The TCU Horned Frogs played their best defensive game of the season, holding the Baylor Bears without a regulation touchdown, but lost in triple overtime 29-23 in Fort Worth on Saturday.
Baylor knocked through a 51-yard field goal with less than a minute left to send the game to overtime at 9-9. The Bears had the Horned Frogs down to a fourth-and-9 from the 24 in the first overtime, but Max Duggan found Te’Vailance Hunt in the corner of the end zone for a circus catch that was ruled a touchdown after review. Baylor then had its own fourth-and-long score in double overtime to send the game to a third overtime. The Frogs had first and goal from the 2, but a holding penalty set them back and they couldn’t score.
TCU (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) had won four straight against Baylor entering the game.
Here are five things you need to know from the loss.
Freshmen deliver on defense
The Horned Frogs shook up their defensive depth chart against Baylor. Two true freshmen, cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and defensive end Colt Ellison, earned their first start against the Bears. Redshirt freshman Ochaun Mathis has started at defensive end all season and had yet to have a real impact. That changed against Baylor, as Mathis had four tackles (two for a loss) and a sack in the first quarter, and finished with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Ellison and Hodges-Tomlinson were the fourth and fifth true freshmen to start a game for the Horned Frogs this year, joining linebackers Wyatt Harris and Dee Winters and cornerback Kee’yon Stewart. TCU hasn’t had the success it was hoping for this year, but several young Frogs have been able to earn valuable experience this year, especially on defense. That’s something to look forward to on down the road.
Keep it in front
The freshmen weren’t the only defensive players to shine against Baylor. TCU held Bears quarterback Charlie Brewer -- who entered the game averaging the ninth-most passing yards per game in the country -- to just 127 yards and 5.8 yards per completion in regulation. Baylor rarely challenged TCU deep, and when Brewer did throw long, he was picked off by sophomore La’Kendrick Van Zandt.
Instead, Baylor’s offense looked a lot like TCU’s. The Bears ran shallow routes and threw short of the sticks often on third down. The Horned Frog defenders did an excellent job of wrapping up in the open field and not allowing Baylor players to break free for big gains. The run game was almost non-existent -- Baylor finished with 77 yards on 27 attempts in regulation, an average of 2.9 yards per carry.
After allowing 34 points to Oklahoma State last week, this was a major step up for the TCU defense. Baylor came in as one of the most explosive teams in the nation, but the Bears had just one play over 20 yards against TCU. The defense wasn’t the reason TCU lost this game.
Duggan limited in effectiveness
Duggan wasn’t fully healthy in this game. An injury to the middle finger of his throwing hand cast doubt on his ability to play, but he took every snap for the Horned Frogs. He acted as a game-manager against the Bears and didn’t sling the ball around like he did in the previous two weeks.
Against Oklahoma State last week, Duggan took too many risks. He heaved the ball downfield to nobody in particular and threw three interceptions. Duggan threw two picks Saturday against Baylor, but neither were terrible decisions. He didn’t see a linebacker while rolling out right in the first half, and he had a ball bounce off Olonilua’s hands straight into a Baylor defender late in the third quarter. Duggan also had a surefire touchdown dropped by Pro Wells and another potential scoring pass dropped by Jalen Reagor. And in the first overtime, his fourth down pass to Te’Vailance Hunt was perfectly placed in the corner of the end zone, allowing the Frogs to tie the game up. And in the third overtime, his scramble on third down was nearly good for a touchdown and put TCU in a position to score.
Nobody’s going to argue that Duggan had a great game, or even a good one. He played okay, and if a couple of drops had gone the other way, the Frogs might’ve won in regulation. But TCU’s offense was limited today, and the conservative passing game was a big reason way.
Special teams success
The only points in this game in regulation came from kickers. Griffin Kell got the scoring started with a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Jonathan Song added kicks of 37 and 31 yards in the second quarter. Song, a senior, has missed just one field goal all year and is 33-34 in his career in attempts 40 yards and in. Kell, a freshman, is 3-4 this season and has emerged as TCU’s long-range kicker.
TCU’s punting game was also improved from last week. Jordy Sandy punted six times for an average of 41.3 yards, while Baylor mustered an average of 36.8 yards on five punts. The field position battle was important -- especially in a game filled with field goals -- and Sandy helped give the Frogs a chance to win.
Roller-coaster ride
TCU’s season has been a tough one to understand. The Horned Frogs dropped games to Iowa State and Kansas State, then turned around and looked great on offense while beating Texas. The next week they gave up big play after big play to Oklahoma State in a loss, then took an undefeated Baylor team to three overtimes in a defensive slugfest.
Injuries and lineup changes have turned 2019 into a disappointing season for TCU. Beating Baylor would’ve meant the Frogs needed just one more win to reach a bowl game, which Patterson and his players continue to stress as vitally important. Instead, TCU needs two wins out of games against West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.