Baylor vs. TCU -- The Afternoon After -- Highlights, Links, Thoughts

Well, that was a frustrating experience. It took me a long time to settle down after the game, and I finally drifted off around 1:00 a.m. It was a heartbreaking way to lose. But after about five hours of fitful sleep filled with dreams of Gary Patterson refusing to shake my hand (yeah, I'm a weirdo), I awoke this morning surprisingly at peace with the outcome of this game and where the Bears are. We'll get to more of my thoughts in just a moment. This will be a bit of a different post, since there are still games being played today, so we'll forgo the Top Ten section and CFP ramifications. But we've still things to get to... So, let's do that.

		1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	F
	BAYLOR (9-2, 6-2)	14	0	0	0	7	21
	TCU (10-2, 7-2)	7	7	0	0	14	28

Box Score |  Notes |  Photo Gallery |  USATSI Gallery | Postgame

Fort Worth, Texas - Attendance: 47,675

Postgame Coverage from ODB:

Double Overtime Final: Baylor 21, TCU 28 in Fort Worth
No Tweets of the night post for obvious reasons.

Six Thoughts from pbpope

#1. As is always the case, it’s certainly very easy to dissect what’s going wrong with the team in the heat of the moment from the comfort of my couch within the confines of my temperature controlled living room inside my watertight home. And I did plenty of that during the game. But the truth is that I wasn’t in the stadium. From the accounts of those in attendance that I’ve seen, the weather was worse than any faced this season, and even trumps the Great Ice Fog Game of 2013. Driving rain for the entire game, high winds, temperatures in the 30s that, with the wind chill, felt below freezing. Honestly, I can’t imagine a worse set of conditions to be in, either as a spectator, or more to the point, as a player. On top of all of that, they had to play on a grass field that visibly deteriorated as the game went on. I mentioned that I’d heard that the field drains well, and it probably does, but with the amount of rain that hit Fort Worth on Friday, the field was bound to get saturated.

#2. It’s also incredibly easy for me to pick apart the play-calling and everything else because I wasn’t there. There have been plenty of calls for Coach Kendal Briles’ head on a platter since the end of the game. I will NOT add my voice to that particular cacophony. These were unprecedented conditions with a third-string quarterback in his first game as the starter. That’s a daunting task for any offensive coordinator, much less one that is in his first year as coordinator. My Buddy Andrew (AKA’ed as ATuegel here) texted me this last night, and I wholly agree with the sentiment: "Everyone would agree that there’s a learning curve for the players on the field. I think we’re naive to think there’s not one for coaches." There have been some moments that we’ve questioned some of the play calling, and that’s fine. Disagree with the calls from this game all you want, but the fact remains that the vast majority of us are doing so from the comfort of our couches or wherever, having not been in the elements. Because of that, all I can say is that I thought we should have run the ball more than we did, at the same time, they did a decent job shutting us down on the run. Anything beyond that is "ifs and buts." We can discuss play calling without immediately jumping to "OMG FIRE THE OC." In my humble opinion, going there is just a bad look.

#3. I could not be prouder of the way that the defense played in this game. Boykin was clearly hampered by injury, but the Bears were able to take advantage of that throughout the night. Before the OT period, the Bears held TCU to one offensive touchdown. It’s easy to point the finger at Chance Waz for the Pass Interference in the end zone on 3rd Down in 1OT, but there’s no telling what would have happened on that 4th down. It’s pure speculation to say what would have happened in that event and it is unfair to lay the blame at the feet of a single player. The defense, overall, was spectacular in this game, certainly well enough to win the football game. Even if that performance may be largely attributed to the weather, the defense still took advantage of the conditions and continued the trend that they started against Oklahoma State. I’m proud of that effort.

#4. Beyond that, I’m not going to get into the "who was the better team" question. There's no question that both teams were severely hampered by the weather. Sure, TCU only scored one offensive touchdown, but they made plays on defense to make up for that. Regardless of all of that, the final score reads TCU 28, Baylor 21, and that’s all that matters. TCU got it done with the game on the line, and the Bears did not. Hats off to the Horned Frogs.

#5. In the disappointment of lost playoffs hopes, it’s easy to lose perspective on where this team is. We lost our dynamic starting quarterback a month ago to injury in a monsoon game. We then won a game on the road with a true freshman quarterback in a difficult place to play. Then we lost a game to an excellent OU team. In the rain. Then we lost that QB to injury and won in Stillwater, a place that Art Briles had never won. Our second loss came in a freezing monsoon. Despite being banged up all up and down the roster, the defense stepped up in both of the past two games in impressive fashion. Given all of the injuries suffered by this team, perhaps a berth in the CFP was too much to hope for. Yet, all of that taken into consideration, the fact that my final thought is still in play is remarkable to me.

#6. Despite all of the hardship and adversity this team faced, they still have a very good shot at a New Years Six bowl. If OU wins and gets into the Playoff, all Baylor has to do is beat Texas, and they own the tiebreaker for second in the Big 12, and thus, a bid to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Years Day. So, let’s dust ourselves off, enjoy some football today, root for OU, and get ready for Texas.

LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS:

No 7. Football Falls to No. 15 TCU, 28–21, in Double Overtime – Baylor Official Athletic Site Devin Chafin ran for 119 yards and two scores, and caught a 4-yard TD in the first overtime.

TCU Outlasts Baylor in 2 OT, ends Bears’ Big 12 Title Hopes – ESPN
Trevone Boykin threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin in the second overtime and TCU (No. 19 CFP, No. 15 AP) beat No. 7 Baylor 28–21 on a rainy Friday night, knocking the Bears out of contention for their third straight Big 12 title.

Instant Analysis: TCU ends Baylor’s Big 12, CFP hopes with 2OT victory – SI.com
ESPN play-by-play guy Dave Pasch said it best as the fourth quarter wound down: "Every snap has been an adventure," Pasch cried out, a reference to horrible weather conditions in Fort Worth that led to two high-octane offenses scoring a combined 28 points in regulation.

Five thoughts: Baylor officially eliminated from playoff picture with loss to TCU – DallasNews.com
Here are five quick thoughts from No. 7 Baylor’s 28–21 loss to No. 19 TCU on Friday night.

Baylor quotable: Weather messed up game plan, ball security should have been top priority
Baylor football held its press conference after the Bears’ 28–21 loss to No. 19 TCU on Friday night. Here are some of the highlights.

I could go get some more links for you, but somehow I doubt you want to see them.

I hope that you're able to enjoy your Saturday and watch some college football for the fun that it is. We've only got today and one more week in the regular season. It's worth watching. Happy Saturday after Thanksgiving, everyone!