TCU quarterback Jaden Craig had a debut to forget on Saturday, but head coach Sonny Dykes isn’t ready to panic about his new starting quarterback.
The Horned Frogs fell 15-10 to North Carolina in Dublin after jumping out to a 10-3 lead in the first quarter and failing to score again. Craig, the Harvard transfer tasked with replacing Josh Hoover, finished 20-of-32 passing for 175 yards as TCU’s offense struggled to find any consistency.
After the game, Dykes defended his quarterback and pointed to what he has seen from Craig behind the scenes.
“I’ve seen Jaden practice and I know what it’s looked like. It didn’t really look like that today. I’m sure North Carolina had something to do with that…we just didn’t give ourselves a chance,” Dykes said.
Craig entered the season after an impressive career at Harvard and a strong offseason at TCU. Earlier this week, Dykes praised Craig’s command of the offense and noted that he had rarely turned the football over during fall camp.
That version of Craig didn’t show up Saturday.
One of his biggest mistakes came in the second half when North Carolina’s Melkart Abou Jaoude sacked Craig and forced a fumble, setting up a Tar Heels field goal that extended the lead to 15-10. Then, with TCU facing fourth-and-2 from the North Carolina 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Craig rolled left and appeared to have an opportunity to run for the first down. Instead, he attempted a difficult throw across his body that fell incomplete.
Still, Dykes’ comments suggest there won’t be any immediate quarterback controversy in Fort Worth.
The bigger concern might be everything surrounding Craig.
TCU committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, struggled to protect its quarterback and went scoreless over its final eight possessions.
Craig certainly has to play better, but Dykes clearly believes Saturday’s performance was an aberration rather than an indication of what TCU should expect from its new quarterback moving forward.
Who is Adam Schobel?
If TCU eventually decides to make a change at quarterback, Adam Schobel is the name to know behind Jaden Craig.
Schobel is a redshirt freshman and former four-star prospect who was ranked as the nation’s No. 16 quarterback and No. 32 overall player in Texas by 247Sports.
During his high school career at Columbus, Schobel entered his senior season with 7,668 passing yards, 94 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. As a junior, he led Columbus to a 12-1 record and an appearance in the third round of the Texas Class 3A Division I playoffs.
Schobel also has deep TCU ties. His father, Matt Schobel, played tight end for the Horned Frogs, while his uncle, Aaron Schobel, starred at defensive end. Both went on to play in the NFL. Adam is also the cousin of fellow TCU signee John Schobel.
For now, Dykes is clearly standing behind Craig. But if TCU’s offensive struggles continue, Schobel is the young quarterback Horned Frogs fans will increasingly want to see.
