Junior safety Trevon Moehrig didn't take long to describe the mood in TCU's locker room on Saturday.
There weren't many positive emotions following a 24-6 loss to West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va., as the Horned Frogs scored their fewest points in three-plus seasons and snapped a brief two-game winning streak.
"Just tired of coming up short," said Moehrig, who finished with 10 tackles. "Just tired of losing. Just trying to get back on that winning side again."
TCU (3-4 overall, 3-4 Big 12) fell to below .500 once again and is now 15-17 since the start of the 2018 season.
Saturday saw a number of issues facing the team, starting with the offense. West Virginia, courtesy of the Big 12's top-ranked defense, highlighted TCU's shortcomings.
The Frogs were held to less than 300 yards of total offense (295) for the first time this season. Sophomore quarterback Max Duggan finished 16 of 29 for 161 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The rushing attack finished with 134 yards on 34 carries after topping the 200-yard mark the previous two games.
"They're good on defense," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "The bottom line is you can't put yourself behind the chains and you've got to be able to score points in the red zone. If you're going to win on the road, you've got to take ball games and not be OK with field goals. It's very simple. You've got to give West Virginia a lot of credit."
TCU's offense never found much of a rhythm.
The Frogs punted on three of their first four drives of the first half, and had the clock expire to halftime on their fifth drive.
In the second half, things didn't get much better. WVU extended its lead to 17-3 with a field-goal drive to start the half and then TCU responded by marching down the field.
The Frogs had a first-and-goal from the 6, but lost 4 yards on both first and second down. Facing a third-and-goal from the 14, Duggan airmailed what should have been a touchdown pass to an open Taye Barber.
TCU settled for a field goal and didn't drive back into the red zone until its second to last offensive possession. That drive ended with Duggan throwing an interception to WVU safety Tykee Smith on a second-and-goal from the 6.
Duggan has thrown for less than 200 yards in four of the last five games. It also marked the fourth game this season in which Duggan didn't have a touchdown pass.
Patterson dismissed the notion that Duggan may be battling an injury afterward.
"No. It was having defensive linemen in your face," Patterson said. "That was one thing today and he was high on the outs. The offensive tackle got moved back a couple of times. Outside of that, I think he's pressing too much to be honest. He just needs to calm down."
The offense wasn't the only issue.
TCU's punt return unit was dealt a blow before the game with returner Derius Davis ruled out. Davis' replacement, Moehrig, muffed a punt in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown drive for WVU.
"I practice catching punts pretty much daily, or every other day, so I can't say much about that," Moehrig said. "That one was just on me. Unfortunately, I just dropped the ball."
Two plays later, the Mountaineers struck for a touchdown on a 38-yard pass from quarterback Jarret Doege to receiver T.J. Simmons to take a 24-6 lead. It was the second TD pass from Doege to Simmons as they connected for a 26-yard score in the second quarter.
Doege was 19-of-26 passing for 212 yards with two TDs. WVU running back Leddie Brown had 156 yards rushing on 24 carries.
TCU's defense finished with just two sacks and didn't get a takeaway. The Frogs also gave up a 99-yard TD drive on their first defensive series of the game. The Mountaineers needed 15 plays to march the length of the field, scoring on a 1-yard run by Doege.
Patterson had an interesting comparison when asked the feeling of giving up a 99-yard TD drive.
"What would you like if someone took your girlfriend? It feels about the same way," Patterson said. "It was all our fault. Defensively it was all our fault. We've got to get ready to go. We did not do a good job. Our younger players didn't line up when they moved all their sets around. It was a learning experience.
"I thought after the first two touchdowns our kids fought back the rest of the ball game. It could've been a lot worse."
TCU has a bye next week before it travels to Kansas on Nov. 28.
