Jaden Craig had a roller-coaster first half of the season, struggling against North Carolina, looking sharp against Grambling State and Arkansas State, and coming back to earth against UCF and BYU. The Harvard transfer entered this season with huge expectations, and he may have lived up to them against Baylor.
Let’s take a look at the game plan. How did the Frogs adjust during the bye week? Then we’ll look at how the Frogs handled adversity when players got injured and how that impacted the TCU attack.
Getting Jordan Dwyer Involved Early Was the Key
Wide receiver Jordan Dwyer was held without a catch against BYU. Against Baylor, getting him involved was clearly a priority.
On TCU’s first drive, Craig targeted Dwyer three times, resulting in two receptions for 20 yards. It was evident early that this was part of the game plan: getting the ball into their playmakers’ hands and giving them a chance to make a play.
Again, on the second drive, Craig completed two passes to Dwyer. It’s shocking how open the TCU wide receiver was.
That nine-play drive lasted three minutes and 20 seconds, ending in an Ed Small 25-yard touchdown catch for the first score of the game. Craig had a clean pocket and was able to sit while the play developed for Small to get open on a crossing route.
Throughout the game, TCU struggled to protect Craig consistently. On this play, however, they gave him plenty of time.
The Frogs weren’t afraid to let Craig throw it downfield, as the quarterback completed passes to Small and Dwyer. Previously, the offense felt self-contained, forcing the run game and making Craig thread precise passes over the middle, leading to stalled drives.
After the bye, the offense had a different mentality, attacking one-on-one coverage and occasionally challenging double coverage. Dwyer made some big plays. His impact will continue to grow as the season goes on.
Overall, the passing game did a good job on Saturday. Check out our postgame grades for every position group.
The aggressive game plan gave the Frogs opportunities to create explosive plays. However, that aggression also led to another mistake.
Leading 7-6, after a long completion to Small, the Frogs were set up for another scoring drive. Instead, the Frogs got greedy and called a reverse flea-flicker, allowing the Bears’ pressure to get to Craig and contributing to the interception.
This play call is another area to address for the Frogs’ play callers. The Frogs had a lead and were coming off a big play. The trick-play call was unnecessary.
This could have shaken Craig’s confidence. However, it didn’t appear to rattle him, and he finished the game without throwing another interception.
Overall, the TCU quarterback was allowed to fire the ball downfield, opening up the field and allowing the offense to have some semblance of a run game.
TCU’s Backup Running Back Came to Play
Jeremy Payne’s only carry came on TCU’s first drive. The running back was a big focal point of the Horned Frogs’ attack, but in his absence, who would step up?
Enter Landon Walker.
The transfer from the Colorado School of Mines made his moment count. He rushed for 36 yards on six carries. He didn’t have any explosive runs, but he did provide a punch in the running game.
JD Andress shared some thoughts on this TCU offensive line in his three immediate takeaways after the Baylor game.
TCU could’ve found itself in trouble while protecting a lead without a dependable way to control the clock. Walker gave the Frogs another option to move the ball while keeping the clock running. He stepped up in an underrated way, but he wasn’t the only answer to Payne’s absence.
TCU Welcomes Back the Wildcat?
In a surprise, TCU ran the Wildcat with Kari Ashley. Sonny Dykes said it was an attempt to get one of their best weapons the ball:
“Just trying to find ways to be creative; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I mean, when you have a guy that you think's a unique or special player, you have to feature him. You've got to find ways to get the football and let him be a good player.”
In short-yardage situations, the Wildcat can be deadly, and Ashley is an athlete equipped to lead those plays. His versatility adds another wrinkle to a TCU tight end room that continues to find ways to contribute.
It will be interesting to see if the Wildcat comes back in the future, especially if Payne misses any time.
TCU faces West Virginia this weekend. Will we see any similarities in the game plans? Regardless, TCU will need another solid performance from its offense if the Frogs want to win.
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