Baylor's long drives end without a touchdown as TCU wins 17-6

Baylor held TCU to 17 points and still lost its four-game winning streak Saturday. The Bears never reached the end zone, went scoreless after halftime and watched their final two fourth-down attempts fail in a 17-6 home loss to the Horned Frogs.

The defense kept giving Baylor a chance. The Bears entered halftime down only 7-6 and limited TCU to 33 rushing yards for the game. Their own offense finished with 54 yards on the ground, however, and DJ Lagway needed 53 passing attempts to produce 256 yards without a touchdown.

TCU quarterback Jaden Craig did more with fewer throws. He completed 21 of 36 for 294 yards and two scores, with Jordan Dwyer catching six passes for 150 yards and Ed Small adding seven for 91. Both teams finished with just over 300 total yards, but TCU found the two touchdown passes that separated them.

FOX College Football's game highlights show where Baylor's narrow halftime deficit became an 11-point hole:

The opening Baylor could not use

The Bears' best first-half drives kept ending with the field-goal unit. Three straight possessions lasted at least 12 plays. Rhett Armstrong missed a 47-yard attempt, then made kicks from 39 and 32 yards to bring Baylor within a point.

Craig had already put TCU ahead with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Small in the first quarter. Baylor's field goals made that lead uncomfortable, but the Bears never moved in front.

The first minute after halftime widened the gap. Craig hit Dwyer for a 67-yard gain, then found Ka'Morreun Pimpton for an eight-yard touchdown on the next play. TCU traveled 75 yards in three snaps and led 14-6 with 14:16 remaining in the third quarter.

Nate McCashland's 25-yard field goal later in the quarter completed a 14-play, 73-yard possession. That drive used 6 minutes, 26 seconds and pushed the score to 17-6.

TCU closes the escape routes

Koron Hayward had three sacks as the Horned Frogs brought Lagway down four times. Jamel Johnson added a third-quarter interception. Baylor eventually advanced on two fourth-quarter possessions, but both ended with failed fourth-down plays.

The Bears finished six of 21 on third down. They converted four of six fourth downs overall, with the two failures coming when another score was essential. TCU could finish the game with the ball after the second stop.

The result left Baylor 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12. TCU moved to 3-3 and 1-2, ending its search for a conference win. For the Horned Frogs, the defensive finish continued through the final possession: according to TCU's postgame report, they had not held a Big 12 opponent without a touchdown since facing Texas Tech in 2017.