Why coach Sonny Dykes calls Baylor’s offense the best TCU has faced this season
TCU football has faced its fair share of explosive offenses this season, but none is as explosive as the one the Horned Frogs will see Saturday when they host Baylor.
The Bears are just outside the top 25 in scoring offense in the nation with 36.3 points per game, and Baylor also averages the second-most yards per game in the Big 12, behind only undefeated Texas Tech, which is No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
Quarterback Kevin Jennings and SMU had talent, and so did Arizona State with quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Raleek Brown, but Baylor will present an entirely new challenge.
It all starts with quarterback Sawyer Robertson, whom TCU head coach Sonny Dykes knows extremely well.
“I know his father well. We played sports against each other growing up,” Dykes said Tuesday. “He was a first-round draft pick in baseball. He was a lot better baseball player than I was. We’ve known each other for a long time. We tried to recruit Sawyer here when he left Mississippi State. There’s a relationship there ... really proud of Sawyer. He’s a first class kid. I root for him every Saturday except for this Saturday.”
This Saturday will be all about stopping the nation’s leading passer and a dark horse Heisman Trophy contender, as Robertson is a big reason the Bears (4-2, 2-1) sit right in the thick of the conference title race.
Robertson has thrown for 2,058 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season while shredding secondaries from SMU, Arizona State, Auburn and more.
Robertson will easily be the most polished passer TCU has faced this season, but as good as Robertson is, TCU’s main priority will be slowing down a run game led by star running back Bryson Washington, who rushed for 196 yards against TCU last season.
“They’re very balanced in what they want to do. They’ve got two strong running backs,” Dykes said. “I think their offensive line is very experienced. You look at the game last year, it kind of boiled down to their ability to run the ball down the stretch, and they strung a drive together at the end of the game to beat us.
“That’s going to be big for us Saturday. That’s what good offenses do, you have to stop both running the ball and throwing the football.”
The Bears’ rushing offense has taken a small step back this season with the injury to junior Dawson Pendergrass in August, but Baylor still has Washington, who is fourth in the league with 557 rushing yards and has multiple 100-yard games this season.
On the offensive line, the Bears are led by senior Omar Aigbedion, who is the top-graded guard in the Big 12, according to Pro Football Focus.
Baylor’s deep receiving corps
On the outside, the Bears don’t have an obvious No. 1 receiver like Kansas State or Arizona State, but they do have one of the deeper wide receiver rooms in the league.
Senior Josh Cameron leads the team with 456 yards and has scored three touchdowns. The Bears have two more receivers with over 300 yards in senior Kole Wilson and senior Ashytn Hawkins. Senior Kobe Prentice has 265 yards with a team-high six touchdowns.
They are dynamic, but the true matchup problem will be at tight end, as TCU has to find a way to slow down senior Michael Trigg. He leads all tight ends nationally with a career-high 439 yards and four touchdowns.
“When you look at their skill players, they’re the best [that TCU has faced] from a depth standpoint,” Dykes said. “I don’t think there’s any question about it. I really like their tight end. They have size and physicality at wide receiver. They’ve got speed at wide receiver. When you sit down and look at the overall skill, this is the best offense we’ve played.”
How Auburn, Arizona State slowed down Baylor
Baylor has a great offense, but the Bears have been kept in check twice this season, as Auburn and Arizona State held the Bears to just 24 points in two losses.
Auburn neutralized Baylor’s rushing attack, limiting Washington to 54 yards and the Bears to 64 rushing yards total. Robertson was also sacked four times by an Auburn defensive line that overwhelmed the Bears’ pass protection.
The Sun Devils used a similar strategy to find success against Baylor. Washington rushed for 111 yards, but Baylor only rushed for 107 as a team. Arizona State also forced three turnovers, including a rare interception of Robertson.
TCU has done well at generating sacks and turnovers this season, and the defense will need to do both if the Horned Frogs have any chance of slowing down the best offense they’ve faced so far.
