Four things to know about TCU football’s next opponent, the Cincinnati Bearcats
TCU will close the regular football season against the Cincinnati Bearcats for the second straight season with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The game will be televised on Fox.
Why TCU playing Baylor or No. 5 Texas Tech during rivalry week is a question that we’re all asking, but there’s no time to worry about Big 12 scheduling decisions as the Horned Frogs will face a much improved Cincinnati team.
Last year, the Horned Frogs overcame cold weather and an injury to receiver Jack Bech to outlast Cincinnati 20-13. The Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) won’t have to worry about snow flurries this season, but there is a 70% chance of rain Saturday.
The Bearcats (7-4, 5-3) are trending in the wrong direction with three straight losses, and they’ll seek to close the year on a small high note by snapping the skid against TCU.
The same can be said of the Horned Frogs who snapped their own losing streak with a much-needed win last Saturday at Houston.
Now, TCU will look to go out with a bang in front of its home crowd and potentially improve its bowl destination for December.
Here are four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, the Cincinnati Bearcats:
One final mobile QB?
It seems like TCU has faced a mobile quarterback every single week and Saturday should be no different against Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Just like Houston’s Conner Weigman and BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, Sorsby plays a vital role in Cincinnati’s run game as he has 521 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season on 90 carries.
The Horned Frogs will need to prepare for a steady dose of quarterback power and read options as Sorsby has three games this season with double-digit carries. TCU did a good job last week against Houston’s Weigman on designed runs, but did allow the QB to get loose on a few scrambles . Sorsby is even more athletic than Weigman and it’ll be crucial to keep him in the pocket.
Sorsby has been hit or miss with his accuracy this season as his completion percentage has fallen from 64% to 60%. But he’s been efficient with 24 touchdowns to just five interception after posting 18 touchdowns and seven picks last year.
TCU faced Sorsby last season and its defense limited him to just 160 passing yards , but he did still pick up 93 yards on the ground. TCU knows how to contain Sorsby, they’ll just need to execute.
RB committee
The Bearcats had a bell cow last season with Corey Kiner, but with Kiner gone Cincinnati has leaned on a number of backs to replace him along with the legs of Sorsby. Wisconsin transfer Tawee Walker has emerged as the lead back with 661 yards and four touchdowns this season while averaging a career-high 5.8 yards per carry.
Ohio State transfer Evan Pryor has also emerged as a quality option in the backfield with a career-high 514 yards and three touchdowns. Pryor is also averaging 7 yards per carry and he rushed for 111 yards against Iowa State and 90 against Kansas.
TCU’s run defense ranks fifth in the Big 12 while Cincinnati’s rushing offense also ranks fifth. In a battle of strengths, something has to give.
Playmaking back seven
The strength of Cincinnati’s defense has been its linebackers and safeties this season. Senior linebacker Jake Golday has quietly been one of the most productive linebackers in the conference 101 tackles and tying for a team-high 3.5 sacks.
Tennessee transfer Christian Harrison has had a breakout season with a change of scenery with 63 tackles, a team-high seven passes defended and an interception. Another name to know is Coastal Carolina transfer Matthew McDoom.
McDoom was a four-star transfer portal signee for the Bearcats and one of the most coveted cornerbacks in the portal last off-season. He’s emerged as the Bearcats’ top coverage option this season with four passes defended and an 100-yard interception returned for a touchdown. McDoom will likely be the one to matchup with Eric McAlister and that’ll be one key individual battle to watch.
What’s happened to Cincy?
After defeating Baylor on Oct. 25, the Bearcats were 7-1 and in prime position to shock everyone and reach the Big 12 title game. Since that game Cincinnati has unraveled during its three-game skid. So what happened to the Bearcats?
The easy answer is that the schedule just got much tougher for the Bearcats in November. Two of those losses came to top-15 teams BYU and Utah while the third came to Arizona, who is just outside the AP Top 25. But beyond just playing tougher competition Cincinnati has also seen both its offense and defense take a step back. The Utes scored 45 points and rolled to 267 yards against the Bearcats.
Arizona also rushed for 181 yards while quarterback Noah Fifita had arguably his best game of the season with 294 yards and a touchdown. Fifta averaged 9.5 yards per completion. BYU also ran all over Cincinnati with 265 yards in a game it controlled throughout. In the meantime Sorsby and the offense has averaged just 17.3 points during the losing streak.
Cincinnati’s tumble in November continues a troubling trend under coach Scott Satterfield where the Bearcats are just 1-10 in November since he took over.
