TicketsWhen the Bearcats defend Nippert Stadium for the final time this season, the goal is simple: Win and go bowling.
While many schools nationwide participate in Rivalry Week, standing across from Cincinnati on Saturday will not be a historical and despised rival. It will be the TCU Horned Frogs, in only the fourth matchup between the two programs. TCU has already clinched a postseason berth and will look to even the record in a series Cincinnati currently leads 2-1.
There is no hatred or disdain between the two schools. If anything, there may be some companionship and respect. That's because, if you look back at the history of both programs, especially in the last couple of decades, there are more similarities than you would expect.
When the Bearcats were officially announced to join Conference USA in 1995, there was reason for excitement. The football team would be in a conference for the first time in more than two decades, and multi-million dollar television deals were signed with ESPN and Liberty to broadcast both football and basketball games outside of the conference. Everything seemed to be falling into place for a football program that found itself near the verge of destruction multiple times over the previous 50 years.
Over the next two seasons, led by Rick Minter, Cincinnati enjoyed back-to-back winning records to open their tenure in C-USA, which was not a common occurrence in the later part of the 20th century for UC football. The 1997 season was capped off with the first bowl appearance in more than 45 years––a 35-19 victory over Utah State in the Humanitarian Bowl. It was only the third time since 1970 that Cincinnati notched an 8-win campaign. Unfortunately, the well dried up to end the millennium. The Bearcats went 5-17, and 1-11 in conference play, over the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
It was around this time, however, that the C-USA was looking to expand its horizons. UAB joined the football side of things in 1999 after already being a non-football member, and both East Carolina and Navy joined as football affiliates in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The league didn't stop there, voting in 1999 for one more school to join the conference in 2001.
Texas Christian University won the invite. At the time, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference and were coming off a Sun Bowl appearance in 1998. Conference commissioner Mike Slive was trying to "build as good a league as we can across the board," and felt the addition of TCU was the way to do so.
While TCU played the waiting game in 2000 and officially joined in 2001, Cincinnati finished with two respectable 7-5 seasons to open the 2000s. In the first season as fellow members of C-USA in 2001, the schools did not cross paths. However, the two teams squared off on September 2nd, 2002 in the season opener.
To start, the Bearcats' defense of Nippert Stadium was not going very well. After sophomore quarterback Gino Guidugli started 5-for-5 (including a 75-yard touchdown to Jon Olinger on the first play from scrimmage), he threw two interceptions in the first half that resulted in field goals for the Horned Frogs. Then, after a DeMarco McCleskey fumble, TCU improved their lead with a 42-yard strike from Sean Stilley to Reggie Holts. The Bearcats could not respond on the ensuing drive and promptly punted, which TCU ran back for a 70-yard touchdown. In a first half where the Bearcats were "generally humbled" according to Marc Lancaster of the Cincinnati Post, Rick Minter's side went into the locker room down 20-7.
After a Zach Norton sack-fumble, the Bearcats opened the scoring in the second half with a McCleskey touchdown, cutting the deficit to six. However, the uphill battle became even steeper, as TCU kicker Nick Browne kicked three consecutive field goals, bringing his total to a school record of five on the day. Between these drives for the Horned Frogs were two more Guidugli interceptions, bringing his total to four on the day.
At this point, Cincinnati was down 29-14 with eight minutes left. Things looked bleak, at least to the crowd that was in Nippert that day. A "healthy number of fans" started filing out of the stadium, anticipating a loss to open the season. However, Guidugli would not let that be the case.
After a big play to Tye Keith to set UC up in TCU territory, the Bearcats punched it in from 4 yards out on a 3rd-and-goal, thanks to Richard Hall. Hall, a freshman, had not touched a football in a game in more than three years and was only in the backfield due to injuries to McCleskey and reserve running back Tedric Harwell. Still, the Bearcats would gladly take points in any way they could get them. TCU went three-and-out on the next drive, giving Guidugli and the offense a chance to complete the comeback down 29-21 with 3:19 remaining.
It didn't take long to even the score. LaDaris Vann scored from 35 yards out and set up a crucial two-point attempt for Cincinnati. The first two tries were negated by TCU penalties, inching the line of scrimmage closer and closer to the end zone. Guidugli took matters into his own hands and converted on a quarterback sneak from mere inches out. The Horned Frogs elected to take things into overtime, and UC got the ball first to open the period. Guidugli found Vann on a 3rd-and-5, then scored on a draw play from 14 yards out to give the Bearcats their first lead since the first quarter. Two plays later, Doug Monaghan picked off Sean Stilley and was immediately mobbed by the team in front of the goal line.
The final score in overtime: Bearcats 36, Horned Frogs 29. "If you hung this win on your wall, you'd never have guests." wrote Paul Daugherty of the Enquirer. This proved to be a crucial win for Cincinnati, as the comeback enabled them to share the C-USA title with TCU, their first conference crown since 1964.
The next year, a matchup in Fort Worth, did not have a miraculous ending for the visiting Bearcats. Instead, they were dismantled 43-10 by TCU, who were 9-0 and ranked #10 in the country heading into the showdown. After a respectable 20-10 lead at halftime, the Horned Frogs took it from there, scoring 23 unanswered points and suffocating the Bearcats' offense, only allowing 89 total rush yards. After the game, the TCU crowd responded by throwing bags of Tostitos chips in celebration, hopeful that the program would appear in the Fiesta Bowl.
The third and most recent matchup between the two took place on October 30th, 2004, back in Nippert. In front of the Homecoming crowd, led by first-year coach Mark Dantonio, the Bearcats defense got some payback for the disaster the year before, and stifled a TCU offense that was second-best in the conference heading into the game. Hall, who only had one carry the last time the two schools faced off in Cincinnati, was the focal point on offense now. He registered 143 yards on 29 attempts, including a 64-yard scamper to the end zone in the second quarter. The offense scored three touchdowns in the first half and cruised from there behind a defense that allowed just 10 points.
This would be the last time the two schools would face off as opponents in Conference USA. Amid the C-USA shakeup in the mid-2000s, Cincinnati left for the Big East, and TCU departed for the Mountain West.
While the games between the two would cease for 20 years, there would be a few times the schools would be tied together in the football world, most notably in 2009. After both programs had incredible campaigns (each went 12-0 and won their respective conferences) in the regular season, both felt they had a legitimate claim to qualify for that year's BCS National Championship. Unfortunately, due to the infamous "One Second Left" field goal in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game, Texas earned the spot and faced Alabama in the National Championship instead. Cincinnati and TCU were given BCS bowl trips.
TCU would officially join the Big 12 in 2012, and Cincinnati followed suit in 2023. On Saturday, when the two face off, both the stakes of the game for Cincinnati and the history behind the matchups are relatively easy to explain. Let's hope this time around the game will be pretty enough for the Bearcats to hang up on the wall.
While many schools nationwide participate in Rivalry Week, standing across from Cincinnati on Saturday will not be a historical and despised rival. It will be the TCU Horned Frogs, in only the fourth matchup between the two programs. TCU has already clinched a postseason berth and will look to even the record in a series Cincinnati currently leads 2-1.
There is no hatred or disdain between the two schools. If anything, there may be some companionship and respect. That's because, if you look back at the history of both programs, especially in the last couple of decades, there are more similarities than you would expect.
When the Bearcats were officially announced to join Conference USA in 1995, there was reason for excitement. The football team would be in a conference for the first time in more than two decades, and multi-million dollar television deals were signed with ESPN and Liberty to broadcast both football and basketball games outside of the conference. Everything seemed to be falling into place for a football program that found itself near the verge of destruction multiple times over the previous 50 years.
Over the next two seasons, led by Rick Minter, Cincinnati enjoyed back-to-back winning records to open their tenure in C-USA, which was not a common occurrence in the later part of the 20th century for UC football. The 1997 season was capped off with the first bowl appearance in more than 45 years––a 35-19 victory over Utah State in the Humanitarian Bowl. It was only the third time since 1970 that Cincinnati notched an 8-win campaign. Unfortunately, the well dried up to end the millennium. The Bearcats went 5-17, and 1-11 in conference play, over the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
It was around this time, however, that the C-USA was looking to expand its horizons. UAB joined the football side of things in 1999 after already being a non-football member, and both East Carolina and Navy joined as football affiliates in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The league didn't stop there, voting in 1999 for one more school to join the conference in 2001.
Texas Christian University won the invite. At the time, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference and were coming off a Sun Bowl appearance in 1998. Conference commissioner Mike Slive was trying to "build as good a league as we can across the board," and felt the addition of TCU was the way to do so.
While TCU played the waiting game in 2000 and officially joined in 2001, Cincinnati finished with two respectable 7-5 seasons to open the 2000s. In the first season as fellow members of C-USA in 2001, the schools did not cross paths. However, the two teams squared off on September 2nd, 2002 in the season opener.
To start, the Bearcats' defense of Nippert Stadium was not going very well. After sophomore quarterback Gino Guidugli started 5-for-5 (including a 75-yard touchdown to Jon Olinger on the first play from scrimmage), he threw two interceptions in the first half that resulted in field goals for the Horned Frogs. Then, after a DeMarco McCleskey fumble, TCU improved their lead with a 42-yard strike from Sean Stilley to Reggie Holts. The Bearcats could not respond on the ensuing drive and promptly punted, which TCU ran back for a 70-yard touchdown. In a first half where the Bearcats were "generally humbled" according to Marc Lancaster of the Cincinnati Post, Rick Minter's side went into the locker room down 20-7.
After a Zach Norton sack-fumble, the Bearcats opened the scoring in the second half with a McCleskey touchdown, cutting the deficit to six. However, the uphill battle became even steeper, as TCU kicker Nick Browne kicked three consecutive field goals, bringing his total to a school record of five on the day. Between these drives for the Horned Frogs were two more Guidugli interceptions, bringing his total to four on the day.
At this point, Cincinnati was down 29-14 with eight minutes left. Things looked bleak, at least to the crowd that was in Nippert that day. A "healthy number of fans" started filing out of the stadium, anticipating a loss to open the season. However, Guidugli would not let that be the case.
After a big play to Tye Keith to set UC up in TCU territory, the Bearcats punched it in from 4 yards out on a 3rd-and-goal, thanks to Richard Hall. Hall, a freshman, had not touched a football in a game in more than three years and was only in the backfield due to injuries to McCleskey and reserve running back Tedric Harwell. Still, the Bearcats would gladly take points in any way they could get them. TCU went three-and-out on the next drive, giving Guidugli and the offense a chance to complete the comeback down 29-21 with 3:19 remaining.
It didn't take long to even the score. LaDaris Vann scored from 35 yards out and set up a crucial two-point attempt for Cincinnati. The first two tries were negated by TCU penalties, inching the line of scrimmage closer and closer to the end zone. Guidugli took matters into his own hands and converted on a quarterback sneak from mere inches out. The Horned Frogs elected to take things into overtime, and UC got the ball first to open the period. Guidugli found Vann on a 3rd-and-5, then scored on a draw play from 14 yards out to give the Bearcats their first lead since the first quarter. Two plays later, Doug Monaghan picked off Sean Stilley and was immediately mobbed by the team in front of the goal line.
The final score in overtime: Bearcats 36, Horned Frogs 29. "If you hung this win on your wall, you'd never have guests." wrote Paul Daugherty of the Enquirer. This proved to be a crucial win for Cincinnati, as the comeback enabled them to share the C-USA title with TCU, their first conference crown since 1964.
The next year, a matchup in Fort Worth, did not have a miraculous ending for the visiting Bearcats. Instead, they were dismantled 43-10 by TCU, who were 9-0 and ranked #10 in the country heading into the showdown. After a respectable 20-10 lead at halftime, the Horned Frogs took it from there, scoring 23 unanswered points and suffocating the Bearcats' offense, only allowing 89 total rush yards. After the game, the TCU crowd responded by throwing bags of Tostitos chips in celebration, hopeful that the program would appear in the Fiesta Bowl.
The third and most recent matchup between the two took place on October 30th, 2004, back in Nippert. In front of the Homecoming crowd, led by first-year coach Mark Dantonio, the Bearcats defense got some payback for the disaster the year before, and stifled a TCU offense that was second-best in the conference heading into the game. Hall, who only had one carry the last time the two schools faced off in Cincinnati, was the focal point on offense now. He registered 143 yards on 29 attempts, including a 64-yard scamper to the end zone in the second quarter. The offense scored three touchdowns in the first half and cruised from there behind a defense that allowed just 10 points.
This would be the last time the two schools would face off as opponents in Conference USA. Amid the C-USA shakeup in the mid-2000s, Cincinnati left for the Big East, and TCU departed for the Mountain West.
While the games between the two would cease for 20 years, there would be a few times the schools would be tied together in the football world, most notably in 2009. After both programs had incredible campaigns (each went 12-0 and won their respective conferences) in the regular season, both felt they had a legitimate claim to qualify for that year's BCS National Championship. Unfortunately, due to the infamous "One Second Left" field goal in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game, Texas earned the spot and faced Alabama in the National Championship instead. Cincinnati and TCU were given BCS bowl trips.
TCU would officially join the Big 12 in 2012, and Cincinnati followed suit in 2023. On Saturday, when the two face off, both the stakes of the game for Cincinnati and the history behind the matchups are relatively easy to explain. Let's hope this time around the game will be pretty enough for the Bearcats to hang up on the wall.