Bearcats Tame Tigers To Remain Unbeaten

The seventh ranked Cincinnati Bearcats returned home to Nippert Stadium after three weeks on the road, trying to keep an unbeaten record from being blemished by the Memphis Tigers, their newest arch rival.  The 49-10 victory accomplished the goal.

While, the Bearcats remained unbeaten by vanquishing previously unbeaten Southern Methodist University last weekend, 42-13 in Dallas, the Tigers come into the contest with a 3-1 record.  The lone loss was a 30-27 decision to SMU.

Desmond Ridder threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns but he also ran for on while accumulating 43 yards rushing.

The Cincinnati defense bottled up an offense that came into the game averaging almost 39 points per game.  The Bearcats limited the Tigers to five yards on the ground.

Ridder threw two touchdown passes to put the Bearcats up 21-10 at halftime.  He connected with Alec Pierce, who made a leaping catch in the endzone, from 43 yards away.  Ridder took a read option into the endzone from 13 yards out in the second quarter.  He found Michael Young Jr. in heavy traffic for a six-yard score.

Tahj Washington took a short pass from Brady White, 92 yards for a game tying score 15 seconds into the second quarter.  Patterson kicked a 42-yard field goal in the last minute of the first half.

White led the Tigers to the Cincinnati 10 yard line after the opening kickoff but was forced to run out of the pocket on a fourth and two, throwing an incomplete pass.

Ridder led the Bearcats to the end zone after getting the ball after the defenses fourth down hold. Ridder kept the drive alive with an 11-yard toss to Jordan Jones on a third and three.  Jayshon Jackson made a diving catch on a 45-yard pass play to setup a two-yard rushing touchdown by Gerrid Doaks that put the Bearcats up 28-10 midway through the third quarter.

Ridder threw an interception in the fourth quarter but the Bearcat defense remained stingy. Ridder threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tre Tucker in the third quarter.  Jerome Ford dashed 33 yards with the football for Cincinnati's sixth touchdown.  Ford added a 48-yard run with under two minutes in the game.  Ford had 116 yards rushing for the game.

Cincinnati Corrals South Florida Bulls IN AAC Opener

 

The Cincinnati Bearcats used a suffocating defense to defeat the South Florida Bulls to open the American Athletic Conference at Nippert Stadium, 28-7.

The Bulls used three ineffective quarterbacks and a wide receiver, throwing the football resulting in four interceptions.  The wide receiver Randall St. Felix completed a pass to QB #3, Jordan McCloud to set up South Florida's loan score.

Katravis Marsh, Cade Fortin and McCloud combined for 21 completions in 38 attempts for 208 yards but threw five interceptions.  The Cincinnati defense stuffed the run too.  The Bulls gained 38 yards in 25 attempts.

The Bearcats didn't take advantage of the gifts to the extent they should have.

Desmond Ridder threw three interceptions all by himself while completing 15 passes in 24 attempts and one touchdown for 133 yards. 

Gerrid Doaks rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries, including a 10-yard scoring dash to start the scoreboard.  

There were more turnovers than in a Clifton bakery in the first quarter. 

Marsh threw two interceptions on South Florida's first two possessions.  Ridder had an interception on the Bearcat's first possession and Doaks fumbled on the Bearcats second chance.

Ridder threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Whyle in the second quarter and a three-yard jump shot to Bruno Labelle, the tight end that snuck out over the middle on a run fake.

South Florida finally got on the board at the end of the third quarter on a two-yard run between the legs of Cincinnati's D-line by 5'5", 172 pound Johnny Ford.

Even that was negated by a 97-yard kickoff return by Tre Tucker. The Bearcats defense put an end to the scoring in the fourth quarter.  UC held the ball for over 36 minutes, nearly a full quarter over the Bulls 23 and a half minutes.

Cincinnati interceptions were turned in by Coby Bryant, who had two of them, Ahmad Gardner, Arquon Bush and Darrian Darrian Beavers.