After Baylor matched its season high with five red-zone touchdowns against Arizona State, the Bears could not cash in when they got close against TCU. Three trips inside the 20 produced only three points in Saturday’s 17-6 loss at McLane Stadium, a sharp reversal that left Baylor empty-handed in the moments that mattered most.
The Bears’ offense never found the same gear it showed two weeks earlier in a 55-point outburst. DJ Lagway was under steady pressure, the run game never got moving and penalties kept knocking Baylor off schedule.
Those problems showed up most clearly when the field shrank. Baylor reached the red zone three times and came away with one field goal, while the other two possessions ended without points.
The first red-zone chance slipped away in the opening quarter. Baylor got to the TCU 18, but a holding penalty and then a sack pushed the Bears backward, and the possession ended with a missed 47-yard field goal. A nearly identical script played out late in the fourth quarter, when a first down at the TCU 18 turned into fourth-and-29 from the 37 after penalties piled up.
Baylor’s ground game never gave the offense a sturdy fallback. The Bears finished with 54 rushing yards on 34 carries, a 1.6-yard average that stood miles away from the 244 yards they piled up on the ground against Arizona State. TCU added more heat by sacking Lagway four times for 29 yards in losses, leaving Baylor with very few clean options once it got into scoring range.
One of the better chances to seize control came midway through the second quarter with Baylor down 7-3. Starting at its own 46, the Bears moved into TCU territory and then got a seven-yard run from Lagway to set up fourth-and-1 at the 20. Dawson Pendergrass pushed through for three yards and a new set of downs at the 17.
But the drive faded from there. Pendergrass picked up two yards on first down, Lagway followed with back-to-back incompletions, and Baylor had to settle for Rhett Armstrong’s 32-yard field goal.
That made it 7-6 with 3:18 left in the half, but it also meant the Bears let a chance to take their first lead get away. TCU stretched the margin to 14-6 just 44 seconds into the third quarter, and Baylor never scored again.
The final red-zone trip late in the fourth quarter summed up the night. Lagway found Louis Brown IV for a 16-yard gain to the TCU 18, but two holding penalties and a false start shoved the Bears all the way back to fourth-and-29. An incomplete pass ended the possession and closed the door.
Baylor now heads to Kansas on Saturday needing a cleaner plan inside the 20. The Bears’ first and final red-zone drives both died because of penalties, and that kind of sloppiness can’t keep showing up if this offense wants to avoid more nights like this one.
Jake Spavital’s offense also has to make life easier on Lagway. The Bears need a steadier running game and quicker throws to avoid getting trapped in long-yardage situations, especially after Lagway went 22 of 53 against TCU. Better down-and-distance situations would give Baylor more room to operate instead of forcing the offense into predictable passing moments.
Baylor goes to Kansas trying to bounce back from its first conference loss, with more difficult opponents still ahead. The Bears will need sharper execution in scoring territory if they want to avoid another wasted opportunity.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda's Game Decisions Put Baylor Fans On Edge Against TCU
A crowded home night in Waco had all the ingredients for a statement game, but Baylors offense never delivered one. The Bears were held without a touchdown for the first time this season in a 17-6 loss to TCU, and the frustration had less to do with effort than with the way the game unfolded. Even as the defense did enough to keep Baylor within reach, the offense looked stuck searching for answers it never really found.
The biggest source of second-guessing came from how Dave Aranda and the staff handled the quarterback situation and the play sheet around DJ Lagway. With Lagways mobility limited, the Bears still leaned on a plan that left fans wondering whether the offense was being put in the best position to respond. In a game where Baylor had a loud home crowd and a defense ready to compete, the lack of offensive flexibility made the loss feel even more jarring. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Volleyball Just Made The Statement Fans Have Been Waiting For
Baylor volleyball walked into Schollmaier Arena and left with the kind of result that can change the tone of a season, sweeping No. 10 TCU in straight sets for its first win over a ranked opponent this year. The Bears have now won three matches in a row and taken nine consecutive sets, a stretch that has started to sharpen the picture of a team that is finding its footing at the right time.
Ksenia Rakhmanchik again gave Baylor the edge at the net, finishing with 23 kills in the win. The Bears are now 12-5 overall and 4-3 in Big 12 play, and with this kind of form building, the next stretch figures to say a lot about how far they can push it. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Faces A Bowl Pressure Test In A True Toss Up
October has brought Baylor right into the kind of game that can shape a season, with Kansas coming in on Oct. 24 still searching for its first Big 12 win and oddsmakers treating this one as just about even. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Jayhawks as a slight underdog at +1.5, and the 53.5-point total suggests a matchup that could tilt either way if one offense finds rhythm early.
For Baylor, the concern is less about who is favored and more about whether the Bears can steady a stretch marked by inconsistent quarterback play and uneven execution. With both teams carrying the feel of a true toss-up, this has the look of a game where patience, field position and a few clean drives could matter as much as talent, which is exactly the kind of pressure test that can linger into the rest of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]