TCU football would not quit in 2018. And in a funny way, the Cheez-It Bowl was the perfect exclamation point on what was a wild, frustrating and determined season.

The final score pretty much tells the story of this one. TCU beat Cal 10-7 in overtime to win its bowl game at Chase Field in Phoenix and move to 7-6. The win moves head coach Gary Patterson to 11-6 in bowl games as TCU head coach, but it probably won’t feature in too many of his highlight tapes.

If you didn’t get your fill of turnovers during Christmas dessert, the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl was happy to oblige. TCU senior quarterback Grayson Muehlstein threw four interceptions. Three came in the first 20 minutes of game time. But somehow, miraculously, TCU won the turnover battle. Cal quarterbacks Chase Garber and Chase Forrest combined to throw five interceptions.

Cal took a quick 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the game thanks to a long pass from Garber. The Golden Bears posted 84 yards on its first three drives, compared to 180 yards on the next 12. However, TCU simply couldn’t capitalize early. The Horned Frogs had just 83 offensive yards and zero points at the half.

TCU didn’t get into the red zone until late in the third quarter. And even then, getting into the end zone was a heck of an ordeal.

Running back Sewo Olonilua, the only player to do anything of note on offense, broke a 4th-and-2 run for 12 yards down to the goal line. He was ruled just short of the goal line on review. One play later, Olonilua was once again ruled short of the goal line, and the third quarter ended. While the game was in commercial break, the call was overturned and a touchdown called instead.

The Horned Frogs couldn’t get back into the red zone until overtime. After Cole Bunce missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in regulation, Jonathan Song nailed a shorter 27-yard field goal to win. Even that came from a drive starting at the 40-yard line because a TCU administrator fell onto the field and was called for sideline interference – really! 

There was a lot of good defense played in this game. TCU defensive end L.J. Collier won player of the game honors after posting two of the Horned Frogs’ eight tackles for loss. Five different players recorded a sack. On the other end, Cal was only credited with two sacks, but the Golden Bears brought consistent pressure.

That said, plenty of this game was horrible, unbearable offense.

Muehlstein was completely unplayable in his final college football game. He completed seven of his 20 pass attempts to TCU receivers for 27 yards, and four to Cal defenders. Freshman phenom Justin Rogers came into the game for three plays, but clearly was unable to move. He is still suffering from drop foot as a result of nerve damage.

Golden Bear quarterbacks combined for 164 yards, but the running backs were held to 3.3 yards per carry against TCu’s impressive defensive line. Olonilua was the only good offensive player in this game. He posted 32 carries for 194 yards and TCU’s lone touchdown. No other player – on either team – had more than 57 total yards.

But in a funny way, this was the perfect way to end the 2018 season. This season was one of the ugliest in recent memory at TCU. Sitting at 4-6, the Horned Frogs lost backup quarterback Michael Collins to injury against rival Baylor. It would have been easy for the Horned Frogs to quit. They never did.

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor scored both touchdowns in a wild 16-9 win over Baylor. Then, Reagor added a receiving and rushing score against Oklahoma State, as Muehlstein did just enough to beat the Cowboys and earn an unlikely bowl trip.

In the postseason, the defense took center stage. Five players recorded interceptions for the first time of the Gary Patterson era at TCU.

At times it was Wildcat formation. Other times it was jet sweeps. TCU went deep into its bag of tricks to generate offense without an even passable healthy quarterback on the roster. But still, the Horned Frogs managed to end the year on a three-game winning streak.

There are few coaches more comfortable in a slugfest than Gary Patterson. He’s taken lemons and made them into really good teams before. Even after losing two quarterbacks, a starting running back, a top wide receiver, a plethora of defensive backs and more, Patterson managed to pull together his 13th winning season in 19 years. Five of them have come in seven years of Big 12 play.

The 2018 season won’t be a memorable one in Fort Worth. But after beating Cal, Patterson moved to 7-0 against Pac-12 teams, and picked up a third win in four season over a Pac-12 opponent. If seven wins and a bowl victory because of a injuries is a disappointing season, TCU football is in a good place.