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When TCU football hosts Cincinnati in its regular-season finale at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Fox, the Horned Frogs are expecting to see a much better team than the one it beat 20-13 last season.
At one point this season, Cincinnati (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) looked like it might be the best team in the Big 12, but the Bearcats have since come back down to Earth, in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
TCU (7-4, 4-4) has already learned that a team on a losing streak is a still a dangerous opponent after Iowa State snapped its four-game skid against the Horned Frogs on Nov. 8.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said he doesn’t see a Cincinnati team that is struggling; he sees a team full of playmakers.
“I think they’re better. I think they’re further along,” Dykes said Tuesday. “I think they’re more diverse offensively than they were [last year]. They have a lot of the same guys on defense. They had a lot of returning starters and a lot of experience.
“They’re a really good football team. That’s a team that was 7-1 and I think in the top 15. They’ve played a tough schedule down the stretch. They’ve lost games to really good football teams.”
Dykes isn’t wrong. The Bearcats have gone through a three-game gauntlet of No. 14 Utah, Arizona and No. 11 BYU in the past three games.
TCU hopes to not provide a reprieve for the Bearcats as it aims to close the season strong after defeating previously ranked Houston last Saturday.
There are some similarities between the Bearcats and Cougars, starting with the heavy reliance on the quarterback in the run game. Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the conference and continues the Horned Frogs’ trend of facing mobile quarterbacks this season.
“This is the best quarterback league in college football,” Dykes said. “Just from an experience and diverse skill set standpoint. You look back last week, Houston’s quarterback [Conner Weigman], think about all the big plays he had running and getting out of the pocket.
“We’re going to have the same thing this week with Sorsby. He can run, he does a good job of knowing when to run. He’s got experience. … He’s a very smart football player and seldom puts the ball in jeopardy.”
On the season, Sorsby has 2,518 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 521 yards and nine touchdowns. Four of his interceptions have come in the past three games.
Sorsby is supported by a solid group of skill players led by running backs Tawee Walker (661 yards, four TDs) and Evan Pryor (514 yards, three TDs).
Cincinnati also has an underrated receiver room led by Cyrus Allen (623 yards, 11 TDs). The Bearcats have three other receivers averaging at least 15 yards per reception.
“They’re fast. All the guys are interchangeable,” TCU cornerback Vernon Glover said. “They all can play slot or outside. All the guys got speed. We’re going to have to do what we always do.”
Cincinnati’s defense has taken a step back during the losing streak, but when the Bearcats are at their best they have shown they can slow down explosive offenses. Before the losing streak, Cincinnati held six of its first eight opponents to 20 points or fewer.
The success of the defense starts up front with senior defensive lineman Dontay Corleone.
Nicknamed “The Godfather,” Corleone was a preseason All-American and has been selected All-Big 12 multiple times in his career. He’s not having the same production this season, but TCU’s offensive line believes he could be the biggest challenge the unit has faced outside of BYU.
“When he wants to go, he can go,” TCU offensive lineman Coltin Deery said. “Corleone is a great player. He’s quick, he’s got a motor. We’ve just got to stay on top of him and not let him go where he wans to go. Displace him and go to work.”
Cincinnati also has one of the league’s best linebackers, senior Jake Golday, who leads the team with 102 tackles, and a plethora of hard-hitting safeties who will fly down in run support. The top cover corner is senior Matthew McDoom, a Coastal Carolina transfer who has a 100-yard pick-six this season.
It should be another tight battle between teams that have flashed the potential of being two of the best teams in the league while also showing flashes of being among the most disappointing.
Which team will play up its potential? That will ultimately decide this one.
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Steven Johnson
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