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Fort Worth, Texas • The BYU Cougars marched onto the playing surface at Amon G. Carter Stadium in rows of four and five players, military style, to signify solidarity and brotherhood against the No. 4-ranked TCU Horned Frogs prior to the game Saturday afternoon.
It could have been mistaken for a funeral procession — and probably should have been — after BYU lost for the third-straight time to the team it once shared a position with as a Mountain West Conference heavyweight.
Those days are gone forever, and the Frogs joyously reminded the MWC-departing Cougars of that with one last thumping.
Displaying one of the nation's best defenses and wearing the Cougars down on the other side of the ball, TCU claimed a 31-3 win to drop BYU's record to 2-5 in front of 40,416 fans at sun-drenched Moncrief Field.
The Horned Frogs, 30-point favorites, came up short in their bid for a third straight shutout, as BYU's Mitch Payne kicked a 27-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter for the Cougars' only points. But they can find solace in the fact that they held the Cougars to fewer yards — a measly 147 — than previous shutout victims Wyoming (191) and Colorado State (161).
"I was disappointed that the game wasn't closer," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. "I think it could have been. … I am not sure if anyone gave us a chance to win this game, other than myself."
From early on, it was apparent that the Cougars didn't have the horses to win in Cowtown — unless they could manage a shutout as well. The Cougars picked up just 13 yards and one first down in the first half, while never crossing the 50-yard line.
Remarkably, the defense kept it close.
"And then the wheels came off a little bit," said BYU linebacker Brandon Ogletree of the final three minutes of the first half.
Trailing 3-0, the Cougars took over at their 9-yard line with three minutes left in the second quarter needing a couple of first downs to avoid a double-digit disadvantage. But quarterback Jake Heaps was sacked on third-and-6 — one of three by TCU — and BYU had to punt out of its end zone.
Two plays later, TCU's Josh Boyce, who caught eight passes for 127 yards and two TDs, was dancing in that same end zone after a perfectly thrown 35-yard pass from Andy Dalton.
Another TCU star, linebacker Tank Carder, intercepted Heaps two plays after that, giving the Frogs (7-0) the ball at the BYU 38. Dalton quickly cashed in with a 14-yard strike to a wide-open Jimmy Young, and TCU headed off to the locker room with a 17-0 lead.
The Cougars were finished.
"It was a close and competitive hard-fought battle [to that point]," Mendenhall said. "It was critical."
The Frogs send the Cougars off to independence-land having outscored their rivals 101-17 during the past three meetings.
The touchdowns before halftime "were big," said TCU coach Gary Patterson, who didn't pile on the points when he likely could have in the fourth quarter. "First of all, I think you've got to give credit to BYU in the first half. With four or five minutes left, [TCU] had only three points. We were looking for a win, that's it."
BYU finally got the offense going on its third possession of the third quarter, driving 70 yards before Payne's field goal kept the Cougars from being shut out for the first time since 2003.
Heaps was just 14-of-30 for 91 yards and two interceptions.
"It has a long ways to go still — from just a production standpoint — and use of our resources and execution and confidence," Mendenhall said of the offense. But he added that a lot of the struggles had to do with TCU's defense, which he said is the finest the Cougars have faced this season.
"I am not very accurate with the rankings," Mendenhall said when asked if TCU is the fourth-best team in the country.
"But they are good."
Storylines
R In Short • Fourth-ranked TCU doesn't get the shutout but overwhelms punchless BYU to remain undefeated.
Key Moment • TCU scores two touchdowns late in the first half to break open a tight game.
Key Stat • BYU has just 13 yards of offense, and one first down, in the first half.