BYU (8-1, 5-1) vs. TCU (6-3, 3-3)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MST
- Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium (capacity: 62,073)
- TV: ESPN
- Livestream: ESPN.com/watch
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143
- Series: TCU leads, 7-5 (last meeting: 2023)
The trends
For BYU: The Cougars suffered their first loss of the season last week at Texas Tech, which caused them to stumble outside of the College Football Playoff bracket.
However, should BYU win out to end the regular season, the Cougars would find themselves in the Big 12 championship game, and most likely, the Playoff.
Through nine games, BYU is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense (33.0 points per game) and ranks third in scoring defense (18.3 PPG).
Additionally, the Cougars are unbeaten at home this year and 9-1 in Provo since the start of last year.
For TCU: The Horned Frogs are 6-3 and all but out of the Big 12 title race. Their three losses have all shared a common theme — in each of those games, they’ve turned the ball over three times.
Over the past five games, TCU has only scored 10 first-quarter points, becoming one of the slowest starting teams in the country.
The Horned Frogs haven’t visited LaVell Edwards Stadium since 2009, when they blew out BYU by a 38-7 margin.
What to watch for
Against Texas Tech, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier took the first loss of his college career. Look for how he performs in his response to the adversity.
TCU has struggled to run the ball this season, and its leading rusher, Kevorian Barnes, has already been ruled out against the Cougars. The Horned Frogs will likely be forced into a heavy passing attack, so how BYU’s secondary subsequently reacts will be critical.
In that realm, the likely increase in passing will cause TCU quarterback Josh Hoover to drop back a good amount. Over the past three games, BYU has racked up 11 sacks. Watch for how the Cougars’ pass rush — particularly the linebackers — gets after Hoover.
Key player
Josh Hoover, junior, quarterback, TCU. BYU likely hasn’t forgotten its previous encounter with Hoover.
Against the Cougars in 2023, Hoover made his first career start, completing 37 of 58 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns.
Since then, Hoover has been one of the top QBs in the Big 12, ranking second in the league this year for both passing yards (2,690) and touchdowns (23).
Hoover may very well be the best passer BYU faces in 2025. Given his team’s rushing limitations, TCU’s offense should be rather one-dimensional and pass-happy, which plays right into Hoover’s strengths.
It will be an uphill battle for the Horned Frogs to win Saturday in Provo, but Hoover is good enough to put the team on his back and score an upset. Thus, BYU’s defense will need to make his life as difficult as possible. Jay Hill vs. Josh Hoover should be a riveting matchup.
Quotable
“We’re still in a good position. These guys have worked really hard. We’re in a really good spot where we can still control our destiny, and that destiny starts with this week, learning from the game over the weekend, and then get over it, knowing that we got to go to work, and see ourselves perform much better this weekend.
“… We understand what’s being said (by outsiders). We never listened to it before, and … now is not the time to (start) to listen to it.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“They’re a big, physical team. It’s a typical BYU team. You know, they’re always built up front. You go back and that’s always been their history, and it looks like that kind of team (this year).
“… And they’re, you know, experienced. They got tons of experience. We went back and looked at the (2023) film, when we played against them, and they got a lot of guys that are still playing that played on that team. Just experienced players, and just an overall really, really impressive football team on both sides of the football.” — TCU coach Sonny Dykes
Next up
- BYU: at Cincinnati on Nov. 22
- TCU: at Houston on Nov. 22
BYU schedule
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