TCU jumps to early lead, weathers second half rally for 20-13 win

CINCINNATI -- — TCU used a 20-point first half against Cincinnati's maligned defense, then hung on for a 20-13 win over the Bearcats on Saturday night.

Already bowl eligible, the Horned Frogs (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) end 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," TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “(I'm proud of) the team’s resilience and toughness in bouncing back from injuries and nagging issues.”

The Bearcats (5-7, 3-5), on the other hand, suffered their fifth straight loss to end the regular season 5-7. Barring something crazy, the Bearcats will not 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 ending without a bowl game appearance.

Turnovers haunted the Bearcats, once again, on a snow-covered field at Nippert Stadium. 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'm) extremely disappointed,” Satterfield said. “We tried to stop the first punt from rolling and it costed us seven (points). We then became gun shy in the special game. We put our defense in some unfortunate situations tonight.”

In the zone

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover picked apart Cincinnati’s zone defense on Saturday night, finding the soft spots of the Bearcats coverage.

Hoover finished the night 18-of-35 passing for 212 yards and a 96.6 passer rating and didn't seem fazed by the cold or the snow Saturday night.

I’m from Texas. I’ve seen snow maybe 10 times. It definitely beats rain 10 out of 10 times," Hoover said. "The ball didn’t really get slick much and I wasn’t that cold ever throughout the game.”

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

Receptions record

Bearcats tight end Joe Royer, a transfer from Ohio State this past 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 held by Travis Kelce set in 2012.

“Playing at Cincinnati saved my football career," Royer said. “There were times at Ohio State where 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, concluding a season where he caught 50 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns. He said after the game that he doesn't have an immediate answer on his future as far as coming back to Cincinnati or entering the NFL Draft.

Long cold winter ahead

After five straight seasons where the Bearcats clinched bowl eligibility, the Bearcats will now be watching bowl season from the couch for the second straight season. While other teams prepare for bowl games, the Bearcats will start attacking the transfer portal and enter their Winter program ahead of Spring practice next March.

“We are going to evaluate every aspect of the personnel over the next few weeks,” Satterfield said. "We are going to address the special teams that’s for sure.”

Cincinnati was 5-2 through seven games this season, only needing one more win to clinch bowl eligibility. But a loss at Colorado back on Oct. 26 began a five-game losing streak that ultimately ended the Bearcats season.

Up next

TCU: The Horned Frogs await a bowl invitation.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats begin offseason activities.

------

AP college football: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football