TCU’s trip into a bye week comes with a familiar offensive headache and one encouraging sign on the other side of the ball.
The Horned Frogs dropped a tight one at home to No. 10 BYU, losing 10-7 and slipping to 2-3 after a game that was tied at halftime but never quite found a rhythm for TCU’s offense. The result left the Frogs with another frustrating night of stop-and-start football, while the defense did enough to give them a real shot.
The offense, though, never settled in. TCU pieced together a few decent drives, but they were followed by empty possessions that kept undercutting any momentum. The longest series of the night lasted just eight plays, and that kind of inconsistency hung over the whole game.
One sequence in the third quarter summed it up. After BYU went ahead 10-7 on a field goal, TCU answered with three straight rushing attempts, but Jon Denman was in the backfield instead of Jeremy Payne. That stood out because Payne had been producing before that point, averaging seven yards per carry and going 8 for 56 on the night.
The lack of a real vertical threat also showed up. Before TCU fell behind by 10, it had only taken two shots of 20 yards or more, and one of those ended up being the team’s lone touchdown. By the start of the fourth quarter, the average depth of target sat at 6.5 yards, a number that wasn’t enough to stress the BYU defense.
There were explosive moments, but not nearly enough of them.
If the offense was uneven, the defense was the clear bright spot. Andy Avalos had his unit ready, and BYU’s backfield tandem of Bear Bachmeier and L.J.
Martin never really took over the way the Cougars hoped. Martin left with an injury, but even before that, BYU averaged just 4.4 yards per carry in the first half.
Bachmeier, meanwhile, threw for only 31 yards.
TCU’s secondary played at a high level, and the defensive front turned in what was easily its best showing of the season. Given how up and down that group has been, this was the kind of performance that can change how the rest of the schedule looks if it shows up again.
For now, though, the bye week arrives with the same basic question still hanging over the Frogs: how do they get the offense to match a defense that just proved it can carry its weight?
In Other News...
BYU Won At TCU But A Bigger Concern Just Took Over
BYU left Fort Worth with a win, but the bigger takeaway from the 17-10 victory at TCU was how hard the Cougars had to work for every yard. The offense never really found its rhythm, finishing with just 216 yards while dealing with injuries to key players, and for long stretches it was the defense that kept BYU in control.
Bear Bachmeiers late touchdown run supplied the margin, but the performance also raised a broader question about how close this team is to the level it expected to reach before the season. A road win in the Big 12 is never easy, yet BYU will likely need a cleaner showing on offense if it wants to keep pace with those preseason expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Said What BYU Keeps Doing Is A Real Problem
TCU came away from its 17-10 loss to BYU with plenty to feel good about on defense, but not nearly enough on the scoreboard. The Horned Frogs held the Cougars to 17 points and just 62 passing yards, yet still dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013 because the offense could only manage one touchdown.
Sonny Dykes pointed to the obvious issue afterward: the Horned Frogs have to be better on offense if they want to get out of the early hole. He also gave BYU credit for the way Bear Bachmeier helped move the ball on the ground, another reminder that the Cougars keep finding ways to stress opponents even when the passing game is limited. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Gritty TCU Win Changed The Ceiling Debate
BYUs rain-soaked win at TCU did more than add another road victory to the ledger. It offered a reminder of how much the Cougars can lean on defense and discipline when the conditions get ugly, and it came in Fort Worth, where they had not won since 2006. With several players banged up along the way, BYU still found a way to keep the Horned Frogs from settling in, thanks in part to a defense that made life difficult up front and a game plan that stayed patient even when the offense never looked especially clean.
Bear Bachmeiers passing day was not the sort that changes anyones mind on its own, but BYU did not need fireworks to leave Texas with a result that mattered. The four sacks were a big part of the story, and so was the willingness to stick with a conservative approach in a game where field position and toughness mattered more than style points. For a team that has spent part of the season fighting the ceiling debate, this was the kind of win that forces a more serious conversation about how high the Cougars can climb. [Read more 🡒]