Jaden Craig’s day in Waco looked like the kind of performance TCU has been waiting for from its Harvard transfer quarterback. After an uneven first half of the season that included struggles against North Carolina, a sharp stretch against Grambling State and Arkansas State, and then a dip again versus UCF and BYU, Craig showed up against Baylor and looked far closer to the player the Horned Frogs expected.
The biggest change was clear from the opening snaps: TCU came out determined to put the ball in the hands of its playmakers. Wide receiver Jordan Dwyer, who had been held without a catch against BYU, was a central part of that plan.
Craig targeted him three times on TCU’s first drive, and Dwyer turned those chances into two catches for 20 yards. On the next possession, Craig hit Dwyer twice again, and just how open the receiver was made the intent obvious.
That second drive covered nine plays, took 3:20 off the clock and ended with Ed Small hauling in a 25-yard touchdown for the first score of the game. Craig had time to let the route develop, sitting calmly in a clean pocket as Small worked open on a crossing route. That kind of protection wasn’t a constant for TCU all afternoon, but on that snap, the Frogs gave their quarterback exactly what he needed.
The other major shift was how willing TCU was to push the ball downfield. Craig connected with both Small and Dwyer on deeper throws, and the offense looked less boxed in than it had at times earlier in the season.
Instead of feeling stuck in a self-contained approach that leaned too hard on the run game and asked Craig to fit perfect throws over the middle, the Frogs after the bye appeared ready to attack one-on-one coverage and, at times, even challenge double coverage. Dwyer benefited from that mindset and, as the game went on, continued to make his presence felt.
The aggressive approach opened the door to explosive plays, but it also came with risk. With TCU leading 7-6 and coming off a long completion to Small, the Frogs had set themselves up for another chance to score.
Instead, they reached for a reverse flea-flicker, Baylor’s pressure got to Craig and the play ended in an interception. It was a costly decision, especially because the Frogs were already in control of the moment and didn’t need to get fancy.
Even so, Craig didn’t let the mistake snowball. The interception could have knocked him off rhythm, but he came back and finished the game without another one.
That mattered, because the overall shape of the offense changed once TCU let him operate more freely. The quarterback was given room to throw deep, which stretched the field and, in turn, helped the run game have at least some structure behind it.
That run game had to adjust, too, with Jeremy Payne getting only one carry on TCU’s opening drive. In his place, the Frogs needed someone else to help control the clock and keep the offense moving.
The transfer from the Colorado School of Mines answered that call, posting 36 yards on six carries. He didn’t break anything wide open, but he gave TCU steady production when it needed someone to grind out yards.
Another wrinkle came in the form of Kari Ashley in the Wildcat. Sonny Dykes said the move was about getting one of the team’s best weapons involved:
“Just trying to find ways to be creative; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I mean, when you have a guy that you think's a unique or special player, you have to feature him. You've got to find ways to get the football and let him be a good player.”
In short-yardage situations, that look can be dangerous, and Ashley gives TCU a versatile option with the kind of athleticism to make it work. It also adds another layer to a tight end room that keeps finding ways to matter.
With West Virginia up next, the question is whether TCU carries any of these ideas forward. If the Frogs want to keep winning, the offense will need another outing like the one it put together in Waco.
In Other News...
Baylor Has A Special Teams Weapon Getting National Attention
A Baylor special teams standout is drawing national notice in a place teams usually hope never to think about much: the punters role. Senior Palmer Williams has been named to The Sporting News Midseason All-America Second Team, another sign that his leg has become one of the more reliable weapons in the country and a steady asset for the Bears as they move through the season.
Williams is currently leading the nation with a 51.4-yard punting average and is on pace to top the Big 12 for the third straight season, which helps explain why he has already picked up multiple preseason All-America honors and landed among the finalists for the Ray Guy Award. For Baylor, having that kind of field-position edge matters in tight games, and Williams keeps giving the Bears something every opponent has to account for. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Heads To Baylor With One Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Kansas is heading into its Big 12 matchup at Baylor still trying to clean up the issues that showed up in its loss to Kansas State, where Lance Leipold pointed to a lack of physicality and too many missed tackles. The Jayhawks were gashed for 359 rushing yards and never found much rhythm offensively, which makes this trip even more important as they try to steady things against another conference opponent.
Baylor arrives with some questions of its own after a loss to TCU, and the Bears have had their own offensive line concerns to sort through. For both teams, this is more than just another league game on the calendar. It is a chance to show whether the problems from last week were a one-game setback or something deeper that still needs fixing. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Pitre Update Gives Baylor Fans A Reason To Exhale
Baylors NFL contingent had a mixed Week Six, with several former Bears dealing with the usual wear and tear of a long season while still finding ways to make an impact. The cleanest update came on Jalen Pitre, who came away with a non-severe AC joint and shoulder injury and is expected back soon, which should ease any concern for Baylor fans tracking the health of one of the programs most reliable pros.
There was less encouraging news elsewhere, though, as Tyquan Thornton remains sidelined after ankle surgery. Even so, Baylor alums continued to show up around the league, with Josh Cameron, Terrel Bernard, James Lynch, Ross Mastick and Jon Weeks all turning in notable contributions or steady work in their respective games, a reminder that the Bears NFL pipeline still has plenty of life in it. [Read more 🡒]