Looking Back At BYU Football’s History With TCU
Nov 12, 2025, 4:35 PM | Updated: Nov 13, 2025, 10:29 am
PROVO, Utah – The TCU Horned Frogs and BYU football rekindle a former WAC and Mountain West rivalry when they face each other this weekend. It will be their second-ever meeting as Big 12 opponents.
BYU controls its conference championship game destiny despite last week’s loss to Texas Tech, meaning Saturday night is the first step to reaching another of its preseason goals.
No. 12 BYU vs. TCU
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Location: Provo, Utah
The No. 12 BYU Cougars will host the Horned Frogs at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, November 15. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. MT.
Big 12 marks new era in TCU-BYU rivalry
When BYU joined the Big 12, it marked the third time these two programs had been in the same conference.
Having previously faced off as WAC and Mountain West foes, BYU and TCU have a more extended history than most of the Cougars’ opponents in the Big 12.
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NUMBER TWELVE. pic.twitter.com/uNvbvooZqs
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 12, 2025
TCU leads the all-time series 7-5, though they are 2-3 in Provo.
1987 – TCU 33, BYU 12
The Horned Frogs built a 27-6 lead before BYU running back Fred Whittingham scored late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard plunge.
TCU finished with 504 rushing yards while attempting only eight passes all game. Tony Jeffery ran for 208 yards, and David Rascoe added 113 yards, with both scoring touchdowns.
BYU finished the season with a 9-4 record.
1988 – BYU 31, TCU 18
The Cougars returned the favor one year later, rolling up a 28-3 advantage before allowing the Horned Frogs to reach the end zone.
Matt Bellini got that onslaught started with two first-quarter touchdowns. Sim Tiatia added a special teams touchdown in the opening period, scoring on a four-yard blocked punt return.
BYU vs TCU — WEEK 12@kalanifsitake pic.twitter.com/X4324oVMem
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 11, 2025
Cougar QB Sean Covey completed 30-of-47 passes for 490 yards and two touchdowns. Bellini ended the day with 202 receiving yards on nine grabs.
BYU finished the season with a 9-4 record.
1996 – TCU 21, BYU 45
This meeting marked the first between the programs as conference opponents in the Western Athletic Conference. Brigham Young escaped Texas with their first road win over the Horned Frogs.
BYU came into the game ranked No. 15 in the country and solidified itself as a team to contend with by crushing TCU by 24 points. The second half was academic after the Cougars jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead.
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Biggest lesson learned from BYU's loss at Texas Tech | Takeaways from week one of BYU basketball https://t.co/VskdsulIia
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 10, 2025
BYU QB Steve Sarkisian threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the high-powered LaVell Edwards passing attack.
The Cougars finished the year with a sterling 14-1 record. They were ranked fifth in the country after the season.
1997 – BYU 31, TCU 10
BYU’s dominance in the series continued with the program’s third consecutive win over TCU. Current offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick caught two touchdown passes, including the final TD catch of his Cougar career.
QB Drew Miller completed 16 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns. RB Brian McKenzie ran for 65 yards and the team’s only rushing score of the day. WR Ben Cahoon caught ten passes for 142 yards.
BYU ended the season with a 6-5 record.
2005 – TCU 51, BYU 50 (OT)
A seven-year hiatus ended when the Cougars and Horned Frogs came together as conference opponents in the Mountain West. TCU rallied to score 21 fourth-quarter points and force overtime in an eventual one-point win.
BYU wideout Zac Collie caught a pair of first-quarter TD passes, helping his team take a 21-10 lead after 15 minutes.
TCU vs BYU (2005) pic.twitter.com/NcUbzhKiBO
— College Football Classics (@ClassicsCFB) April 19, 2024
The Cougars extended their advantage to 34-16 when Todd Watkins caught the first of two touchdown passes from John Beck.
Trailing by 11 entering the fourth, TCU rattled off three touchdowns to take a 44-41 lead with 1:25 left.
Beck engineered a game-tying drive by completing 5-of-7 passes that set up a 38-yard Jared McLaughlin field goal that forced OT.
After scoring on the first play from scrimmage in overtime, the extra point snap was botched, leaving a hole for the Horned Frogs. TCU needed four plays to score before securing the win with an extra point.
BYU ended the season with a 6-6 record while the Horned Frogs finished 11-1 and No. 11 in the country.
2006 – TCU 17, BYU 31
BYU traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, and returned the favor the following season with a 14-point win over the seventeenth-ranked Horned Frogs.
Three TCU turnovers made the difference in an otherwise evenly played game.
Cougar QB John Beck threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. WR Michael Reed led BYU with 69 yards and a TD.
RB Curtis Brown accounted for 114 yards of offense on 21 touches.
2007 – BYU 27, TCU 22
BYU’s defense shut down TCU’s passing attack, limiting future second-round pick Andy Dalton to 165 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception.
On the other side, Max Hall led the Cougars with 305 passing yards and one TD. WR Austin Collie caught four passes for 109 yards, including a long of 66 yards.
BYU Football Progress Report: Texas Tech Edition
Cougar running back Harvey Unga ran for 65 yards and two TDs
The Cougars ended the year with an 11-2 record.
2008 – TCU 32, BYU 7
Undefeated and No. 9 BYU rolled into Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth with all the momentum in the world. They left Texas with their first loss after being dominated by an up-and-coming TCU team.
Max Hall scored BYU’s only touchdown, crossing the goal line from two yards out in the third quarter with the game well in hand. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.
The Cougars committed four total turnovers.
BYU went on to finish the season with a 10-3 record and No. 25 in the nation. TCU continued its rise, ending the year at 11-2 and ranked seventh in the country.
The loss began a five-game losing streak for BYU in the series.
2009 – BYU 7, TCU 38
A top 20 matchup between No. 16 BYU and No. 8 TCU turned into a runaway early as the Horned Frogs took a 21-0 lead before Harvey Unga caught a three-yard TD pass from Hall late in the second period.
The Cougars wouldn’t score again, thanks in large part to losing the turnover battle 2-0.
Hall was sacked five times, totaling 11 sacks against the Cougars’ offense over two seasons. Unga led all rushers with 124 yards on 21 carries.
BYU ended the season 11-2 and was ranked No. 12 in the country. TCU rolled to an even stronger finish, going 12-1 and a No. 6 ranking to end the year.
2010 – TCU 31, BYU 3
The Cougars suffered their third consecutive blowout loss to TCU, failing to reach the end zone in a 28-point beating.
BYU ended the game with 91 yards of offense and two Jake Heaps interceptions.
TCU finished the season undefeated (13-0) and was ranked No. 2 in the country to end the year. BYU finished 7-6.
2011 – TCU 38, BYU 28 (Neutral site)
The final game of the Mountain West era between these programs took place at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. BYU never led, falling behind 35-10 in the third quarter before scoring 18 of the game’s final 21 points.
The Horned Frogs made a statement early, using four plays to score two first-quarter touchdowns.
BYU QB Riley Nelson threw for 215 yards and a touchdown. He added 120 rushing yards for 335 total yards of offense. JD Falslev scored on a 67-yard punt return for the Cougars.
BYU finished the season 10-3, while TCU finished 11-2 and was ranked No. 14 in the country.
2023 – TCU 44, BYU 11
BYU’s first season in the Big 12 came with plenty of growing pains, including a 33-point road loss coming out of a bye. TCU’s Josh Hoover became the fifth backup QB to give the Cougar defense fits.
The Horned Frogs scored the first 24 points before cruising to an easy win. BYU didn’t help themselves, committing two turnovers in the game.
LJ Martin ran for 58 yards, averaging four yards per carry, and added four catches for 19 yards. Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston combined for five catches and 112 yards.
Current Cougar running back Preston Rex tied for the team lead with eight tackles as a safety.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
