The Good, Bad, and Ugly of TCU's Win Over the Baylor Bears

With over two hours in rain delays, the Horned Frogs helped keep their season alive by beating their rival from Waco.

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) throws downfield against the Baylor Bears during the second half of a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

On Saturday, the TCU Horned Frogs hung on to beat the Baylor Bears after an absurd turn of events in the second half. With the win over their rival, Coach Sonny Dykes and the rest of the Horned Frogs kept their conference championship hopes alive.

This past weekend, Frog fans witnessed one of the more peculiar games at Amon G. Carter since the loss to Houston during the 2024 season. Even with the two hours of rain delays, the Frogs were able to emerge victorious in this year's edition of the Bluebonnet Battle.

With Saturday's win over the Bears, TCU moved to 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Horned Frogs' win over their rival.

The Good- TCU's Elite Offense

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs running back Kevorian Barnes (2) reacts after scoring a touchdown Baylor Bears during the second half of a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

TCU's offense, when it has a balanced running attack, remains one of the most dangerous offenses in the country. That much is obvious. With standout players like Josh Hoover, Kevorian Barnes, and seemingly the entire TCU wide receiver room, the Horned Frogs have averaged over 36 offensive points this season.

In the win over Baylor, Hoover completed 22 of 31 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. The lone stain on his day against the Bears came late in the fourth quarter, where the quarterback fumbled, resulting in a scoop and score for Matt Powledge's defense.

It seems as though a different wide receiver steps up for the Horned Frogs on a weekly basis. This week's standout wide receiver was Jordan Dwyer, who hauled in seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. In the ground game, it was Kevorian Barnes leading the charge with 25 carries for 106 total yards and two touchdowns.

If TCU can keep up this type of performance, the Frogs could find themselves in the heat of the Big 12 title game race towards the end of the season.

The Bad- Rain, Rain, Go Away

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; The TCU Horned Frogs offensive line stands on the field between plays against the Baylor Bears during the first half of a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

One developing storyline from this year's edition of the Bluebonnet Battle was actually the amount of time that both teams spent in the locker room. With 13:46 remaining in the game, the Frogs entered their first lightning delay that would supposedly last only 30 minutes.

TCU and Baylor would then spend around an hour in the locker room before returning to the field of play. After punts from both teams, Amon G. Carter was hit with another lightning delay despite the skies being mostly clear. What should have been a 3:30 hour game ended up lasting nearly six hours.

The reason this is in my "bad" category for this week is because of the effects that the game could have in the near future. Football is already a grueling sport in general. With questionable weather conditions and multiple warmup periods, injuries are more likely to pop up throughout the week. That is one thing that the Horned Frogs frankly can't afford at this point in the season.

The Ugly- TCU's Struggles to Finish Games

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Josh Cameron (34) runs after the catch as TCU Horned Frogs cornerback Vernon Glover (26) attempts to make the tackle during the first half of a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

During the 2022 season, TCU was on the right side of virtually every close game they played. Aside from the close loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship, the Frogs came out on top in every other one-score game on their schedule. Across the last three years, TCU has struggled to put away the game that they seemingly controlled through the first two to three quarters.

Many will remember last year's loss against UCF as being a pivotal moment in TCU's 9-4 season. At halftime, the Horned Frogs led the Knights 21-7 off the back of a stellar performance from wide receiver Jack Bech. In the second half, the Frogs would then be outscored 28-13, resulting in their first loss of the season.

Against Baylor, the same thing happened to TCU, this time in a much smaller timeframe. With just over six minutes to go in the final quarter, the Horned Frogs led the Bears 42-21 after Kevorian Barnes found the endzone for the second time on Saturday.

Aided by Hoover's mistake late in the game, the Bears would storm back to score two touchdowns in less than two minutes, resulting in a final score of 42-36. While TCU did pick up the win, many Horned Frog fans might have some concerns about their ability to finish games.