line, and Miller extended his rushing TD streak to 10 games on the next play for a 20-17 lead.

“That was a big drive,” said McGuire, who wasn’t pleased with the calls. “Had opportunities to get off the field, could have been different going into the fourth quarter, keeping that lead and hanging on to it.”

Miller surpassed 100 yards rushing for the sixth time in seven games, finishing with a season-high 158 yards on 21 carries.

Playing without leading receiver Quentin Johnston because of an ankle injury, Duggan was 12 of 23 for 195 yards, his fewest as the starter this season. The senior didn’t throw an interception, giving him 24 TDs with just two picks this season.

The Red Raiders started 3 of 3 on fourth down, but failed on consecutive possessions in their territory after Miller’s TD, setting up Duggan’s 23-yard scoring pass to Davis and a 16-yarder to Emari Demercado.

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders had one interception after entering the game with a Big 12-leading 15. While they protected the ball better, the league’s No. 1 passing offense was held under 200 yards (163) for the second week in a row after not having fewer than 299 before that.

TCU: The nine-game winning streak is the longest as a head coach for Dykes, who was facing his alma mater and the school where he was an assistant. He’s the first Big 12 coach to go this deep into his first season without losing.

TECH QBS

Freshman Behren Morton started strong for Texas Tech, going 7 of 10 with a 47-yard touchdown to Jerand Bradley. But he left in the first half with an ankle injury that’s been bothering him for a month.

Shough, the opening day starter who has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, went 9 of 22 for 84 yards and had a short touchdown run late.

PASSING TURPIN

Davis’ fifth career punt return for a touchdown broke a tie with Dallas Cowboys return man KaVontae Turpin for the TCU record. They are tied for the school mark with six kick or punt returns for TDs.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: After playing ranked opponents six of the first nine games, the Red Raiders don’t have a team currently in the Top 25 on their remaining schedule. Kansas visits next Saturday.

TCU: The Horned Frogs play at Texas. They lost to the Longhorns for just the second time in the past eight meetings last year in Fort Worth.

Georgia extends contract for AD Josh Brooks, plans two new football practice fields

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 9:14 PM EDT

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

ATHENS, Ga. – On the heels of a second straight national football championship, Georgia has rewarded athletic director Josh Brooks a contract extension that ties him to the Bulldogs through at least 2029.

The athletic association board, wrapping up its annual spring meeting Friday at a resort on Lake Oconee, also announced plans for a new track and field facility that will free up space for two more football practice fields.

Brooks’ new contract will increase his salary to $1.025 million a year, with annual raises of $100,000.

The 42-year-old Brooks, who took over the athletic department in 2021 after Greg McGarity retired, called the Georgia job “a dream for me” and said he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Athens.

“I am extremely grateful,” Brooks said. “I got into this business 20-plus years ago as a student equipment manager. My first job at Louisiana-Monroe was making $20,000 a year in football operations.”

The Georgia board approved a fiscal 2024 budget of $175.2 million, a nearly 8% increase from the most recent budget of $162.2 million and the sign of a prosperous program that is flush with money after its success on the gridiron.

The school received approval to move forward with its preliminary plans for a new track and field facility, which will be built across the street from the complex hosting the soccer and and softball teams.

The current track stadium is located adjacent to the Butts-Mehre athletic facility, which hosts the practice fields and training facilities for the football program.

Georgia lost a chunk of its outdoor fields when it built a new indoor practice facility. After the new track and field stadium is completed, the current space will be converted to two full-length, grass football practice fields at the request of coach Kirby Smart.

“He wants to find efficient ways to practice, and there is a lot of truth to the issues we’ve had with our current practice fields,” Brooks said. “There is a lot of strain on our turf facilities staff to keep that field in great shape when half the day it is getting shade, so that has been a challenge as well. For our football program, it is better to practice on grass fields than (artificial) turf, so to be able to have two side-by-side grass fields is huge. It makes for a much more efficient practice.”

The new track and field complex, which will continue to be named Spec Towns Track, will also include an indoor facility, the first of its kind in the state of Georgia.

Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement after 17 years at Big Ten school

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 9:11 PM EDT

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa athletic director Gary Barta will retire on August 1 after 17 years at the university, the school announced Friday.

Barta, 59, is one of the longest-tenured athletic directors in a Power Five conference. He was hired by Iowa in 2006 after being the AD at Wyoming.

An interim director will be announced next week, Iowa said.

In September, Iowa hired former Ball State athletic director Beth Goetz to be deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, putting her in position to possibly succeed Barta.

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve in this role the past 17 years,” Barta said in a statement. “This decision didn’t come suddenly, nor did it come without significant thought, discussion, and prayer.”

“That said, I’m confident this is the right time for me and for my family.”

Iowa won four NCAA national team titles and 27 Big Ten team titles during Barta’s tenure. The women’s basketball team is coming off an appearance in the national championship game and the wrestling team is coming off a second-place finish at the NCAA championships.

Barta served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff committee in 2020 and 2021.

He faced heavy criticism over more than $11 million in settlements for lawsuits in recent years alleging racial and sexual discrimination within the athletic department.

Lawsuits filed by former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum and associate athletics director Jane Meyer led to a $6.5 million payout.

Iowa had to pay $400,000 as part of a Title IX lawsuit brought by athletes after it cut four sports in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the agreement, Iowa reinstated the women’s swimming and diving program and add another women’s sport.

Iowa added women’s wrestling, the first among Power Five schools to compete this year.

A lawsuit brought by former football players alleging racial discrimination within the program was settled for $4.2 million last March, which prompted state auditor Rob Sand to call for Barta’s ouster.

“Gary Barta’s departure is a long time coming given the four different lawsuits for discrimination that cost Iowa more than $11 million,” Sand posted on Twitter.

The university did not allow taxpayer money to be used for the settlement with the former players.

Barta led Iowa through $380 million of facility upgrades, including renovation of Kinnick Stadium, the construction of a new football facility, a basketball practice facility and a training center for the wrestling teams.

Under Barta, Iowa has had just one head football coach (Kirk Ferentz), women’s basketball coach (Lisa Bluder) and wrestling coach (Tom Brands). All were in place when he arrived.

Barta has also come under scrutiny for allowing Ferentz to employee his son, Brian Ferentz, as offensive coordinator. To comply with the university’s nepotism policy, Brian Ferentz reports to Barta.