BYU-TCU's shared past, present can lead to Cougars' important future in state of Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas — Just under a dozen years ago, on Oct. 29, 2011, the BYU football team traveled to Arlington, Texas, for an anticipated matchup with TCU in what was then Cowboys Stadium.

You probably know the rest from here: Casey Pachall threw for two touchdowns and the Horned Frogs scored 21 points off three special-teams mishaps en route to a 38-28 win on a Friday night in the DFW Metroplex.

The win made TCU bowl eligible after beating BYU for the fourth season in a row, and also helped catapult the Frogs into the Big 12, where they've won double-digit games four times since that includes last year's 13-2 season that finished second nationally to Georgia.

The game was one of 11 all-time between the two conference foes that faced off in both the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences before splitting apart (and undergoing a lot of change) over BYU's most recent dozen years as an FBS independent.

"It's been a while, but we played in some big games down there," said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, who faced the Horned Frogs twice as a player (including redshirt season in 1996) and as wide receivers coach at Utah in the Mountain West from 2005-13. "It's different now, I know, from the Mountain West days; I've heard they sold out all their games this year. I expect a great environment."

Time has a way of coming full circle, and this weekend is that — in many ways — for the Cougars, one of four first-year members in the 14-team Big 12, as it will for redshirt sophomore safety Crew Wakley, who served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I'm super excited to go back," Wakley said. "I didn't promise much because I know a lot of people want to be at this game, but there are some people I am excited to see. It'll be nice to be back in Fort Worth, playing football instead of just as a missionary."

Saturday will rekindle a former conference rivalry that has been dormant since 2011. But what will it mean for BYU's future recruiting efforts in the state of Texas, a pivotal battleground state in recruiting to compete in the Big 12 for years to come?

"It's an opportunity for all those high school players to see us up close and in person," said defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who recruits the Houston area. "We're going to Texas twice in the next three weeks, and recruits get to come out and see us play, see our brand and what it's all about. For us in the Big 12, it's a huge deal. We expect to go play great, and it's important for us to go play great."

BYU plays at or hosts three straight opponents beginning with Saturday's tilt, including next week's homecoming matchup with Texas Tech (3-3, 2-1 Big 12) and a much-anticipated trip to No. 9 Texas (5-1, 2-1) on Oct. 28.

The Cougars (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) have historically recruited one of college football's strongholds for recruits well. That includes this season, with four players that hail from the Lonestar State, including graduate transfer running back Deion Smith (Houston), breakout freshman tailback LJ Martin (El Paso), backup quarterback Cade Fennegan (Dallas), wide receiver Keanu Hill (Bedford).

The numbers aren't overwhelming — neither have been historically — but the talent is, with past Texans that elected to wear blue like Ross Apo, McKay Jacobson, David Nixon and Brandon Ogletree, to name a few. Among the current roster of 12 verbal commits for the Class of 2024 are quarterback Noah Lugo (Haslet, Texas) and athlete Jonathan Kabeya (Trophy Club, Texas).

That number is expected to grow in the coming years with BYU's presence in its new conference, as well as nearly 270,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas scattered around eight missions and 518 congregations, according to church public affairs.

"We've had some interest from Dallas," Hill added. "The reality is, the move to the Big 12 is only going to help that."

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