The most depressing sight at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Halloween wasn't the scoreboard. TCU actually won the football game, 22-16 over Kansas , after trailing by 13 points. The truly bleak part was the empty purple space surrounding the people who remained to watch it.
Nobody should blame the people who stayed home. Going to a college football game requires time, money and a willingness to surrender most of a Saturday to a program that, at the moment, gives its fans precious little in return. An empty seat can say plenty without its owner having to explain a thing.
TCU's fourth victory of the season should have been fun. Max Carroll returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown, while Ace Theus - somebody who hadn't been a factor whatsoever in the Horned Frogs' offensive attack early in the season - broke loose for a 28-yard score. Even Jaden Craig, the often-scorned quarterback for TCU, completed the comeback with a 17-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes.
Three remarkable individual moments, all in the service of a win, and somehow the whole thing still felt a little like attending a party after everybody had agreed the party was over.
Oct 17, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) throws a pass against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kansas outgained TCU 451-286.
The Horned Frogs trailed 13-0 at halftime and needed their defense to force its way onto the scoreboard before the offense offered much help, which was barely any at all.
A close game can be entertaining, and a comeback can be thrilling, but eight games of offensive frustration have a way of exhausting even the most patient audience. TCU entered this season talking about a Big 12 championship and a run at the College Football Playoff. Now, at 4-4, the conversation revolves around finding two more wins and an invitation to a bowl most fans never expected to be discussing.
Sonny Dykes keeps returning to the language coaches use when they have exhausted every more interesting explanation. There was a good practice. He didn't see this coming! Maybe every word of that is sincere. But none of it carries much weight anymore, because those same assurances sounded more convincing before the losses began piling up and the stadium began emptying out.
There's a funeral atmosphere around an era that hasn't officially ended. The games continue, but more fans appear to have reached their verdict. Even a win over Arizona on Friday, an enormous upset given the trajectory of both teams, wouldn't erase the months of evidence that brought everybody here.
Oct 3, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU fans cheer during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Of course, nobody needs permission to enjoy a victory. Some fans will always find enough satisfaction in the scoreboard, and there's a certain wisdom in that. Kansas lost, TCU won and the people who stayed until the final whistle witnessed a comeback that ought to be remembered for what it was, rather than buried beneath another week of complaints.
Others have built their Saturdays around something bigger than the team. The tailgate, the familiar walk toward the stadium, the friends who sit in the same seats year after year - all of it matters even when the football is dreadful. Community survives a disappointing season, which is part of what makes college football so special.
For others, though, the players are the best remaining argument for caring. Take Craig, for instance. He had to endure an offense that couldn't get out of its own way for much of Saturday's win over the Jayhawks, yet he was still the one who delivered the winning score. Carroll supplied a defensive touchdown - without it, the win wouldn't have been possible - and Theus helped make an unlikely comeback not just plausible but possible. Those plays belonged to them, not to the people making decisions about the future of the program.
It's easy to allow anger with the organization to swallow everything underneath it. But there are young men in that locker room who didn't negotiate the contracts, assemble the coaching staff or promise a conference championship. They practice through the criticism and return every Monday. Their efforts deserve more than being collateral damage in the argument about Dykes.
The criticism of Dykes will roll on, but so does the schedule. Arizona awaits Friday , followed by Kansas State, Utah and Texas Tech. Four weekends - good or bad - will not repair the problems in Fort Worth. That's why it's so important that fans exercise their right to demand changes but also still applaud a good tackle or great throw. They can be furious about the direction of the program and still hope that Jordan Dwyer gets to celebrate another spectacular catch.
The empty seats will probably remain for a while, and the questions surrounding TCU aren't going anywhere. But if another player makes a moment worth remembering, somebody ought to be there to enjoy it. That is a smaller kind of happiness than TCU expected to be chasing this fall, but it is happiness all the same.
Stay connected with TCU On SI for the latest TCU football news, game coverage and analysis throughout the Horned Frogs' season. For more coverage and conversation with fellow fans, visit KillerFrogs.com and join the discussion in the KillerFrogs fan forum .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tcu as Where Can TCU Fans Find Happiness in a Season That's Lost Its Joy? .
