3 TCU scapegoats to blame for National Championship Game loss to Georgia

The TCU Horned Frogs were decimated by the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Here are three scapegoats for the loss.

The TCU Horned Frogs shocked the world by going 12-1 on the year to make it into the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed. They were able to stand tall against the Michigan Wolverines in the Fiesta Bowl, securing the 51-45 victory to clinch their spot in the CFP National Championship Game.

Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, there was no more magic remaining.

On Monday, Jan. 9, TCU lost to Georgia by the decisive score of 65-7. The game was so far out of reach, that the Bulldogs pulled quarterback Stetson Bennett IV with over 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

When it comes to who are the scapegoats for the Horned Frogs, these three individuals stand out.

TCU football: 3 scapegoats to blame for CFP National Championship loss to Georgia

3. Max Duggan, QB

Max Duggan had quite the year, throwing for 3,546 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 63.7-percent of his passes through 14 games prior to the CFP National Championship Game. He finished the year as the runner-up in Heisman voting behind USC’s Caleb Williams.

On Monday night, Duggan stood no chance against Georgia’s defense.

Between getting pressured at will, getting sacked five times, Duggan couldn’t do much of anything. But when facing a team the caliber of Georgia, you can’t make mistakes. For Duggan, he made two big mistakes.

Midway through the second quarter, Duggan overthrew star wide receiver Quentin Johnston, and it landed directly in the hands of Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard. 11 plays later, Georgia extended their lead to 31-7 on a one-yard touchdown run by Kendall Milton.

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On the following drive, Duggan threw another interception to Bullard. That resulted in the Bulldogs extending their lead to 38-7 after wide receiver Adonai Mitchell made a one-handed touchdown catch.

Duggan finished the game completing 14-of-22 pass attempts for 152 yards, while throwing two interceptions.

2. Joe Gillespie, DC

TCU’s defense had absolutely no answers for Georgia’s offense. Yes, the Horned Frogs didn’t have the talent like the Bulldogs, but they showed they could play well against top-tier programs. After all, they did defeat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl.

But defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie’s squad couldn’t stop any Bulldog player on offense.

Gillespie’s defense does run on a 3-3-5 scheme, and Georgia exploited it. Tight end Brock Bowers torched TCU, catching seven passes for 152 yards and a touchdown on the night. Bennett completed 18-of-25 pass attempts for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Bulldogs rushers picked up 254 yards and five touchdowns on 44 carries.

Overall, the Horned Frogs defense surrendered 589 yards of offense.

But let’s be fair, if the defense had done a better job, the offense couldn’t do anything against Georgia’s defense. So, there’s that. It was just a bad game overall for the Horned Frogs.

1. Sonny Dykes, HC

When a team is blown out 65-7 in the National Championship Game in front of a huge audience, it’s hard not to look at the head coach.

Sonny Dykes deserves plenty of credit for the job he did in his very first season at TCU. Coming over from SMU, Dykes turned the Horned Frogs program around. You couldn’t count them out, as they were one of the best second-half teams in the nation. That’s why they made it into the Playoff.

When looking at the history of the Playoff, Big 12 teams have not fared well. TCU became the first team from the conference to win a CFP Semifinal game.

But when playing against Georgia, Dykes had no answers for Kirby Smart. They were mismatched, and there was nothing they could do to build any sort of momentum. The offense gained just nine first downs on the entire night and converted on just 2-of-11 third down plays. The defense, as mentioned above, were run over on the ground and picked apart through the air for near 600 yards by Georgia.

Dykes should not be discredited for the season he had. But when it came to the biggest game of the season, his game plan was ineffective.

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