The struggles of TCU have been well documented, but sometimes a fresh, outside perspective is needed. Ahead of the Horned Frogs’ marquee matchup with No. 7 Texas on Saturday, the Star-Telegram reached out to various experts to get their take on what’s gone wrong with TCU football since last year’s magical season. After competing for the national title in January, TCU faces an uphill climb just to reach a bowl game with a 4-5 record. From award-winning reporters to a former player, here’s where they think things went for the Horned Frogs: SHEHAN JEYARAJAH, CBSSPORTS Jeyarajah is a national college football reporter for CBSSports. He recently won first place in the Football Writers of America Association best writing contest for enterprise stories. Jeyarajah is a Baylor alum who covered the Bears under Art and Kendal Briles. On TCU’s struggles this year: “When you look at the run they had last year, it was going to be tough to replicate. This was such a senior heavy team, a group that had been through the mud. When you look at the offensive side of the ball, a lot of that left. Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston and the two interior offensive linemen, I mean there were a lot of holes heading into this year. “When you look back at the Big 12 the last couple of years, there’s always been a team that’s kind of ridden close game luck to the Big 12 title game. It was Baylor in 2021, 2020 it was Iowa State, 2019 it was Baylor, 2018 it was Texas. You look at them that next year and most them finished right around .500. So it’s definitely a tough thing to replicate.” How TCU’s offense has looked: “I think a lot of the issues are just growing pains with the system. You’re seeing it happen at Oklahoma and to some extent at Tennessee without Hendon Hooker. Going back to my team covering those mid-2010s Baylor teams and they had really good offensive line play and good run blocking. The whole system is built on spacing you out and the creating running lanes in that space. “Well TCU hasn’t had that dynamic outside threat to spread the field and I think the other part is this hasn’t been a very good run blocking team. The success has still been there moving the ball between the 20s, but when you get into the red zone it just hasn’t worked. Max Duggan was a huge red zone player for them last year and they just don’t have it this year.” Does TCU need to make a change on defense? “I don’t know whether they need to go and make a change, but I think Joe Gillespie needs to come up with a new plan. When you look at the Big 12 teams are getting heavier and running more heavier sets with more tight ends. The 3-3-5 is a system built take away more pace and space offenses. I think the league is changing and can Gillespie change with it or is he more of a system guy? I think that’s the question Sonny Dykes needs to find an answer to this offseason.”