TCU’s offense keeps coming back to the same ugly number: 13.
That’s the most the Frogs have scored in any of their three Power Four games so far, and the ceiling has been even lower in the two Big 12 contests. They put up 10 against North Carolina, 13 against UCF and 10 against BYU, a stretch that has left a lot of room for questions and not many easy answers.
At 2-3 overall and 0-2 in league play, TCU is headed to Baylor needing something different from an offense that was supposed to carry more punch this season. A big part of the hope entering the year centered on Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, but five games in, neither he nor the unit around him has consistently delivered on those expectations.
The fixes start with giving Craig quicker answers. Short throws can help him find a rhythm, keep him from holding the ball too long and let receivers create after the catch.
The deep ball still has to be in the mix, but it can’t be the whole plan. Those shots need protection, and they should come off a passing game that is already functioning underneath.
That protection has been a problem. Craig was sacked four times against UCF and four more times against BYU, and the line has to give him more time to go through his reads. Craig also has to make faster decisions when the blocking does hold up.
Once TCU does string together a quick dropback and a clean completion, the offense has to build on it. Not every snap needs to be explosive for a drive to stay alive.
The receiving group also has to do more. With Jordan Dwyer unavailable early in the season, the Frogs needed other targets to step forward, and Kari Ashley, Ed Small and Jeremy Scott have all shown they can be part of the answer. Against UCF, Dwyer hauled in a 43-yard catch and Scott added a 37-yard reception, a reminder of what’s available when Craig lets it rip downfield.
Dwyer should get more chances to work one-on-one, and Scott’s speed deserves opportunities, too. That doesn’t mean forcing risky throws into bad looks.
It means recognizing favorable matchups and taking them when they’re there. And if the defense has to respect a real threat over the top, that opens up more room underneath for the tight ends and running backs.
Ashley has already been one of the steadier pieces. He needs to stay in the mix, and if there’s one connection worth building around, it’s the one Craig has developed with him.
The ground game, meanwhile, has been hard to trust. Offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis came in with a reputation that suggested better things might be ahead on that front, but through TCU’s first two conference games, production has been scarce.
Against UCF and BYU, the Frogs ran for just 105 yards on 57 carries, which works out to 1.8 yards per attempt. That total includes the yardage lost on eight sacks, a number that underlines how both the run game and the pass protection have dragged the offense down. Even taking those sacks out, TCU is still averaging only 3.2 yards per rushing attempt in Big 12 play.
Whether the issue starts with scheme, blocking or the backs themselves, the results have to improve. Stretch plays haven’t consistently gone anywhere, and there are times when the Frogs should lean into runs with a pulling tackle or tight end leading the way for Jeremy Payne and the other backs.
But there’s a line between staying committed to the run and staying stubborn. TCU needs to be honest about which calls are helping and which ones are putting the offense behind the chains.
One drive against UCF showed the problem clearly. The Frogs got all the way to the UCF 15 in the third quarter, then a false start, a holding penalty and a sack pushed them backward.
On second-and-31 from the UCF 36, Payne got the ball for a two-yard gain. A short completion followed, and TCU settled for a field goal that trimmed the lead to 14-13.
By that point, the series had already fallen apart, and the run wasn’t going to rescue it. It became an attempt to salvage points rather than finish a scoring chance.
That sort of sequence has defined too much of the season so far. The bigger issue isn’t just one drive or one position group; it’s that TCU keeps turning manageable possessions into harder ones.
Craig has thrown two interceptions against UCF and another against BYU, and protecting the ball has to be part of any real offensive turnaround. So do penalties.
When an offense is already struggling to move the sticks, every extra flag makes the job tougher.
TCU doesn’t need perfection. It just needs to stop getting in its own way.
Cleaner protection, faster decisions and fewer mistakes would give the playmakers more chances to matter. The Frogs head to Waco with a chance to show the bye week helped, but Baylor is going to test them. TCU needs an offensive plan it can actually run with consistency.
In Other News...
Sonny Dykes Just Put TCU's Biggest Baylor Week Concerns In Focus
With Baylor coming up next, Sonny Dykes used his media availability to sketch out where TCU stands after the bye week and what the Horned Frogs still want cleaned up. He was joined by Jamel Johnson and Jeremy Payne, and the conversation touched on the teams progress, the offensive direction the staff wants to keep pushing, and the challenge Baylors offense presents as the rivalry game draws closer.
Dykes also spent time on individual performances and the general confidence level around the program, which has been a useful theme for TCU as it turns the page from the break to game week. What he would not do, at least publicly, was spell out every detail of the staffs self-scouting from the bye or get too specific about the receiver room picture, leaving a couple of the most interesting personnel questions still hanging as the Frogs move into one of their most watched weeks of the season. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Comes Out Of The Bye Facing A Big 12 Gut Check
Baylors visit with TCU arrives with both teams rested and plenty on the line, but the tenor is different on each sideline. The Bears are trying to keep their conference start clean after a strong opening stretch, while the Horned Frogs are looking to steady themselves after a shaky first month and make the most of a bye week that gave them time to reset. It has the feel of a true early Big 12 measuring stick, with one team trying to protect momentum and the other trying to get back on track before the league race starts to tilt.
For TCU, the matchup carries extra weight because the Frogs need a sharper showing against a Baylor team that has looked comfortable in recent weeks. Coaches on both sides have already addressed their teams' performances and the challenge ahead, and the setup suggests a game that will say plenty about where TCU stands after its open week. A win would help change the tone quickly; another stumble would only deepen the questions heading into the heart of conference play. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Has Every Reason To Take This Baylor Rivalry Personally
TCU is getting ready for a rivalry game that has already carried a different kind of edge inside the building. Players have made it clear this one means more than the usual Big 12 week, with the Bluebonnet Battle trophy in play and both teams bringing defenses that can make every snap feel like it matters. For a roster that includes several transfers, the matchup has also become a chance to prove they understand what this game means to the people around the program.
The Horned Frogs know Baylor has had the upper hand recently, and that alone gives this meeting a sharper tone than most. There is a sense of unfinished business in the way TCU is talking about the game, along with a quiet confidence that contributions can come from all over the lineup when the moment arrives. Against a rival like this, even the subplots feel personal, and the Frogs seem intent on treating it that way. [Read more 🡒]