Baylor Players Eager to Flip the Script on TCU: 'I Just Don't Like Them'

WACO – Over the last decade, TCU has owned Baylor, posting eight wins and just two losses, with the Bears' only victories coming in 2019 in triple overtime and 2024 on a walk-off field goal at the end of regulation. This year, however, things are a bit different than they’ve been in quite some time.

The Bears enter Saturday’s matchup with the upper hand on paper and are less than a foot away from starting the year undefeated. Before the bye week, Baylor had arguably its most complete performance in five years, crushing Arizona State 55-19. The program's vibes are high, and the Bears expect a huge home crowd for the latest rendition of “The Revivalry.”

Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs have struggled out of the gate, falling to North Carolina 15-10 in Ireland and losing back-to-back Big 12 contests to open their conference slate. TCU’s offense hasn’t lived up to expectations with Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig under center, and pressure on head coach Sonny Dykes to turn things around is mounting.

Baylor smells blood in the water, and senior safety Micah Gifford wants to flip the script on the Horned Frogs, bluntly stating in Tuesday’s press conference, “I just don't like them. “I mean, none of us do. We've got to go out there and win. We haven't had the most success against TCU in my time here, and I feel like it's about time that changes.”

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda has his own reasons for wanting to turn the tide against the Horned Frogs. Aranda is 1-5 against TCU, with half of those games decided by three or fewer points. A win Saturday would not only help the Bears maintain momentum but also further quiet any lingering questions about his job security for the foreseeable future.

“You feel it just in the way he talks this week,” Gifford said of Aranda. “It's not like it's a different him necessarily compared to other weeks, but you just feel that he really wants this. All of us feel disrespected when they come to our home trying to whoop us.”

Having spent four years in the program, Gifford’s feelings are clear, and he understands the mutual disdain for the rival Horned Frogs. With nearly 50 newcomers on the roster this year alone, Aranda and the coaching staff spent the week stressing to the locker room what this matchup — the most played rivalry in Texas — means to both fan bases.

“I'm ready to win and ready to go out there and beat them,” fifth-year senior wide receiver Louis Brown IV, who transferred from Colorado State ahead of 2025 but redshirted last season, noted. “I know they've gotten the most wins against Baylor in the past and things like that. But since I've been here, I know it's a big rivalry. I've been in rivalries before, too, at my previous college. Rivalries are big games, so you've got to come ready to win. You don't want somebody coming to your home and [beating you].”

Fortunately for the Bears, Saturday’s matchup will be played in the friendly confines of McLane Stadium, rather than Fort Worth, which has been a house of horrors for Baylor this century. Brown IV and the rest of the Bears, however, aren’t dwelling on TCU’s early-season struggles and expect their best performance yet.

“We’re ready,” Brown IV said. “Starting off practice yesterday, we knew what we had to do. We know that they're a good team and have a good defense. The records and stuff, that don't mean nothing. We know they're tough and come to play, so we have to be on our A-game as well. It's going to be a dogfight, and somebody's got to lose, somebody's got to win.”

As for what to expect in the stands, Brown IV is hoping to see a packed McLane Stadium, noting, “To have all the Baylor fans come out for a rivalry game — I’m pretty sure you don't want to miss a rivalry game —  but it would mean a lot.”

Beyond ending their struggles against TCU, the biggest question facing the Bears is whether they can carry the momentum from their demolition of Arizona State through the bye week. Nearly two weeks have passed since Baylor's most complete performance in five years, and Saturday offers a chance to prove it wasn't a one-off.

“Most definitely, but I wouldn't say it's repeatable,” Gifford said when asked if the Bears can replicate what they did to the Sun Devils in Tempe. “We had many mistakes in that game. We wanted to do better. I feel like we let too many points on the board at the end of the day, so I feel like we could put a better game on tape than that.”

Brown IV added, “We just have to keep our foot on the pedal, just keep doing our one-eleventh and keep showing up day in and day out through practice and sticking to the course. Just keep doing what the standard is. It's smart, tough, dependable, week in and week out.”

In the win over Arizona State, junior quarterback DJ Lagway also had a breakout game, throwing for a career-high five touchdowns, four through the air and one on the ground. The Baylor legacy torched the Sun Devils for 306 yards on 25-of-40 passing; Brown IV hauled in six of those for 68 yards and an impressive touchdown over an ASU defender.

“It was amazing, because he was battling with a foot injury and stuff like that,” Brown IV said of Lagway. “We all know what DJ can do, just playing with him and practicing with him every day and being around him. We all know he's a good player, a good teammate, a good guy. He's a leader on our team, so we expect that from him.”

Lagway wasn't the only one making history in the desert. Baylor's defense joined some elite company, becoming the first Bears defense since 1966 to hold five consecutive opponents under 20 points to start a season.

“We're just playing for each other, just out on the field, communicating, getting the calls across, making sure everyone's on the same page,” Gifford said of the defensive success to start the year. “Because if we got all 11 of us doing the same thing, whether it's right or wrong, if we're just playing fast and on the same page, then it's gonna go good for us.”

Gifford has emerged as one of Baylor's most reliable and impactful defenders this fall, totaling 18 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception through five games. It's been a great story to watch the former wide receiver continue to develop at safety and become a team leader under first-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.

“When you think of a Midwesterner, just a big dude with the most intensity ever behind him, that's Klanderman,” Gifford said jokingly about his relationship with his defensive coordinator. “You can talk to him about anything. You could joke around with him. He’ll have a smile on his face all day. It's not like you're walking around stiff. It's really just a calm, fun environment where it's easy to learn, easy to pick up on stuff.”

Gifford, Brown IV and the rest of the Bears (4-1, 2-0) will kick off against TCU (2-3, 0-2) at 6 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Oct. 17, at McLane Stadium. FS1 will televise the matchup nationally.