<\/p>\n
TCU football came into Saturday\u2019s game against Iowa State knowing it couldn\u2019t afford a loss<\/a> if it wanted to keep its Big 12 title<\/a> and College Football Playoff hopes alive. However, two interceptions by quarterback Josh Hoover in the first quarter helped doom the Horned Frogs to a 20-17 defeat<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hoover has thrown two interceptions in three of the past six games this season, and TCU lost all of them. The junior ended up completing 34 of 50 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown with the two picks.<\/p>\n Hoover wore a glove on his right hand out of concern for his grip after getting it \u201cbanged up\u201d against West Virginia on Oct. 25, but head coach Sonny Dykes said the glove wasn\u2019t a big deal.<\/p>\n Dykes said he liked how Hoover played and ascribed both interceptions to pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought he played well,\u201d Dykes said. \u201cI mean, we\u2019ll go and look at the tape and see, but I thought, he did some good things. I thought we really got executing and started playing better in the second half. I think we struggled early in the first half. Josh threw two interceptions. I\u2019m not sure either one of them were on him. Both of them were pressures, had a guy in his face when we threw the interceptions. So those are the things that we got to get corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoover had several plays when it seemed like he had an option to step and run but chose to remain in the pocket, and Dykes said the quarterback was extra cautious with the injury.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll look at that and see,\u201d Dykes said. \u201cHe got pretty being banged up last week, and I think he was pretty cautious this week. But yes, I thought there were some times when he could have pulled the ball down and … potentially got us a couple of first downs.\u201d<\/p>\n The Horned Frogs\u2019 offense struggled in the first half, only scoring three points, and there was a smattering of boos as the team left the field after missing a 25-yard field goal to end the half.<\/p>\n The slow starts have been another recent problem for Hoover and the offense, as TCU has gone scoreless in the first quarter in four of its past five games.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to execute better. I felt like we wasted a half of offense,\u201d Dykes said. \u201cI think that\u2019s going to be something that we\u2019re going to have to address moving forward. We just have gotten off to a slow start offensively, and we gotta get it fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n TCU\u2019s offense eventually got in a grove. The Horned Frogs had scoring opportunities on four straight drives through the second and third quarters and outgained the Cyclones by 160 yards in the game.<\/p>\n