FORT WORTH, Texas -- After 104 meetings, the TCU-SMU Iron Skillet rivalry is over, with the Horned Frogs claiming the final edition 35-24 on Saturday.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes, who has been on both sides of the rivalry as head coach at SMU before moving west to Fort Worth, has been vocal that he doesn't think the series should continue.
"It's college football, it's business and people have to make business decisions," he said. "Sometimes nobody likes 'em."
Last season, SMU won 66-42, and Dykes was ejected from the game after getting two consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for arguing with referees. He said he has heard from plenty of SMU fans about why he didn't want to play the Mustangs anymore.
Dykes won his last two games at SMU against the Frogs and Gary Patterson, then beat SMU his first two years at TCU in 2022 and 2023 before last year's loss.
"I think the idea is that Coach Dykes is scared of the Iron Skillet game. Five outta the last six is what we won," he said before referencing a 1970s power ballad by Meat Loaf, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."
"I think that's a Meat Loaf song, right? Five outta six ain't bad?" he asked. "So yeah, I ain't too scared."
TCU was led by quarterback Josh Hoover, who was 22-of-40 for 379 yards, five touchdowns and an interception, along with a breakout performance from wide receiver Eric McAlister, a Boise State transfer from Azle High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. McAlister had eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns. He lost another when SMU defensive back Jaelyn Davis-Robinson wrestled the ball away from him in the end zone for an interception, and also had a catch in the end zone that was ruled incomplete. The game wasn't stopped for a review, but Dykes said afterward the officials on the field said they were powerless to ask for a review because the booth had already reviewed it and ruled it incomplete.
"I saw the video," McAlister said afterward. "That was two feet down. That's good in the league."
McAlister said it was important to claim this last win over the Mustangs.
"We see those guys out on the streets every day no matter where it's at. It's Dallas, so it's not that far," he said. "They might never sign this contract again. So at least we've got bragging rights."
TCU discovered the Iron Skillet was broken while it was in its possession in 2018, and sources said it was hastily replaced with a Lodge Cast Iron skillet from a hardware store shortly before the game. On Saturday, Dykes was asked, given the skillet has had some issues in the past, what he would do with it now that it was in TCU's possession indefinitely.
"Probably get a sledgehammer and break it," he joked. "I don't know. Our players have it right now and they're excited about it. We took a picture. Now we'll probably cook something in it."
