TCU Football: What Did We Learn From The Baylor Game

The Horned Frogs defeated their rivals Baylor 42-17, finally looking like the team many thought they could be this year. Breaking down the negative and positive takeaways of the game.

I said it in last week's article and will repeat it. The season has been salvaged! Yes, it sucks to be at risk of missing a bowl game after a national championship appearance, but the season has not been a waste. If TCU fans were told they would go 2-10, but the two wins came from SMU and Baylor, while most fans would be upset, they would still take it. While the game ended with a TCU Horned Frogs victory, there were still some negatives and positives to be taken away, and that is precisely what I will be breaking down.  

New TCU helmets unveiled for the Baylor game :: Brian McClean On Assignment/KillerFrogs

The Negatives

Kendall Briles

Here I go again, yet it sounds like a broken record. Yes, the Horned Frogs scored 42 points, and the offense seemed to be churning along just fine; the problem is the red zone effectiveness has just been all season. On the second offensive possession of the game for TCU, the Frogs found themselves in a fourth-and-one situation within the ten-yard line, and what does Briles call? A reverse. When the team only needed one yard, he called a reversal. This seems to be the theme this season. Briles will call a great game between the 20s, but in the red zone, the playbook seems to become too "flashy" rather than the straightforward plays that worked and got them there. 

Where has this team been all season?

Josh Newton put it best when speaking to the media, saying the last six quarters have been eye-opening for the team, wondering where this group has been all season. Fans have been echoing this same question since the end of the game. This is the team many expected to show up this season, and now it just leaves you wondering what could have been had this been the team playing since the first snap. 

The Positives

Josh Hoover

It has been a rollercoaster of starts for Hoover the last few weeks, and that is to be expected with a quarterback getting his first few starts, but he has developed and played stellar football the past two weeks. The most impressive part of his performance against Baylor was that he did not turn the ball over once, the first game he has gone without a turnover all season. The future is bright for him, and with an entire off-season, he can elevate his game to a top level. 

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The Horned Frogs still have the chance to make a bowl game, with their last game of the season being played on Friday against the Oklahoma Sooners. Nothing would be better than OU losing their last Big 12 conference game, making TCU bowl-eligible. 

TCU Wins First Bluebonnet Battle 42-17 Over Baylor

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