It’s the end of the road for the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. Another loss was the bookend to their season as 5-6 UC did not reach six wins to become bowl-eligible. A post-Thanksgiving beautiful snowy night under the lights at Nippert Stadium was not enough to bring a win against the 7-4 TCU Horned Frogs.
TCU had the first score of the game, followed by a field goal to immediately put them up 10. The Bearcats responded with their run game. Sorsby with a few yards and Kiner with a 46-yard sprint to put the Bearcats in the red zone, and finishing the drive off walking one yard into the end zone.
TCU made great plays in the air for their second score of the game. A slow first half ended with TCU leading 20-7 after missing a field goal.
The second half was just an ugly series of turnovers. Both teams remained stagnant as repeated interceptions and punts left the third quarter scoreless.
The snow started to come down in the fourth quarter. Xzavier Henderson had a tremendous 28-yard catch, just barrel staying in bounds. Sorsby ran for 25, and a few plays later, rammed his way into the end zone. Nathan Hawks missed the extra point. Down by one score with minutes left, the defense held up their end of the bargain with another stop.
Trailing 20-13, snow covered the field as the Bearcats were out of time. Brendan Sorsby threw the Hail Mary pass out of the back of the endzone as time ran out. Despite a scoreless second half, TCU takes home a win as another UC Football season comes to a close.
The 5-7 Bearcats season was less than ideal. Most losses came within a score or were just hard to watch. The season saw a number of decommits and lowered UC’s recruiting rank. According to 247 Sports, the Bearcats are ranked 15th in the Big 12 for recruiting, which does little to support building the program for next season.
Special teams were a big issue. Routine field goals and extra points were missed regularly. An unusual streak of missed pre-halftime kicks spanned three games. Nathan Hawks and Mason Fletcher were not 100%, and at times, cost us the game.
On the bright side, Brendan Sorsby is back for next season. He has proved he is a good leader, a strong runner, and very resilient. He was genuinely so surprising this season. He was not afraid to run the ball and take hard hits, while also being able to be effective while passing. Sorsby is a good candidate to build a team around.
UC has done a fine job using the transfer portal for talent, yet their recruiting needs a lot of work. Recruits left and right are taking advantage of better NIL offers from other schools, which UC is going to have to learn how to deal with quickly to stay competitive.
The Bearcats were never scared or down on themselves during the season. Even when trailing in a game, or after making a crucial mistake, someone on the team would step up with an explosive play to rally the troops. You could truly never count this team out, often climbing back from multiple-score deficits. Kiner, Pryor, Johnson, Mayes, and Henderson were reliable offensive talents who never wavered in their pursuit of a win.
Overall the season was a step in the right direction, improving from a 3-9 record. Unfortunate errors were the culprit this season, and hopefully, a fresh start can breathe new life into this program that has good roots. Satterfield, in his second season with Cincinnati and the Big 12 has some work to do in the offseason.
Charlie Jaeb heads up Bearcat Football coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieJaeb.
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