TCU closes 2024 regular season on win streak

TCU football stays hot in the snow at Cincinnati.

By Emil Asaf, Staff Writer

Published Nov 30, 2024

CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 30: Texas Christian Horned Frogs Wide Receiver Savion Williams (3) rushes for a touchdown during the college football game between the Texas Christian Horned Frogs and the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 30, 2024, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

The TCU Horned Frogs beat the Cincinnati Bearcats in a close matchup at Nippert Stadium to finish the college football regular season.

The 20-13 win makes it three in a row for TCU, who also won five of their last six games.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, closed its season on a five-game losing streak.

The post-Thanksgiving contest began with a muffed punt for Cincinnati, recovered by TCU deep in opponent territory.

This costly special teams mistake led directly to a rushing touchdown for wide receiver Savion Williams, giving the Frogs a 7-0 lead.

Williams extended the TCU lead to 17-7 with another rushing touchdown a few possessions later, and the Horned Frogs never trailed on the scoreboard.

CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 30: Texas Christian Horned Frogs Quarterback Josh Hoover (10) escapes the sack of Cincinnati Bearcats Linebacker Jack Dingle (49) during the college football game between the Texas Christian Horned Frogs and the Cincinnati Bearcats on Nov. 30, 2024, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

In the backfield as a running back or wildcat quarterback, Williams has now scored five touchdowns on the ground in the last three games.

True freshman quarterback Hauss Hejny also shined tonight, especially in a late fourth-quarter drive to milk the clock.

He appeared the entirety of a 4-minute drive, rushing for 35 yards on QB-power style plays.

Despite the offense settling for a punt by Ethan Craw, his excellent kick pinned the Bearcats on their three-yard line with only seconds to go and no timeouts.

Throughout the matchup, it was important for the Horned Frogs to establish the run game in the freezing conditions. TCU rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

A new dynamic quarterback duo was also potentially born today as Josh Hoover continued his season’s excellence alongside Hejny.

Hoover threw for 212 yards tonight and has 3,697 yards in 2024, the second-most in TCU history for a single season.

The effort from the defense was a crucial part of the victory as well.

Late in the second quarter, safety Abe Camara forced a Bearcats fumble on a vicious hit, recovered by defensive lineman Caleb Fox.

TCU defensive lineman Caleb Fox (90), offensive lineman Ben Taylor-Whitfield (56) and head coach Sonny Dykes run out of the tunnel with the rest of the team before the game against Central Florida in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez) (Richard W. Rodriguez)

Cincinnati’s fourth-quarter comeback bid was thwarted by cornerback Channing Canada’s interception in the end zone, followed by a final stop as time expired.

TCU won the turnover battle by two, and the overall defensive unit limited Cincinnati to 160 passing yards in addition to the takeaways.

Overall, the effort in both phases by the Frogs led to a wire-to-wire victory in the snow.

TCU moved to 8-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play in 2024 as the team awaits a bowl game bid. Head coach Sony Dykes is now 26-13 over three years leading the Horned Frogs.