By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
Baylor kept the offense on the field for fourth-and-6 in TCU territory with over seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback DJ Lagway lofted a ball that landed a couple of yards short of fifth-year receiver Jayden McGowan’s feet to hand the ball back to the Horned Frogs.
Boos rang throughout McLane Stadium as fans couldn’t help but feel disappointment in the offense’s inability to score after riding high on the outpouring in Tempe.
Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) failed to find the end zone for the first time this season as it fell 17-6 to TCU (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) Saturday night.
“It’s a hollow feeling,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “You feel gutted when you can’t reward [the fans] with a win.”
The Bears had been imploring the fanbase to show up in droves throughout the season, and the Baylor faithful showed up with 46,634 people in attendance, exceeding the stadium’s 45,140 capacity. The loss crushed the team when it finally got a raucous crowd.
“We have to be able to keep our fans here,” senior safety Micah Gifford said. “They showed up, they stayed the whole game, and I love them, and I appreciate them for that. We got to come with our A-game, come better, so that they enjoy their time here in McLane.”
The offense’s struggles resurfaced, shooting Baylor after it thought it left its offensive issues in the dust of the Arizona desert. The Bears only mustered 0 yards and two field goals after exploding for 55 points on 564 yards against Arizona State.
Lagway‘s 41.5% completion marks the lowest by Baylor under offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Stooping below the team’s 42.9% against Utah in 2024 with Dequan Finn and Sawyer Robertson.
“I said, ‘I believe in you.’ I said that we’re going to work to get better,” Aranda said. “Frustrating is probably the strongest thing you feel. Embarrassing is right there, a close second. But I believe in him. I believe in this team.”
Lagway and the offense’s shortcomings can be attributed to TCU’s dominance in the trenches. Lagway was sacked four times and pressured throughout the night while the run game finished with 54 yards on 1.6 yards per carry.
“It’s important that when you’re put in a situation like you are tonight, you go against a good team, a good D-line … that you handle business up front,” senior tight end Matthew Klopfenstein said.
The Bears’ defense proved to be the only force keeping them in the game. The unit held TCU to 17 points, marking the sixth consecutive game allowing less than 20 points.
The defense tried to hold on throughout the second half, despite fighting off a Horned Frog offense that started its last four drives past its own 35-yard line.
“That’s just the grittiness of our defense, that’s what we really pride ourselves on, just getting in the dirt, being grimy, being tougher than most people,” Gifford said. “It doesn’t matter where they are on the field; we’re going to try to keep points off the board.”
The Bears struggled to get the ball moving out of the gate in the first quarter. Junior quarterback DJ Lagway was consistently evading pressure, getting sacked twice while throwing for 50 yards.
They were held scoreless in the first quarter for the third time this season, alongside their loss to Auburn and win over Colorado. The offense felt out of sync early in the game.
“The biggest thing for us was just not eliminating simple mistakes,” Klopfenstein said. “It was like one position group doing one mistake, and then we just could not get on the same page.”
The Horned Frogs relied heavily on fifth-year quarterback Jaden Craig’s arm. He completed nine of his 13 passes for 100 yards through the first 15 minutes. He found sophomore wide receiver Ed Small over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown nine minutes into the game to give TCU a 7-0 lead.
Baylor’s offense started to gain its footing in the second quarter as Lagway connected with fifth-year receiver Gavin Freeman four times for 41 yards. The Bears gained 121 yards in the second quarter but had to settle for a pair of field goals from sophomore kicker Rhett Armstrong to make it 7-6.
The defense continued to shine in the second quarter, allowing 56 yards and sacking Craig three times. The defensive line terrorized the Horned Frog backfield with six tackles for loss and only one rushing yard throughout the first half.
The defense still kindled its fire despite trailing throughout the game.
“When they’re in the huddle, they’re saying, ‘This ain’t happening here. Not on our watch,’” Aranda said. “There was a whole bunch of energy that came from the sidelines onto the field in really tough spots.”
Gifford highlighted the first half with an interception off a broken flea-flicker with over two minutes left. His pick gave the Baylor faithful some hope after a lackluster half.
TCU came out of the locker room with a bang. Craig found Dwyer racing downfield for a 67-yard completion on the second play from scrimmage. Senior tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton found himself wide open for a touchdown to increase the Horned Frogs’ advantage to eight.
Both defenses took back control right after the score.
TCU punted twice while Baylor’s offensive woes continued. Lagway threw an interception to lurking senior safety Jamel Johnson after back-to-back punts, sparking boos from around McLane Stadium.
“You have to win, and I understand [the fans’ reactions] when there’s not success,” Aranda said.
While the Bears started the fourth quarter with a three-and-out, they started to feel more momentum as the clock continued to run down.
Baylor ran down the field on a nine-play, 45-yard drive and a 14-play, 54-yard drive but turned the ball over on downs both times to finish the game.
The Bears hit the road to take on Kansas Saturday with kickoff time to be determined at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.
