Behind Enemy Lines: What TCU is saying about Baylor

Now that any hopes of playing in a bowl game this season for Baylor are out the window, the final two games are about pride. The Bears will head up I-35 on Saturday to face arch-rival TCU with an opportunity to keep the Frogs out of bowl contention as well.

While TCU has owned Baylor as of late, it took a miracle field goal as time expired last season for the Frogs to keep their magical season on track. Saturday will mark the 119th battle between these two programs — the most-played in the Lone Star State — and TCU head coach Sonny Dykes spoke on the rivalry earlier this week.

“It’s two schools that are pretty like minded that are not very far away from each other and traditionally it’s been a pretty even matchup,” said Dykes. “I think the fact that the Big 12 recognized that it was one of the four protected rivalries going forward gives it a ton of credibility and I know it means a lot to our fans and players.”

Nobody can sugarcoat the disappointment of how this season has unfolded for both programs. After playing for the National Championship last season, TCU has been a shell of themselves compared to that team, while Baylor doesn’t look like it can compete at the P5 level.

While it would be easy for the Frogs to overlook the Bears on Saturday, that’s something that Dykes can’t afford to let his squad do.

“They are a disciplined football team that plays with a ton of effort. They’re similar to us from a standpoint that they’ve had some injuries and bad things happen to them this season,” said Dykes. “In today’s college football it’s hard to win without your best players being available and that’s probably an issue, but they’re well coached and they are going to play hard.”

There have been a lot of questions about why Baylor’s defense has struggled under a defensive genius like Dave Aranda. It can be hard to comprehend at times, but it also comes down to the talent available to work with, especially the upperclassmen. 

Dykes has no questions about what Aranda can accomplish on defense and knows that given the right circumstances, Baylor’s defense can become a formidable force.

“Dave was a simulated pressure and three down guy a decade ago and there was nobody doing that. What he was doing was ahead of what everybody else was doing nationally,” said Dykes. “Once people realized how successful that was they began to implement it themselves. He’s always been ahead of the curve and it’s difficult to game plan against him.”

Baylor (3-7, 2-5) is going to have to play a flawless game in order to beat TCU (4-6, 2-5) on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Kickoff between the Bear and Frogs is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.