TCU had a prime opportunity to knock off No. 10 BYU in Fort Worth, but a couple of costly mistakes cost the Horned Frogs the chance to finish off the Cougars.
TCU gave No. 10 BYU all it could handle Saturday night at Amon G. Carter Stadium, but it was not enough as the Cougars held on for a 17-10 win over the Horned Frogs.
The early portion of the evening outing was defined by defense for both the Horned Frogs and Cougars, as they both punted on every drive in the opening quarter.
BYU was the first to break through the stalemate after a mistake from TCU.
Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig had his pass intercepted by Cougars safety Faletau Satuala, who nearly returned it all the way back for the touchdown.
Set up in its best field position of the night, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier kept it himself and powered into the end zone for the 7-0 advantage.
TCU was able to knot things up came late in the second quarter, as Craig connected with Kari Ashley to cap off an eight play, 76 yard series.
That scoring strike from Craig to drew the Horned Frogs even at 7-7 with BYU before the halftime break.
The third quarter was essentially a repeat of the first, with a field goal to give the Cougars a slim 10-7 lead being the lone scoring in the period.
While the fourth quarter did not bring much more scoring, it did have some late-game theatrics.
TCU had the chance to equalize the tight affair again early in the final frame. However, backup kicker Nate McCashland's 46-yard try was no-good and gave BYU the ball back still up by three.
The Cougars made the most of their newfound opportunity and blazed down the field before punching in a touchdown that seemed to shut the door on the Horned Frogs.
Trailing 17-7 in the final minutes, TCU was able to tack on a field goal to draw back within a single score but it would prove to be late, as BYU ran out the rest of the clock and escaped Fort Worth with the 17-10 win.
For the fifth straight week. TCU had a strong performance from its defense with only two touchdowns given up to the high-powered Cougar offense led by Bachmeier.
However, the offense for the Horned Frogs also sputtered like it had many times this season, especially against opponents of a similar quality.
Craig and his unit were able to get inside the end zone a single time, which marks the third game this year with just a single score.
Missed opportunities were once again a main storyline for TCU alongside the less-than-ideal showing on offense.
The interception from Craig and missed kick from McCashland led directly to both of BYU's scores and effectively killed any momentum in the upset bid.
TCU falls to 2-3 on the season and remains winless in the Big 12 at 0-2. The loss was the first inside Amon G. Carter for the Horned Frogs this season.
The Horned Frogs have a much-needed bye week this week before heading to Waco for a rivalry showdown with Baylor on Oct. 17.
