TCU Dominates Baylor, 42-17 (Overview, Game Photos); Frogs at Oklahoma on Black Friday

 

TCU beat Baylor 42-17 on Saturday, November 18, in Amon G. Carter Stadium. It was the 119th football game between the two teams but the first of the newly named "Bluebonnet Battle."

Highlights: here  

Final Stats: here

TCU head coach Sonny Dykes discusses the win: here

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover discusses the win: here

TCU tight end Jared Wiley discusses the win: here

TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge discusses the win: here

TCU linebacker Shad Banke discusses the win: here

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda discusses the loss: here

Article and Photos by Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

Horned Frogs evidently like Bluebonnets.

How else do you explain TCU playing perhaps its best game of the 2023 football season on Saturday, November 18, to beat Baylor 42-17, before 42,621 fans in Amon G. Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth, Texas, and claim the highly anticipated inaugural “Bluebonnet Battle” between the two bitter rivals?

Well, in addition to the allure of Bluebonnets, which, of course, are the state flower of Texas, there were the stellar performances of TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and TCU tight end Jared Wiley.

And, of course, the Frogs were playing the Bears, which not only are one of the Big 12’s and college football’s worst teams this season, but a team which the Frogs have dominated for nearly the past three decades.

The two private schools have the longest-standing college football rivalry in the state of Texas.

This was the 119th meeting between the two private schools that are located only 90 miles apart, with Baylor being in Waco, the once hometown of TCU, before a fire caused the young university to relocate to Fort Worth in 1910.

With the victory, TCU now leads the series 59-53-7.

TCU has won eight of the last nine games against Baylor and is 12-4 against the Bears since the Southwest Conference dissolved after the 1995 season, including a 9-3 mark in Big 12 play (4-2 in Fort Worth and 5-1 in Waco) since 2012.

With the win, TCU snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-6 (3-5 Big 12) for the 2023 season. Over their past 14 games, the Frogs are 6-8.

“It feels good to get a win, it's been a while it seems like, and I'm proud of our guys,” said TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes. “We never punted, we moved the ball well the entire game. We were 9-of-11 on third downs. I thought we executed well and the precision was there."

For the 2023 season, Baylor dropped to 3-8 (2-6 Big 12).

“I'm disappointed, frustrated, upset,” said Baylor head football coach Dave Aranda. “The inability to stop them on third downs opened up a bunch of problems for us and it's very hurtful. That was kind of the story of the game.”

In other Big 12 Conference games played on Saturday November 18:

• Texas (10-1, 7-1) outlasted Iowa State (6-5, 5-3) 26-16
• Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2) edged BYU (5-6, 2-6)  31-24
• West Virginia (7-4, 5-3) drubbed Cincinnati (3-8, 1-7)  42-21
• Oklahoma State (8-3, 6-2) overwhelmed Houston (4-7, 2-6)  43-30
• Texas Tech (6-5, 5-3) escaped UCF (5-6, 2-6) 24-23
• Kansas State (8-3, 6-2) topped Kansas (7-4, 4-4)  31-27

Hoover, a redshirt freshman, and Wiley, a senior, led the Frogs’ dominating victory over Baylor.

This was Hoover’s fifth game as the Frogs’ starting quarterback. He took over the role against BYU, on October 14, after then-starting quarterback Chandler Morris suffered a knee injury in the previous game, a 27-14 loss to Iowa State.

Hoover now is 2-3 as a starter. Previously under his leadership, the Frogs beat BYU and lost to Kansas State, Texas Tech and Texas.

Against the overmatched Bears, Hoover completed 24-of-29 passes for 412 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first eight passes in a row, completed passes to 10 different receivers, was not intercepted and was sacked only once. He also had a three-yard touchdown run, the first of his career.

Hoover became the second Power 5 quarterback (C.J. Stroud, Ohio State) since 2019 to pass for at least 400 yards in two of his opening five starts (Hoover threw for 439 yards against BYU in his first career start). He is the first from the Big 12 to accomplish the feat since 2019.

Hoover’s 82.8 completion percentage (24-of-29) ranks sixth for a game in TCU history.

Wiley was one of 22 seniors listed on TCU’s 2023 football roster who ended their home collegiate football careers against the Bears. Wiley made the most of the occasion, with a career day.

The two-year Frog, who transferred into the TCU program from the University of Texas prior to the 2022 season, caught seven passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard catch-and-run score.

Wiley’s 178 receiving yards broke a TCU tight end record. The 178 receiving yards were the most by a Big 12 tight end since at least 1996 and the highest total in a game nationally this season by a player at that position.

Wiley’s seven receptions were a career high. The two touchdowns tied a personal-best.

Wiley's 81-yard touchdown catch was the longest reception of his career, surpassing his previous best of 52 yards against TCU while playing for Texas in 2020.

The 81-yard scoring play was the Horned Frogs' longest pass play since Kenny Hill connected with Jalen Reagor on a 93-yard scoring strike in TCU’s 2017 Alamo Bowl win over Stanford. 

Wiley’s performance earned him Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. He also was named the Reese's Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week, and the East-West Shrine Bowl's Texas Star of the Week.

Wiley’s 81-yard touchdown reception came in the second quarter and enabled the Frogs to take a 14-10 halftime lead over the Bears, who after scoring the game’s first touchdown late in the first quarter never led again.

"This is the type of game that I've known for five years that I am capable of having,” said Wiley. “I can't thank Coach (Kendal) Briles and Josh (Hoover) and everyone else who has been a part of this journey enough for allowing me to display that in this game."

The three touchdowns for which Hoover and Wiley accounted were more than enough for the Frogs, but they added three others, all on runs.

Running back Emani Bailey scored on runs of 27 yards and 31 yards, to give him a team-best seven rushing touchdowns on the season.

Bailey, who is the Frogs’ leading rusher for the season, gained 78 yards on 16 carries against the Bears, but he also was tackled for losses totaling 25 yards, so he only netted 53 rushing yards.

Running back Trey Sanders had a two-yard touchdown run, his sixth rushing score of the year.

Trailing Wiley’s seven receptions were wide receiver JP Richardson’s six receptions, totaling 42 yards. The catches equaled Richardson’s most as a Horned Frog and were one shy of a career-best seven while playing for Oklahoma State against Texas last season.

Richardson has a catch in 26 consecutive games, which is the longest streak on the team. It covers 11 games at TCU and his final 15 at Oklahoma State.

Against Baylor, Richardson also had a career-long 21-yard punt return.

In the fourth quarter, Morris made his first appearance in a game since suffering his knee injury. He completed two-of-four passes for 19 yards.

Defensively, TCU held Baylor to 347 total yards; 199 passing yards, 148 rushing yards.

The Bears were five-of-14 on third-down plays and two-of-six on fourth-down plays.

Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen completed 20-of-30 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown, a two-yarder in the third quarter, which ended Baylor’s scoring. He was not intercepted. He was sacked once.

Dominic Richardson was the Bear’s leading rusher, with 66 net yards on 17 carries. He caught Shapen’s lone touchdown pass, a 10-yarder that began Baylor’s scoring in the game.

Baylor’s leading receiver was tight end Drake Dabney. He caught four passes for 77 yards, including a long pass of 48 yards.

Baylor placekicker Isaiah Hankins kicked a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Linebacker Shad Banks Jr. led TCU’s defensive efforts against the Bears. He had a team-best eight tackles, including two for loss.

Senior linebacker Jamoi Hodge and defensive lineman Micheal Ibukun-Okeyode combined on a tackle for a five-yard loss on a Baylor fourth-and-three rush attempt at the TCU eight-yard line. Ibukun-Okeyode finished with 1.5 tackles for loss.

Defensive lineman Damonic Williams had a sack to give him three on the season, which ties for second on the Horned Frogs.

Defensive lineman Caleb Fox’s five tackles were his most as a Horned Frog and one shy of a career-high six when playing for Stephen F. Austin.

Oh, yeah, about those Bluebonnets that the Horned Frogs won by defeating Baylor.

The Bluebonnet Battle was an agreed-upon name beginning this season for the football rivalry between the two schools after a months-long initiative led by and formalized through the passage of a resolution by the student government legislatures of both schools.

The name was selected to pay homage to the state of Texas and the prairies in which both schools reside.

The winner of each year’s Bluebonnet Battle receives a trophy in the shape of a circular battle shield, hand-forged in steel by Baylor alumnus Bryant Stanton of Stanton Studios in Waco, Texas.

The face of the shield features: the logos of both universities; an outline of the state of Texas adorned with bluebonnets on each side and displaying the rivalry’s official name; and the year 1899, when Baylor and TCU first met on the gridiron.

The trophy is two-and-a-half feet wide and rests in a mesquite wooden base, embellished with the lone star of Texas.

The inaugural Bluebonnet Battle trophy now rightfully resides at TCU.

The Frogs will not be playing for a trophy in their 2023 regular-season finale against 13th-ranked University of Oklahoma; however, TCU will be striving for a sixth win and bowl-game eligibility.

A loss to the Sooners will end TCU’s season.

"Nobody in this locker room is ready for this season to be over,” said Wiley. “Nobody wants it to end.”

There are 22 seniors listed on TCU’s 2023 football roster. The group’s lone postseason appearance, thus far, came last year, when TCU, of course, made the College Football Playoffs and advanced to the 2023 National Championship Game.

Since the College Football Playoff started in 2014, only two teams have made the playoff one year and missed a bowl game the next season.

One instance was in 2020, when LSU went 5-5 during the COVID-impacted season.

The other time was 2016, when Michigan State went 3-9, after going 12-2 the previous season.

The last team to play for a national championship one season and fail to qualify for a bowl game the next season was Texas.

The Longhorns played for a national BCS championship for the 2009 season, losing to Alabama, 37-21, in the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010.

For the 2010 season, the ‘Horns went 5-7 and did not qualify for a bowl game.

Kickoff against OU is scheduled for 11 am (Central) on Black Friday, November 24, in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, in Norman, Oklahoma. Fox will televise the game.

With Oklahoma moving from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) after this season, Friday's contest will be the last football game between the Sooners and Horned Frogs for the foreseeable future.

Brent Venables is in his second year as Oklahoma’s head football coach.

A former 13-year University of Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson University during a 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Venables was named OU's 23rd head football coach on December 5, 2021, replacing Lincoln Riley, who left the Sooners for the head football coaching position at USC.

In 2022, Venables led Oklahoma to 6-6 regular season record and a 3-6 Big 12 Conference record. The Sooners wound up 6-7 after losing the Cheez-It Bowl to Florida State, 35-32.

This season, the Sooners are 9-2 overall, 6-2 in the Big 12.

Oklahoma has beaten: Arkansas State, 73-0, in Norman; SMU, 28-11, in Norman; Tulsa, 66-17, in Tulsa; Cincinnati, 20-6, in Cincinnati; Iowa State, 50-20, in Norman; Texas, 34-30, in Dallas; and West Virginia, 59-20, in Norman; and BYU, 31-24, in Provo, Utah.

The Sooners lost their annual “Bedlam” game to Oklahoma State, 27-24, in Stillwater, and were beaten by Kansas, 38-33, in Lawrence, Kansas.

Against TCU, Oklahoma will be playing to stay alive for a berth in the Big 12 championship game, and also to avenge a 55-24 loss to the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth last season on October 1. In that game, TCU had four touchdowns of at least 62 yards. The Frogs totaled 668 yards of offense.

Texas leads the Big 12 with a 7-1 record. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State are tied for second with 6-2 records. Oklahoma State has a tiebreaker edge over the Sooners and Wildcats as the Cowboys have beaten both of them.

Of course, a Big 12 Conference Championship featuring the conference-departing Longhorns and the Sooners would be a nightmare scenario for the Big 12.

OU’s offense averages 492.9 yards of total offense per game; 314.7 yards passing, 178.2 yards rushing.

The Sooners average scoring 40.82 points a game. They have scored 29 touchdowns through the air and 26 touchdowns on the ground.

OU has thrown 18 interceptions, allowed 14 sacks and lost seven-of-15 fumbles.

Oklahoma’s offense has been led by redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel (#8). He has completed 242-of-346 passes for 3,260 yards. He has thrown 27 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. He has added 337 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Dillon, a potential 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year, suffered an upper body injury in Oklahoma’s last game, against BYU. His status is questionable for Friday's game against the Horned Frogs.

Dillon’s backup is five-star freshman Jackson Arnold (#10), who last year starred at Denton Guyer.

Arnold has played in five games this season. He has completed 18-of-24 passes. He has thrown two touchdown passes. He has not been intercepted. He has rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown.

OU’s ground game is led by redshirt freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk (#27), junior running back Tawee Walker (#29) and redshirt senior running back Marcus Major (#24).

Sawchuk has rushed 83 times for 480 yards. He has scored five rushing touchdowns. He has a long run of 64 yards. He averages 48 rushing yards a game.

Walker has rushed 90 times for 467 yards. He has scored six rushing touchdowns. He has a long run of 30 yards. He averages 46.7 rushing yards per game.

Major has rushed 78 times for 308 yards. He has scored one rushing touchdown. He has a long tun of 19 yards. He averages 44 rushing yards per game.

The Sooners’ receiving corps is led by redshirt senior wide receiver Drake Stoops (#12), the son of former OU head football coach Bob Stoops.

Drake Stoops has caught 66 passes for 755 yards. He has nine touchdown receptions and a long reception of 60 yards. He averages 6864 receiving yards per game.

Junior wide receiver Jalil Farooq (#3) has 40 receptions for 630 yards. He has two touchdown catches and a long reception of 49 yards. He averages 57.27 receiving yards per game.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Nic Anderson (#4) has caught 27 passes for 628 yards and nine touchdowns. He has a long reception of 63 yards. He averages 57.09 receiving yards per game.

Junior wide receiver Andrel Anthony (#5) also has caught 27 passes. He has 429 receiving yards. He has caught one touchdown pass and has a long reception of 55 yards. He averages 71.50 receiving yards per game.

Sophomore wide receiver Jayden Gibson (#4) has caught four touchdown passes.

Defensively, the Sooners have limited opponents to 20.18 points per game and 378.4 total yards of offense per game; 232.9 passing yards and 145.5 rushing yards. Opponents have scored 12 touchdowns through the air and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Oklahoma’s defense, ranked 31st in the country, has intercepted 18 passes, recovered six-of-12 forced fumbles and recorded 18 sacks.

On defense, the Sooners are led by junior linebacker Danny Stutsman (#28). Despite missing a game, Stutsman is second in the Big 12 with 91 tackles.

Stutsman has had four games with double-digit tackles. He has 13.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, one quarterback-hurry, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The Sooners’ second-leading tackler, sophomore linebacker Jaren Kanak (#7), has 55 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, five quarterback-hurries and one forced fumble.

Junior safety Billy Bowman Jr. (#2), a top-50 recruit out of Denton Ryan in the 2021 class, is tied for the Big12 lead in interceptions with five and has returned two of them for touchdowns. He also has 52 tackles, including three for loss, and four pass breakups.

Junior defensive lineman Ethan Downs (#40), a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season, leads the Sooners with 4.5 sacks. He is second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss. He also has five quarterback-hurries and one interception.

Sophomore defensive back Gentry Williams (#9) has three interceptions.

Oklahoma holds a 17-6 series lead over TCU. The Horned Frogs are 3-7 versus the Sooners in Norman, 3-8 in Fort Worth, 0-1 in Oklahoma City and 0-1 in Arlington (2017 Big 12 Championship Game).

The first game in the series was a 34-19 Sooners victory in Oklahoma City in 1944.

TCU's 17-10 win at No. 5 Oklahoma in the 2005 season opener, its last victory in Norman, was its first triumph over an opponent ranked that high since a 6-0 decision at No. 1 Texas in 1961. 

Two TCU assistant coaches and a support staff member are former Oklahoma standouts.

Assistant head coach/outside receivers coach Malcolm Kelly was a two-time First-Team All-Big 12 selection and a 2005 Freshman All-American for the Sooners. 

Kelly totaled 144 receptions for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns in three seasons. When he left Norman, Kelly ranked second all-time at Oklahoma with 21 touchdown catches and nine 100-yard receiving games. He tied a school record with 11 receptions as a sophomore versus Texas Tech in 2006.

Defensive line coach JaMarkus McFarland was a four-year letterman at Oklahoma. He earned All-Big 12 honors his senior year in 2012 when he posted a career-high 28 tackles, including six for loss and three sacks. He totaled 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for his career, helping the Sooners to three Big 12 Championships. He was a three-time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 recipient. 

Jonathan Alvarez, who played in 25 games with 16 starts (2014-18) as an offensive lineman for the Sooners, is in his second year as an athletics academic advisor working with the TCU football program.

TCU associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kendal Briles and Oklahoma offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby are brothers-in-law. Briles' sister, Staley, is married to Lebby.

Oklahoma is a 10.5-point favorite over the Horned Frogs. The over/under for total points ins 63.5.

Dykes talks about Oklahoma: here  

Venables talks about TCU: here   

42,621 people attended the 119th football contest between TCU and Baylor on Saturday, November 18, in Amon G, Carter Stadium, in Fort Worth, Texas. With a 42-17 victory, the Horned Frogs claimed the first "Bluebonnet Battle" trophy, which now commemorates the storied rivalry that goes back to 1899.

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes and Baylor head football coach Dave Aranda (left) chat before kickoff of the TCU-Baylor game on November 18 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

(photos above and below) A flyover by a Texas National Guard C-140 thrilled fans attending the TCU-Baylor football game on Saturday, November 18, in Amon G. Carter Stadium.

The 22 seniors listed on TCU’s 2023 football roster ended their home collegiate football careers on Saturday, November 18. Some of the seniors started their careers at TCU in 2019 while others transferred into the program over the past few seasons. The group’s lone postseason appearance (2023 results pending) came last year when the Horned Frogs went undefeated during the regular season and appeared in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and college football’s national championship game. The Frogs were selected to play in the 2020 Mercari Texas Bowl against Arkansas, but the game was canceled because of COVID-19 pandemic reasons.

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes and his wife, Kate, congratulated and thanked TCU's senior football players in a ceremony held prior to the TCU-Baylor football game on Saturday, November 18.

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes and senior TCU safety Josh Foster (#15) and Kate Dykes and senior TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge (#6), whose only scholarship offer coming out of high school came from Wingate, a Division II school. Fast forward five years, Hodge is now one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 Conference. He earned an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 nod in 2022 and has started 32 consecutive games as a Horned Frog. During the 2022 season, Hodge posted a career-high 13 tackles at West Virginia, and his first career interception came at Kansas. Hodge has recorded 202 career tackles, including 16.5 tackles for loss. He leads TCU with eight quarterback hurries this season.

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes and senior TCU placekicker Griffin Kell (#39), who will leave TCU as one of the most decorated and accomplished placekickers in program history. His 59 made field goals currently rank third all-time behind Jaden Oberkrom (79) and Nick Browne (65). Kell has made four of the 10 longest field goals in TCU’s history, including three beyond 50 yards during the 2023 season. A 57-yarder against Nicholls State ranks first on the all-time list. Oberkrom and Michael Reeder were the other kickers to accomplish that feat. Kell is also behind one of the most memorable moments from the 2022 season. His 40-yard field goal as time expired gave TCU a 29-28 win over Baylor. The “Bazooka” play call kept the Horned Frogs on track for an undefeated regular season and the college football playoffs. Kell earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2022.

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes and senior punter Jordy Sandy (#31), who earned all-Big 12 honors as a punter following the 2020 and 2022 seasons. The 2020 season featured five touchbacks and nine punts of at least 50 yards. In 2022, Sandy recorded three touchbacks on 63 punts and had five punts travel at least 50 yards. His longest punt as a Horned Frog came in 2021 on a 64-yard boot against Cal. That same season, Sandy averaged a career-best 43.3 yards per punt. Sandy has also been the holder for PATs and field goals since 2019. Over the past two seasons, Sandy has turned football into a philanthropic endeavor, too. He is donating $20 to Fort Worth’s Hope Center for Autism for every punt that lands inside the 20-yard line. He donated $360 (18 punts) last year and is at $200 (10) so far in 2023.

(photos above and below) Here come the TCU Horned Frogs!

(photos above and below) Here come the Baylor Bears!

TCU's captains for the TCU-Baylor game were Brandon Coleman (#77), Jamoi Hodge (#6) and Andrew Coker (right, #74). Honorary captains were former TCU football players Mark Johnson and Marcus Cannon (second from right).

TCU offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kendal Briles and his offensive staff saw led the Horned Frogs to their second-most points of the season in a 42-17 TCU victory over Baylor on Saturday, November 18. The Frogs also scored 42 points in their season-opening 45-42 loss to Colorado. TCU scored 44 points in a 44-11 victory over BYU on October 14. Against Baylor, the Horned Frogs totaled 531 offensive yards; 431 passing yards and 100 rushing yards.

(photos above and below) TCU's offense against Baylor was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Hoover (#10). Hoover  completed 24-of-29 pass attempts for 412 yards and two touchdowns. He added 22 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He did not throw an interception. He was sacked once. Hoover is the second Power 5 quarterback (C.J. Stroud, Ohio State) since 2019 to pass for at least 400 yards in two of his opening five starts. He is the first from the Big 12 to accomplish the feat since 2019. Hoover’s 82.8 completion percentage (24-of-29) ranked sixth for a game in TCU history.

(photos above and below) TCU quarterback Josh Hoover (#10) scored a touchdown on a three-yard run in the third quarter of the Frogs' victory over Baylor. It was the first rushing score of Hoover's career.

(photos above and below) TCU senior tight end Jared Wiley (#19) set a TCU tight end record with his career-best 178 yards receiving against Baylor. Wiley's performance earned him Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.

(photos above and below) TCU tight end Jared Wiley (#19) set a career-high with seven receptions while tying another personal mark with two touchdowns, despite the efforts of such Baylor defenders as safety Devyn Bobby (#28), safety Corey Gordon Jr., cornerback LeVar Thornton Jr., and linebacker Josh White (#44). Wiley scored on an 81-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter and on a 28-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. Wiley’s 81-yard touchdown catch was the longest reception of his career, surpassing his previous best of 52 yards against TCU while playing for Texas in 2020.

(photos above and below) TCU running back Emani Bailey (#19) rushed 16 times against Baylor for 53 yards and two touchdowns.

(photos above and below) TCU running back Emani Bailey (#19) scored the Frogs' first touchdown against Baylor on a 27-yard run in the first quarter. He had TCU's final touchdown of the game on a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter. Bailey has a team-best seven rushing touchdowns on the season.

(photos above and below) On TCU's first possession of its win over Baylor, Horned Frogs running back Emani Bailey (#9) fumbled within the red zone, at the Baylor eight-yard line. Baylor cornerback Caden Jenkins (#19) recovered the fumble, ending a scoring threat by TCU. The lost fumble was TCU's 10th turnover in the red zone this season. TCU was three-of-five in red-zone opportunities against Baylor. For the season, the Frogs are 31-of-45 in red-zone chances. Twenty-five of the scores have been touchdowns.

(photos above and below) Against Baylor, TCU wide receiver PJ Richardson (#7) had six receptions, for 42 yards. The six catches equaled his most as a Horned Frog and were one shy of a career-best seven while playing for Oklahoma State against Texas last season. Richardson has a catch in 26 consecutive games, which is the longest streak on the team. It covers 11 games at TCU and his final 15 at Oklahoma State.

(photos above and below) TCU running back Trey Sanders (#2) scored a touchdown on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter against Baylor. The touchdown was his sixth rushing score of the year.

(photos above and below) Because of his career game the previous week against Texas, TCU wide receiver Savion Williams (#3) drew close scrutiny from Baylor defenders, such as cornerback Chateau Reed (21). Against the Bears, Williams had two catches for 51 yards, including a long reception of 41 yards. He added nine yards on two rushing attempts.

TCU wide receiver Jaylon Robinson (#13) caught three passes for 46 yards against Baylor linebacker Jeremy Evans (#42) and his defensive teammates. He had a long reception of 24 yards.

TCU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Gillespie and his defensive staff saw the Frogs' defense give up only 347 total yards and 17 points to Baylor. The Bears had 199 passing yards and 148 rushing yards. Against the TCU defense, Baylor scored 10 points in the first half and seven points in the second half.

(photos above and below) Against Baylor, TCU's defense made several big defensive stops. The Frogs held Baylor to converting five-of-14 third-down attempts and two-of-six fourth down attempts.

On his one punt return, Baylor wide receiver Jordan Nabors had a tough time picking up yardage against a swarming TCU special-teams defense, including Millard Bradford (#28), Trent Battle (#17) and Dylan Wright (#16).

 

As TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge (#6) looks one, TCU linebacker Shad Banks, Jr. (#0) brings down Baylor tight end Drake Dabney (#89) after one of his four receptions. Banks had a team-best eight tackles, including two for loss.

TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge (#6) and TCU defensive lineman Michael Ibukun-Okeyode (#94) combine on a tackle of Baylor wide receiver Josh Cameron (#34). Ibukun-Okeyode had 1.5 tackles for loss in the Baylor game.

(photos above and below) TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge (#6) had seven tackles against Baylor, including a tackle for loss of Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen (#12).

TCU safety Millard Bradford (#28) attempts to stop Baylor running back Dominic Richardson (#28), who was held by the Frogs to 66 rushing yards on 17 rushing attempts.

TCU defensive lineman Damonic Williams (#52) and  linebacker Nambi Obiazor (#4) celebrate a sack of Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen (#12) by Williams. Williams has three sacks this season, second-best on the team. Against the Bears, Williams also had a tackle for loss, as did Obiazor.

 

TCU safety Mark Perry (#3) prevents a pass reception by Baylor tight end Drake Dabney (#89). Perry had six tackles and a pass breakup in the win over the Bears.

(photos above and below) In the loss to TCU, Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen (#12) completed 20-of-30 pass attempts for 197 yards and one touchdown. He did not throw an interception. He was sacked once.

(photos above and below) Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen (#12) scored a touchdown on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

(top and bottom photos) Baylor running back Dominic Richardson (#21) rushed 17 times for 66 yards in the Bears' 42-17 loss to TCU.

(photos above and below) Despite the efforts of TCU safeties Mark Perry (#3) and Josh Foster (#15), Baylor running back Dominic Robinson (#21) caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen in the first quarter of the Bears' loss to TCU.

Baylor tight end Jake Roberts (#86) signals a first-down catch against TCU safeties Mark Perry (#3) and Abe Camara (#1) and cornerback Channing Canada (#7). Roberts was held to three catches for 32 yards.

Baylor wide receiver Josh Cameron (#34) beats TCU safety Abe Camara (#1) to make a reception in the Bears' 42-17 loss to the Frogs. Cameron only caught two passes for 14 yards.

(photos above and below) Baylor running back Dawson Pendergrass (#35) rushed 10 times for 27 yards against TCU. He added five receptions for 16 yards.

Baylor placekicker Isaiah Hankins (#98) kicked a 48-yard field goal seconds before the first half of the TCU-Baylor game ended. TCU led 14-10 at halftime.

Baylor linebacker Matt Jones (#2) uses the facemask of TCU running back Emani Bailey's helmet, along with some blindside help from a teammate, to stop Bailey, who only had 53 rushing yards on 16 rushes against the Bears.

TCU receiver Jo Jo Earle (#11) is denied a reception by Baylor safety Devyn Bobby (#28).

(photos above and below) Baylor defenders ganged up to deny TCU wide receiver Savion Williams (#3) a first down on a fourth-down running attempt at the Baylor six-yard line in the second quarter of TCU's win over the Bears.. Baylor cornerbacks Chateau Reed (#21) and Caden Jenkins (#19) were credited with the tackle of Williams. 

Featured in the traditional Riff-Ram video during the TCU-Baylor game was Rick Ross, an American rapper and record executive. He is known for his "booming" vocal performance, "larger-than-life" persona, and vivid lyrical imagery.

After improving their overall record to 5-6 with a 42-17 win over Baylor, the Horned Frogs have a short practice week before challenging the Oklahoma Sooners on the Friday After Thanksgiving (November 24), in Norman, Oklahoma. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 am (Central). Fox will televise the game. TCU needs to beat Oklahoma to qualify for a bowl game for the 2023 season.