TCU Football: 3 takeaways from Iron Skillet collapse against SMU

2. Max Duggan might be the answer at quarterback for TCU

When TCU opted to go with young Max Duggan as their starter for the Iron Skillet battle against SMU, it showed that the Horned Frogs were intent on building for both the future and the present. It looked like a curious move at the beginning of the contest, as the true freshman struggled to make anything happen.

In the first half, Duggan completed only one of his 10 passing attempts for 22 yards. It was an abysmal display that allowed SMU to focus solely on the running game. Unable to hit his targets effectively, Duggan rendered the Horned Frogs defense one-dimensional through his ineffectiveness. He also fumbled the ball on back-to-back drives in the first quarter as the Mustangs rattled him in the backfield.

The coaching staff stuck with Duggan, however, and he started to reward their faith in the second half as things started to improve for Duggan through the air after halftime. He settled down, and the coaching staff seemed to set him up better for success. Over the rest of the game, Duggan went 15-of-26 for 166 yards and three passing touchdowns.

It wasn’t a spectacular performance, by any means, and there will be plenty of reason for Horned Frogs fans to question the decision to go with the greenhorn against the Mustangs. But Duggan took major steps in the second half comeback bid to secure his place as the long-term starter in Fort Worth.