TCU is going to have to deal with a different kind of problem Saturday night in Waco.
Baylor’s offense has plenty of moving parts, but the guy driving the whole thing right now is senior slot receiver Gavin Freeman. The Horned Frogs will see him at 6 p.m. when they face the Bears at Baylor, and he brings a challenge that doesn’t look much like the outside receivers TCU has already spent time on this season.
Freeman, an Oklahoma State transfer, is on track to post career bests just about across the board. He has 42 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns, and he ranks tied for sixth nationally in receptions while sitting second in the Big 12 in receiving yards. He’s also been far and away Baylor’s most frequent target; no other Bear has more than 15 receptions.
That matters because Freeman isn’t operating in the same lane as some of the other wideouts TCU has faced. North Carolina’s Jordan Shipp and BYU freshman standout Legend Glasker both forced attention this season, and both have all-conference caliber in their game.
But they do most of their damage outside. Freeman lives in the slot, and that changes the math for a defense.
“It’s harder. When you’re dealing with an outside guy, you can disrupt his timing a little bit more than you can the inside guys,” TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said.
“I think when you look at the Baylor’s inside receivers, to me, that’s what they’re really good at when they get a lot of free access. The timing, they’re all on the same page as the quarterback.”
That’s the headache for the Horned Frogs. Slot receivers are already built to create problems because they’re tougher to jam at the line, and TCU sophomore Ed Small is one example of how that position can live in space and make defenses choose their poison.
Freeman, though, adds another layer. He’s quick and elusive like plenty of slot receivers, but he also threatens deep.
HUDL IQ shows fly and post routes make up nearly a quarter of his route tree this season, which is not the normal profile for an inside target who mostly works underneath. He can hit the defense where it’s soft, but he can also rip the top off it.
That vertical element fits neatly with Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, whose high school profile was built in part on his arm talent. Whenever Freeman has played with Lagway, he’s gone over 100 receiving yards. That includes 145 yards against Auburn and 115 against Arizona State.
For TCU, the task is simple in theory and tough in practice: break that connection.
“That’s what’s been tough [guarding slots], you can get a rhythm throw because you don’t get a route disrupted,” Dykes said. “And again to me that is the biggest jump Baylor’s made, it’s just been their ability to consistently make those rhythm throws, and those guys are really productive.”
If the Horned Frogs are going to slow Freeman down, the burden likely falls on the nickel and free safety spots. TCU has already had some trouble in the middle of its secondary earlier in the season, though there are signs the unit may be settling in after holding BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier to 62 passing yards.
At nickel, sophomore Julius Simms and Kylin Jackson have both had their issues. Simms is allowing a 55.6% completion success rate when targeted in coverage.
Jackson has fared worse in one sense, with quarterbacks completing 100% of their throws his way, though some of those have come on RPOs or screens. Those types of plays have helped keep his offensive success rate against at 50%, and he’s been better closer to the line of scrimmage.
Free safety could be another key piece. Jordan Lester and Devyn Hidrogo have shown improvement over the past few weeks, and that could help TCU try to bracket Freeman when Baylor pushes him vertically.
The numbers say Freeman is going to touch the ball. He has turned 63.2% of his targets into successful plays for Baylor and has caught nearly 75% of the passes thrown his way. That kind of production is baked into the Bears’ offense at this point.
So the goal for TCU isn’t necessarily to erase him. It’s to keep him from steering everything Baylor does. If the Frogs can do that, they may be able to knock the Bears out of rhythm and take a real step toward snapping Baylor’s four-game winning streak.
In Other News...
TCU Has Every Reason To Take This Baylor Rivalry Personally
TCU is heading into its annual matchup with Baylor with a little extra edge, and not just because it is a rivalry game. Several Horned Frogs have talked about how much this one means inside the building, from the program pride to the personal motivation that comes with facing a familiar opponent. With both defenses bringing strength to the table, this shapes up as the kind of game that tends to be decided by who handles the pressure better and who can make the bigger plays when the margin gets tight.
The Frogs also have reason to see this week as a chance to make a statement beyond the usual bragging rights. Transfers and returning players alike have said they are ready to contribute, which only adds to the sense that TCU views this as more than another stop on the schedule. For a team looking to protect its own momentum and add another meaningful chapter to the rivalry, the stakes feel especially personal even before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Just Put TCU's Biggest Baylor Week Concerns In Focus
Sonny Dykes spent the lead-up to Baylor week doing what head coaches usually do in a bye, sorting through what needed cleaning up and what could carry over. In a media session with Jamel Johnson and Jeremy Payne, the TCU coach touched on the Horned Frogs' progress during the break, the offense's goals, and what he saw from Baylor's attack, while also offering a few individual observations that suggested the team is heading into the rivalry game with some confidence.
Still, the most interesting part of the discussion was what Dykes left just below the surface. He pointed to the bye week as a useful chance to evaluate the roster and make adjustments, but kept the specifics close to the vest, even as questions lingered around the receiver room and how the Frogs will manage those roles against Baylor. For a TCU team trying to turn a week off into a real edge, the answers may matter as much as the questions. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Comes Out Of The Bye Facing A Big 12 Gut Check
The bye week did not arrive at a great moment for TCU, which now heads into a road trip to Baylor trying to steady itself after back-to-back losses. The Horned Frogs are 2-3 overall and looking for a sharper start to Big 12 play, while Baylor has been one of the leagues cleaner early stories at 4-1 and has already built momentum behind a strong run through September.
For TCU, this feels like an early-season measuring stick as much as a rivalry game. Both teams had time to reset, and both coaching staffs have spent the week talking through what they want to see on Saturday, but the pressure sits differently on each sideline. Baylor gets the chance to keep rolling at home and protect its place near the top of the conference race, while TCU is trying to make sure a difficult opening stretch does not become a more lasting problem. [Read more 🡒]