Photos by Dominic Ceraldi
The scene was set for the 100th edition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet between the DFW rival TCU Horned Frogs and SMU Mustangs in Fort Worth, the locale where SMU’s Rashee Rice proclaimed that “no one comes to Texas for.”
In what turned out to be an entertaining game that featured over 1,000 yards combined in total offense, SMU retained the Iron Skillet with a 42-34 victory that improved the Mustangs to 4-0 on the season. This is SMU’s third consecutive 4-0 start under head coach Sonny Dykes, who previously served as an offensive analyst/consultant for TCU in 2017.
This is the first time that SMU has won consecutive games against TCU since 1992-93.
The loss drops TCU to 2-1 and snaps their five-game winning streak. TCU is now 15-4 against SMU under head coach Gary Patterson.
“I thought SMU wanted it more,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said on espn.com. “I told them, when somebody hates you, you have to change your frame of mind. They hate us. It’s simple.”
TCU quarterback Max Duggan was 16 of 28 for 276 yards and three touchdowns while star running back Zach Evans had 113 yards rushing on 15 carries, topping 100 yards for the fourth time in the last five games. Evans also had a 46-yard touchdown catch for the first receiving score of his career.
Tre Hodges-Tomlinson recorded a career-high seven tackles, including two for loss in what was an otherwise rough outing for the Horned Frogs defense.
Mustangs quarterback Tanner Mordecai threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns to improve to 20 TD passes for the season against three interceptions on the day. Ulysses Bentley IV had 20 carries for 153 of SMU’s 352 yards on the ground.
The game was tied at 21-21 at halftime after SMU opted to go for what ended up as a failed TD rather than kick a short field goal, but the Mustangs would score quickly in the second half they recovered a fumble on a sack of Duggan. The Frogs hung around for most of the second half, pulling to within 35-27 late in the fourth quarter, but SMU’s dominant running game took control and never relinquished the ball en route to running out the clock.
With SMU’s win, the Horned Frogs now lead the all-time series 51-42-7.
Following the game, SMU’s Rice attempted to plant the flag at midfield of Amon Carter Stadium (à la Baker Mayfield during his days at Oklahoma when the Sooners defeated Ohio State in 2017). A small melee followed with TCU players defending their turf before SMU cornerback Brandon replanted the flag.
And then SMU CB Brandon Crossley takes the flag back to midfield and plants it on the TCU logo.
Some TCU players rush back to the logo, the flag breaks and it’s returned to SMU.
Just rivalry things: pic.twitter.com/0bVtOWvLcK
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 25, 2021
The flag ended up breaking and SMU players took the remains of the flag as they left the playing field according to Joesph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
TCU is in the midst of opening a season with four straight home contests for just the second time in its school history, which wraps up next week when they welcome the Texas Longhorns to town to open Big 12 Conference play. Texas will be coming to Fort Worth on the heels of its 70-35 demolishing of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
