A report from the Cincinnati Enquirer states that On a day when college football fans around the country got a televised postcard from Cincinnati, the Bearcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Tulsa, stalled in the second quarter, pulled away, and then sputtered again.
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Last Chance For Victory
Tulsa had two final-possession opportunities, but both were denied. The Bearcats defence stifled the Golden Hurricane four times in a row after they fumbled away their last chance for victory. UC’s 28-20 Homecoming victory over Tulsa was secured when Steven Anderson mishandled the ball in the end zone. Senior Jabari Taylor recovered the ball.
With Desmond Ridder at the helm, the Bearcats have won every game so far this season. Ridder completed 15 passes out of 23 attempts for 274 yards and two scores. Because Jerome Ford was injured late in the first half, he also led the team in rushing with 43 yards and a touchdown.
Alec Pierce, a Senior, Caught Five Passes for 113 Yards and a Touchdown.
Tulsa had more total yards (446 to 390) and more rushing yards (181 to 0) than Cincinnati, but the Golden Hurricane still lost (3-6). (2-3 AAC).
Though he is currently behind his pace from the previous three seasons, in which he averaged over 600 yards rushing per game, Ridder gained 14 yards on UC’s opening drive, including a 3-yard touchdown trot.
Ford, from UC, entered the game tied for third in the country in touchdowns. 13 plays later, Ford punched in for his 16th touchdown of the game, 15 of which came on the ground.
Christian Lowery, a rookie kicker, had a chance to end the half with a third scoring drive, but his field goal attempt from 43 yards out was wide left. Kicker for the first six wins and senior Cole Smith remains out for unknown reasons.
Twelve plays and 75 yards later, Tulsa’s Shamari Brooks scored to cap off a miserable quarter. The shot was blocked, but the score remained 14-9. However, just before halftime, kicker Zack Long made amends with a 50-yard field goal to put the team up. Second week in a row, UC’s halftime advantage was only a point (14-12).
Ridder threw his first touchdown throw of the second half just four plays into the game. Following a 72-yard drive, UC took the lead for good when quarterback Kevin Hogan completed a pass to Alec Pierce for 12 yards.
Another momentum shift occurred after the Golden Hurricane’s next series was halted on fourth down. After three plays, Ridder threw his second touchdown throw of the day to Michael Young, who smoked the defence for 31 yards.
Travon Fuller of Tulsa recovered the fumbled rush by UC at the Tulsa 3-yard line, which was a disastrous turn of events. Four different Thunder attempts were made on goal. They won after Anderson’s rush on fourth down was fumbled into the end zone and recovered by Taylor.
When are you Going to Stop Running?
It was the third straight game in which UC was outrushed. Two weeks ago, Navy won 197-95; last week, Tulane won 187-124; and this week, the Golden Hurricane ground game outscored the Bearcats 279-116.
Chewing the Dust
The Wake Forest Deacons are now officially eliminated from the ranks of the undefeated. The North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Mack Brown, beat the ninth-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 58-55.
We see Bright Futures Ahead.
There were a lot of high school football players out on the sidelines before the game, and they were all taking pictures of themselves with their moms and dads. Additionally, Taft junior Rayvon Griffith, a highly sought after basketball recruit, was in attendance for his second visit to school. Griffith, who was named to the first team of the Ohio Division III as a sophomore, has had offers from several schools, including Ohio State. This past winter, Taft was coached by Griffith and advanced to the state playoffs. Walnut Hills basketball’s Tyler McKinley (a sophomore) was also featured in The Nipp.
Equipped with a Few More Sets of Horns
More than 270 former members of the Bearcat band came out to support the current group. All the way from the Class of ’58 to the Class of ’21 and beyond were represented. In honour of the band’s centennial, they formed the number 100 on the turf.
SCORE: CINCINNATI 14 – 0 – 28
TULSA 0 12 0 8 20
UC: Ridder 3-yard run (Lowery kick)
UC: Ford 1-yard run (Lowery kick)
T: Long Field Goal from 35 Yards
T:Â Brooks 5-yard rushing touchdown (extra point failed)
T: – Extra-Long 50-Yard FG
UC: Underdogs’ Ridder throws a 12-yard touchdown pass to Pierce (Lowery kick)
UC: Ridder to Young for 31 yards; UC (Lowery kick)
T: Brin 21-yard pass to Santana (Brit to Crawford Jr. pass)
