Former TCU QB Josh Hoover's new head coach had words for Sonny Dykes after comments about his time at TCU.
TCU and Josh Hoover said goodbye at the end of last season, but the pair are still making headlines. Following his departure to Indiana, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes recently spoke about his turnover problem during his time as a Horned Frog.
"Numbers are numbers, and stats are stats. I think Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback, and we turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts," said Dykes during an appearance on Frogs Today.
While some may view his comments as a slight toward his former QB, the numbers don't lie, as Dykes alluded to. In three seasons with TCU, Hoover threw 33 picks and had a turnover rate of 3.1 percent in his final season with the Horned Frogs.
Despite the concerns over turnovers, defending national champion Indiana chose to bring Hoover to Bloomington as the future field general for the Hoosiers. Head coach Curt Cignetti addressed the comments from Dykes and had a few barbs for TCU in a defense of his new passer.
"He's got a body of work in terms of winning football games, passing yards, touchdown passes. Got to clean up some of the turnovers, which [Dykes] made light of, but when he got here, he met his two new best friends: Great defenses and a really good run game. And he was never the same after that," said Cignetti slyly during a press conference.
Just as there's truth to Dykes' statement, Cignetti's jokes hold a harsh reality for TCU. While Hoover struggled to keep the ball in the offense's hands, he was tasked with taking a number of passes that was exceptionally high.
Over three seasons, Hoover dropped back on nearly 1,200 attempts. The running game for the Horned Frogs was nearly non-existent during this time, with two seasons as a No. 100 or worse rated rushing offense, leaving all the pressure on his arm.
Cignetti expressed that under Indiana's offensive scheme Hoover will have less responsibility to make plays every down. That mentality worked last season for the Hoosiers, as Fernando Mendoza went from pass-heavy Cal to Indiana and became a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.
However, it seems that Dykes was aware something needed to change about TCU's offense, as he recently brought in former UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis to replace Kendal Briles.
While he didn't win, Dykes also has experience in the national title game and expressed his desire to return to the highest stage in the sport. The Horned Frogs will look to Sammis and a transfer quarterback of their own, Harvard's Jaden Craig to change the narrative next season and take steps toward achieving Dykes' goal.