TCU took another major hit to its Big 12 title hopes on Saturday, falling 41-28 against Kansas State and dropping to 1-2 in the conference with six games remaining on the schedule. While the Horned Frogs
could certainly string together a series of victories down the stretch, reaching the Big 12 title game with two losses seems like a stretch at this point in the season, especially with tough matchups remaining on the schedule.
With Baylor next on the slate, we polled our followers on X to see how TCU fans are feeling in light of the recent loss to the Wildcats, the current state of the conference standings and much more.
Most fans seem to think that TCU has lost its chance to compete for a conference championship this year. It’s hard not to blame them, as the Horned Frogs are 1-2 in Big 12 play and nearly lost at home to Colorado. Despite taking care of business against non-conference foes like UNC and SMU, TCU’s erratic play in the Big 12 has the Horned Frogs near the bottom of the standings with opponents like Baylor, Iowa State, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati still left to play. If there’s a silver lining, Arizona State and Iowa State both made the conference title game last year with two losses in the Big 12. Unfortunately, that means TCU would have to go 6-0 over the last six games to have a shot at a Big 12 championship game appearance. I’d place the odds on that as slim right now.
TCU has struggled to get off the field on third and fourth downs over the last two weeks. While there have certainly been breakdowns in pass coverage, I believe the largest culprit of this has been TCU’s inability to get after the quarterback. Both Kaidon Salter and Avery Johnson avoided sacks and escaped the pocket, using their legs to create space and find open receivers in scramble drills or gain yards for first downs. Whether they blitzed or not, the Horned Frogs have been unable to bring the quarterback down, registering only two sacks against KSU and two sacks against the Buffaloes. Getting home on more blitzes will take pressure off the back end.
TCU frequently abandoned the run during its loss to Kansas State, opening the game with a three-and-out that featured back-to-back incompletions after a 5-yard run by Kevorian Barnes, who ran for 81 yards on just 12 carries. On its first drive of the third quarter, where TCU trailed 14-7, the Horned Frogs threw seven times and ran just twice, one of which was for 11 yards. That drive ended with a turnover on downs, one of three in the game. Barnes touched the ball just three times in the third quarter, where a pick-six and a touchdown throw from Johnson gave the Wildcats a 21-point lead. It seems that most TCU fans are giving up (or have given up) on Kendal Briles as the offensive coordinator. It’s hard to blame them, as the Horned Frogs are failing on fourth down, failing to run the ball effectively (or consistently) and failing to convert red-zone trips into points.
Of all the injuries TCU has dealt with this season, the injury to starting kicker Kyle Lemmermann has been most glaring. Backup kicker Nate McCasland has made all of his PATs, but his struggles from range have made TCU skiddish to attempt any field goals beyond 30 yards. This has led the Horned Frogs to attempt more fourth-down conversions and over the last three weeks, TCU is 3 for 7 on fourth downs. It’s unclear as to when Lemmermann will be back in the lineup, but his absence has certainly created challenges for the special teams and the offense.
It’s quite alarming that nearly all of our followers are not going to call this season a success. Given the 9-4 finish and the bowl victory last year, expectations for the 2025 squad were much higher. With the resources, recruiting and the absence of Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, the Horned Frogs should be firmly in the title race every year. Given the amount of pessimism currently surrounding the program, it begs the question as to whether or not there will be significant changes made over the offseason.
