TCU football had No. 10 BYU within reach Saturday night, but Jaden Craig and the Horned Frogs couldn’t turn a stout defensive effort into an upset. Bear Bachmeier ran for both Cougars touchdowns in a 17-10 victory at Amon G. Carter Stadium, leaving TCU with another close loss and a 0-2 start in Big 12 play.

Kari Ashley gave the Horned Frogs their biggest offensive spark, catching six passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Craig completed 18 of 25 throws for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jeremy Payne added 77 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The interception changed the evening. With neither team scoring in the first quarter, BYU safety Faletau Satuala picked off Craig on fourth down and returned the ball 59 yards. That handed the Cougars a short field, and Bachmeier eventually finished the possession with a 9-yard touchdown run.

TCU answered before halftime. Craig found Ashley for a 13-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining, completing an eight-play, 76-yard drive that sent the teams into the break tied 7-7. It was the kind of sustained possession the Horned Frogs needed more often.

BYU moved back ahead on a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter. TCU had a chance to erase that three-point deficit in the fourth, but Nate McCashland missed from 46 yards. The Cougars then delivered the possession that decided the game.

Bachmeier’s 21-yard touchdown run with 2:06 left pushed BYU’s advantage to 17-7. McCashland made a 44-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining, but TCU couldn’t recover the ensuing onside kick.

The frustration for TCU is clear in the numbers. The Horned Frogs outgained BYU 259-216 and limited Bachmeier to 62 passing yards. Even after Cougars running back LJ Martin left with an apparent lower leg injury, however, BYU found enough production on the ground to finish.

TCU drops to 2-3 overall, while BYU improves to 4-0 and 2-0 in conference play. The Horned Frogs now have an open week before visiting Baylor on Oct. 17. Their defense gave them a chance Saturday; converting those chances into points remains the urgent task.

Ashley’s receiving performance showed TCU could create openings against a ranked opponent. The challenge now is sustaining that production and avoiding mistakes that leave the defense protecting short fields.