TCU's Bye Week: Can Horned Frogs Begin Bounce Back in Week Off?

For the second time this season, TCU has the week off and it once again comes after a crushing loss for the Horned Frogs.

No. 8 BYU was on the ropes all night long inside Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday, but TCU could not land the final knockout blow in a narrow 17-10 heartbreaker.

That has been the storyline of the season so far for the Horned Frogs, as they have been extremely competitive despite their deceiving 2-3 record.

All three of those losses have been by a touchdown or less and TCU has had possession late with a chance to tie or take the lead in each.

Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, none of those opportunities went in their favor in one of the most bizarre three-loss stretches of any team in recent memory, as only 20 points separated TCU from being a perfect 5-0.

But that is not to say that the team has been perfect and there is plenty left to work on for TCU before entering the backend of its Big 12 schedule.

READ MORE: TCU's Defense Providing Bright Spot in 2-3 Start For Horned Frogs

The biggest red flag through five game for the Horned Frogs has been their offense, with no clear consistency week by week.

It is not the fault of only one member, but the performance of its leader, quarterback Jaden Craig, has left much to be desired.

He has soared to the top of the passing yards list in the Big 12 and shown glimpses of greatness under center.

However, other times he has struggled to connect in clutch moments and has been held out of the end zone on numerous occasions. Through five appearances, Craig has thrown for eight touchdowns.

This includes zero passing touchdowns against both North Carolina and UCF in what would prove to be one-score defeats.

One year after dealing with a multitude of turnovers from former quarterback Josh Hoover, they have also become an issue for Craig.

After throwing one interception through the first three weeks, the number has ballooned to four and they have been costly for the Horned Frogs.

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In the most recent matchup, BYU was being totally held in check offensively by TCU until a pick off of Craig and lengthy return set up a short score for the Cougars.

Again, Craig is only the tip of the iceberg for a team that is evidently talented but just cannot seem to get over the hump during this early part of the season.

The foundation is there for head coach Sonny Dykes and it is up to him to build the Horned Frogs back for their remaining conference slate, which does not get any easier.

Time will tell if one week was enough to tighten things up for TCU in its return to action against Baylor in the annual renewal of The Revivalry on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.