TCU Closes 2025 Regular Season with Statement Win - and a Reminder of What Could’ve Been
If you caught both ends of TCU’s 2025 season - from the fireworks in Chapel Hill on Labor Day to the dismantling of Cincinnati in Fort Worth this weekend - you’d be forgiven for thinking this team had steamrolled its way to Arlington with an unbeaten record and a College Football Playoff berth in hand. That’s the kind of ceiling this team flashed in the opener and again in the finale. And that’s exactly why the in-between - the missed chances, the flat performances, the games that slipped away - has left such a sour taste for Horned Frogs fans.
Saturday’s win over Cincinnati wasn’t just a feel-good sendoff. It was a full-throttle realization of what this team could be when everything clicks.
TCU rolled up 544 yards of total offense, scored on all four red zone trips, and dominated the Bearcats in every phase of the game. Quarterback Josh Hoover was lights-out, going 19-of-22 for 306 yards and four touchdowns - mistake-free, confident, and in full command.
The offensive line gave him time, the receivers found space, and the ground game? The best it’s looked since 2022.
Defensively, TCU brought the heat. Cincinnati came in allowing just four sacks all season.
The Frogs got to Brendan Sorsby three times and added three more quarterback hurries for good measure. The defense even capitalized on the chaos, recovering a muffed punt and scooping up a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
Toss in a 90-minute lightning delay, and this was still about as complete a performance as you’ll see.
But here’s the kicker: it only makes the missed opportunities sting more. The narrow losses to Arizona State and Iowa State, the flat showings against BYU and Kansas State - they weren’t just bumps in the road.
They were season-defining stumbles that kept this team from realizing its full potential. And now, with the regular season wrapped, that weight is going to hang over the returning players and coaches heading into 2026.
The talent is there. The flashes are real.
But consistency? That’s the next step.
Eric McAlister: Quietly Becoming a TCU Legend
Not every great player gets the national spotlight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t belong in the conversation. Eric McAlister is putting together one of the best receiving seasons in TCU history - and he’s doing it with a calm, workmanlike consistency that’s been nothing short of elite.
On Saturday, McAlister hit the century mark for the sixth time this season, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. That brings his season total to 64 receptions for 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns - numbers that aren’t just good, they’re historic. He’s now tied for fifth in single-season receptions at TCU, second in receiving yards behind only Josh Doctson’s 1,327 in 2015, and third in touchdown catches behind Doctson’s 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
And there’s still a bowl game to go.
If McAlister suits up one more time, he’ll have a shot at rewriting the Horned Frogs’ record books. He’s already the runaway Big 12 leader in receiving yards - with a 410-yard cushion over the next closest player - and there’s no question he deserves First Team All-Big 12 honors.
All-American consideration? Absolutely.
He’s earned it.
The Payne Train Rolls On
Sometimes, it really is that simple: run the ball, win the game.
TCU ran it 52 times on Saturday. That’s not a typo - fifty-two rushing attempts in a game that looked like a throwback to the early 2000s.
And it worked. The Frogs piled up 238 yards on the ground, punched in two rushing touchdowns, and controlled the game from start to finish.
Leading the charge was sophomore Jeremy Payne, who looked every bit like a future star. Payne carried the ball 26 times for 174 yards and two scores, adding a 44-yard reception just for good measure. It was the most dominant rushing performance by a TCU back since Kendre Miller’s 185-yard, three-touchdown day against Texas Tech in 2021.
And this wasn’t a one-off. Payne cracked the 100-yard mark last week against Houston too, making it back-to-back statement games heading into what should be a breakout junior year in 2026.
He ran with vision, power, and patience - the kind of traits you want in a feature back. But he didn’t do it alone.
Jon Denman and Nate Palmer chipped in with 62 tough yards on 18 combined carries, helping TCU move the chains and stay on schedule.
It’s also worth noting: every time TCU hit 35 or more rushing attempts this season - UNC, Colorado, SMU, Houston, Baylor, and now Cincinnati - they came out on top. There’s a blueprint here. And it starts with pounding the rock.
This win doesn’t erase the frustrations of 2025. But it does show what’s possible when this team plays to its potential.
With a bowl game still to come and a talented core returning, the Frogs have a chance to use this as a springboard into something bigger. The pieces are there.
Now it’s about putting them together - consistently, confidently, and with purpose.