MOBILE, Ala. — Former TCU receiver Jack Bech caught the winning touchdown pass and was named MVP of the Senior Bowl on Saturday, standing out in the showcase for NFL draft prospects a month after his older brother was among 14 killed in the deadly pickup truck attack in New Orleans.
Bech caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan to give the American Team a 22-19 win over the National Team at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus. Bech, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder from Lafayette, Louisiana, played his first two college seasons in his home state for the LSU Tigers before transferring to TCU in 2023, where this past season he became just the fifth player in Horned Frogs history with a 1,000-yard receiving season.
Martin “Tiger” Bech was among those killed when the driver of a pickup sped down Bourbon Street when it was packed with holiday revelers early on New Year’s Day. The terrorist attack also injured about 30 people, leading to the College Football Playoff’s Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame to be postponed from that day to Jan. 2.
The older Bech played at Princeton, and his brother wore his No. 7 in his honor at the Senior Bowl.
Jack Bech, who wore No. 18 for the Big 12’s Horned Frogs, finished with 1,034 yards on 62 catches, including nine touchdowns, in his final college season. He had 10 catches for 131 yards and two scores in TCU’s 38-27 win at Kansas on Sept. 28.