Bearcats fall to TCU, 20-13; End of the season with 5 defeats in a row

TCU capitalized on 20 first-half points against Cincinnati’s vicious defense and then secured a 20-13 victory over the Bearcats on Saturday night.

The Horned Frogs (8-4, 6-3 Big 12), already bowl eligible, finished the regular season with three straight wins and five wins in their last six games.

“I’m proud of our team for winning five of the last six games,” said TCU coach Sonny Dykes. “(I’m proud of) the team’s resilience and toughness to bounce back from injuries and nagging issues.”

The Bearcats (5-7, 3-5), however, suffered their fifth straight loss and finished the regular season at 5-7. Unless something crazy happens, the Bearcats won’t be bowl eligible for the second straight season. Two seasons in the Big 12 and with head coach Scott Satterfield leading the program; Two seasons ended without a bowl game appearance.

On a snow-covered field at Nippert Stadium, the Bearcats were again hit by failures. Cincinnati turned the ball over three times, including two fumbles in the first half. Both fumbles gave TCU short fields, which the Horned Frogs took advantage of with 10 points.

“(I am) extremely disappointed,” Satterfield said. “We tried to keep the first punt rolling and that cost us seven (points). In the special game we became gun shy. We put our defense in some unfortunate situations tonight.”

In the zone

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover picked apart Cincinnati’s zone defense Saturday night and found the weak spots in the Bearcats coverage.

Hoover finished the evening completing 18 of 35 passes for 212 yards and a passer rating of 96.6 and didn’t appear to be fazed by the cold and snow Saturday night.

I’m from Texas. I’ve seen snow maybe ten times. “10 times out of 10 it’s definitely better than rain,” Hoover said. “The ball didn’t really get slippery and I never felt that cold during the entire game.”

In 12 games this season, Hoover has 3,697 passing yards, including six 300-yard games, and 23 touchdown passes.

Recording of receptions

Bearcats tight end Joe Royer, a transfer from Ohio State last offseason, set the program’s single-season record for receptions by a tight end. His four-yard reception early in the third quarter was his 46th reception of the season, breaking the previous record of 45 set by Travis Kelce in 2012.

“Playing at Cincinnati saved my football career,” Royer said. “There were times at Ohio State when I thought I might not play again. I can’t thank this (Bearcats) coaching staff enough.”

Royer finished the night with seven receptions for 32 yards, capping a season in which he caught 50 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns. He said after the game that he had no immediate answer about his future, whether it was a return to Cincinnati or entering the NFL Draft.

A long, cold winter is ahead of us

After five straight seasons of earning bowl eligibility, the Bearcats will now watch bowl season from the couch for the second straight season. As other teams prepare for bowl games, the Bearcats will begin attacking the transfer portal and getting into their winter program before spring practice next March.

“We will be evaluating every aspect of staffing over the next few weeks,” Satterfield said. “We will certainly turn to the special teams.”

Cincinnati was 5-2 in seven games this season and needed just one more win to secure bowl eligibility. But a loss to Colorado on Oct. 26 began a five-game losing streak that ultimately ended the Bearcats’ season.

Next

TCU: The Horned Frogs are waiting for a bowl invitation.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats begin offseason activities.