Cincinnati's regular season concluded Saturday with a 45–23 road loss at TCU in a game shaped early by explosive Horned Frog scoring plays, a lengthy weather delay, and a dominant TCU rushing attack that steadily pulled away. Despite three touchdown passes and 287 total yards from quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the Bearcats were unable to keep pace with TCU’s efficiency.

 

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover completed 19-of-22 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns to compliment a dominant rushing performance by sophomore Jeremy Payne, who totaled 174 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

 

(Photo: Christopher Torres / Ft Worth Star Telegram)

 

Cincinnati opened the game by failing to convert a 4th-and-1 from their own 34, allowing TCU to operate with a short field and gain momentum early. 

 

“We got behind early in the game by 14 and then we fight and fall to get back in and never really could do it… We just didn’t play well enough tonight," Satterfield said following the game. 

 

TCU totaled 544 yards of offense, including 238 yards rushing. The Bearcats were dominated both on the ground and through the air. 

 

"Really just didn’t slow them down much tonight—running or throwing," Satterfield explained. "And once you get down two scores it’s hard to be able to come back. Give them credit: We had a good football team and we didn’t play well enough tonight."

First Quarter: TCU Strikes Early, Lightning Halts the Game

TCU opened the game with an 8-play touchdown drive capped by a 3-yard pass to Joseph Manjack IV at 9:51. Moments later, lightning forced a 1 hour, 33-minute delay, freezing Cincinnati’s response before it truly began.

 

Satterfield acknowledged the role the forecast played in UC’s aggressive early approach:

 

“We wanted to come in the game and be aggressive early… we took the ball first knowing a storm was getting ready to come. You don’t know what’s going to happen after that—slick field, wet, weather, wind.”

 

When play resumed, TCU struck again with a 17-yard TD to Eric McAlister (8 catches, 101 yards), pushing the lead to 14–0. Cincinnati countered with a 75-yard scoring drive ending in Brendan Sorsby’s 26-yard TD pass to Evan Pryor at 1:53 to make it 14–7.

 

But TCU answered right back: Josh Hoover hit Jordan Dwyer for a 69-yard touchdown at 0:45, making it 21–7 after one and preventing UC from building momentum.

Second Quarter: Bearcats Hang In, But TCU Keeps the Upper Hand

Cincinnati again climbed within a touchdown when Jeff Caldwell hauled in a 14-yard TD from Sorsby to open the second quarter. But UC could never get the stop it needed.

 

TCU added a field goal, UC answered with a field goal, and the Bearcats trailed 24–17 entering the final minutes of the half. But the final possession of the second quarter proved pivotal: Jeremy Payne’s 9-yard TD run with 23 seconds left reestablished a two-score Frogs lead, 31–17.

 

(Photo: Christopher Torres / Ft Worth Star Telegram)

 

Satterfield pointed to late-half breakdowns as a critical turning point:

 

“Once they got the score and got it out of hand right there, it was just hard to claw back in. They’ve got a good football team… we just didn’t play good enough to hang in there.”

Third Quarter: TCU Pulls Away

TCU began the second half with another long touchdown drive. Hoover’s 44-yard TD strike to Dwyer stretched the lead to 38–17. Cincinnati’s offense mustered little in response, running only 10 plays in the period.

 

Defensively, UC struggled with alignment, injuries, and tackling—issues Satterfield again highlighted:

 

“We have not tackled well… the last four weeks. And if we don’t tackle well, they’re going to get first downs… stay on drives and ultimately score points.”

 

Satterfield continued.

 

"Tonight we just—we got beat up. We were beat up at linebacker, at safety. You know, we're trying to rotate guys and then the subs that came in got beat up and then, you know, we just about run out of bodies there toward the end of the game.”

 

Fourth Quarter: UC Shows Life, Payne Slams the Door

Cincinnati opened the fourth with one of its best series of the night: a 94-yard drive ending in Sorsby’s 35-yard TD pass to Cyrus Allen at 12:47. The two-point try failed, leaving the deficit at 38–23.

 

Sorsby's 41-yard scramble helped improve UC's field position and ultimately set up the touchdown to Allen.

 

(Photo: UC Athletics)

 

Just over two minutes later, Payne delivered the final blow—a 51-yard touchdown run to make it 45–23.

 

The loss dropped Cincinnati to 7-5 (5-4 Big 12) and marked the second season in a row that the Bearcats have started off strong and failed to finish, losing four consecutive games to close out the regular season.

 

"These are really good football teams that we felt like we had an opportunity, a chance to go beat. Did not play well enough," Satterfield explained when asked about another losing streak to conclude the regular season. 

 

“We're not good enough to make mistakes and still go win. Our program is not at that point yet. We can't turn the football over and still be good enough to go win football games, because all these teams here at the end are good.”

 

So where does Cincinnati go from here while they await the announcement of which bowl game they'll play in?

 

"You got to find a way to go win. We got to do a great job in our recruiting and the portal for next season to continue to enhance our roster, continue to get better," Satterfield explained. "We got to look at our scheme and figure out what can we do better.”

 

Despite the loss, Satterfield feels there's still plenty to build on to gain momentum heading into the offseason.

 

“There’s a lot of reasons why we can be excited about this program, this team. We're making the right steps. We just got into a brand new building in August. For two years in this conference, we were one of the worst facilities in the country at the power level… didn't have a practice field, didn’t have an indoor, didn’t have the facilities. We just got there. It's awesome. It's tremendous—one of the best in the country.”

 

Satterfield continued.

 

“We are working toward something I think special here. This is a great place with great people… we're headed the right direction. It just takes a lot of work. It doesn't happen overnight. We're trending in the right direction.”

 

Status of Brendan Sorsby Moving Forward

Brendan Sorsby delivered another productive outing— three total touchdowns, 282 passing yards, 59 rushing yards on 10 carries, and zero turnovers — but his postgame tone told a different story. Sorsby was visibly frustrated, repeatedly pointing to stalled momentum and the team’s inability to answer TCU’s scoring runs.

 

“Losing sucks… felt like we were in it and then things started to stack against us. Didn’t respond very well.”

 

Sorsby defended the offense’s overall performance but emphasized the need for consistency.

“We kept moving the ball. We just got to find a way to keep moving the ball again and again.”

 

But the biggest storyline — and the one to monitor in the coming weeks — came when Sorsby addressed his future. With rumors circulating that several programs have already begun gauging his interest in transferring, he did little to shut them down. Asked about playing in a bowl game or returning next season, he gave a measured, noncommittal answer.

 

“Yeah, I haven't really thought about that. We don't even know what we'll be playing in. I have to talk to the coaches, my family, agent… a lot of stuff is going to be changing.”

Final Thoughts

Cincinnati showed flashes of offensive explosiveness in Fort Worth, but defensive struggles—tackling issues, injuries, and a lack of stops in key moments—proved overwhelming against a TCU team that dominated the line of scrimmage.

 

Cincinnati still has a chance to regroup, get healthy, and salvage momentum with a bowl appearance. But the coming weeks will be pivotal — not only for on-field preparation, but for roster retention, recruiting, and ensuring players like Sorsby believe the program’s upward trajectory continues. The season may not have ended the way the Bearcats hoped, but what happens next could define the direction of the program far more than one storm-delayed night in Fort Worth.

 

Game Highlights:

 

Postgame Video: Satterfield, Tengesdahl, Peek JR, Sorsby