Shane Buechele connected with James Proche on a nine-yard touchdown pass to give SMU a 31-17 lead over TCU with 13 seconds remaining in the first half of their Week 3 matchup in Fort Worth. TCU didn't come back and lost to SMU for the first time since 2011 and just the third time in the last 21 meetings. Gary Patterson wasn't pleased with the result, nor was he pleased with TCU fans.
"To be honest with you, the crowd left after halftime,” Patterson said this week. “They want us to come back and win, but I was not very happy with the crowd at halftime. I saw a lot of people in red and blue that were down lower than what they should have been. So I asked that question, ‘How they got there?' "
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To be fair, TCU fan support is subpar. One of the most consistent programs in the country has often struggled to draw big crowds over the last two decades. And yes, a 14-point halftime deficit isn't insurmountable and shouldn't prompt a rush for the exits.
Still, Gary, you're two days removed from a loss in which your team committed three turnovers and allowed 400 yards of offense and 41 points. The fans are not a problem nor a priority as you seek a rebound from last year's disappointing seven-win season. Your team had 60 penalty yards, allowed nearly nine yards per pass attempt and let SMU convert nine of 20 third-down attempts.
And yes, of course, fans wanted you to "come back and win." But you didn't. If you did win, sure, you can note the lack of fan support. But you didn't, and it's the least of your problems entering Big 12 play.
