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CINCINNATI — The 100th Homecoming football game at the University of Cincinnati will be remembered as one of the most significant victories in Bearcats history. UC defeated No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 on Saturday, sending fans storming onto the field in celebration.
The Bearcats took the lead for good midway through the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass to Cole Tabb, putting them ahead 10-6. Tabb later sealed the win with a late fourth-quarter run that extended the lead to 37-18. The Red Raiders added a touchdown with 59 seconds remaining, but the outcome was already decided.
"To beat a No. 8 Texas Tech team with a ton of resources, yeah, this is probably one of the greatest wins I've been a part of," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. "It's not about the offseason stuff. It's about the overall things that have happened in college football and for our guys to go out there and perform like we did."
The victory marks Cincinnati's first Top 10 win since beating Notre Dame in South Bend in 2021 and their first at home since knocking off No. 7 Rutgers in 2006.
Preseason Predictions Revisited
The Cincinnati Enquirer predicted a Bearcats home loss, but the sellout crowd at Nippert Stadium witnessed the opposite. Most outlets expected Texas Tech, a double-digit favorite, to win comfortably. Instead, the Red Raiders left with a 13-point defeat.
The Enquirer also suggested UC would need creative ways to gain yards. Texas Tech had been allowing only 82 rushing yards per game and held Arizona State to 35 rushing yards on Oct. 17. After a sluggish first quarter in which they had minus-6 yards on the ground, the Bearcats found their rhythm and scored 21 points for a 24-6 halftime lead. They finished with 252 rushing yards, 21 above their average, and quarterback JC French threw for a career-best four touchdowns.
Another prediction was that French would make plays but throw his first interception. His first interception was returned for a touchdown by Peyton Morgan. Brice Pollock broke up a pass intended for Isaiah Johnson, and although a targeting call was initially made—which would have negated the touchdown—it was reversed on review. On the next series, Amier Boyd picked off French. However, French rebounded and added a fourth touchdown pass in the third quarter to Larenzo Fenner, finishing with four scoring passes.
Finally, the Enquirer said that if Texas Tech had momentum, they wouldn't go conservative. The Red Raiders lost momentum and couldn't retaliate as billionaire donor Cody Campbell had insinuated. Instead, Campbell tweeted his displeasure with the loss after the game.
Overreactions from the Upset
Cincinnati should be ranked: Not so fast. UC is 5-2 and one win away from bowl eligibility, but they face ranked teams in the next two weeks, starting with Utah at home and then a game at Houston. Utah improved to 8-0 with a 21-13 home victory over now 6-2 Houston on Saturday night. The Bearcats also have BYU in Provo on Nov. 28. The Cougars will drop from No. 2 after being upset by UCF in Orlando, 39-31 in overtime. But that's the two-time zone thing coming into play, just as it could again with UC traveling back to Mountain Time around Thanksgiving. The opportunity to be ranked is certainly there in the coming weeks.
UC's defense is amazing: After Morgantown, fans were upset that the Bearcats shut down the No. 4 rushing offense on 134 yards but allowed West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to throw for 464 yards in a 45-42 loss. Texas Tech came in averaging 38 points per game, with 192 yards on the ground and 230 through the air. The Bearcats held them to a season-low 24 points, 173 yards on the ground and 227 yards passing. Patrick Bauer had a pair of sacks, MJ Cannon had an interception and the Bearcats had seven tackles for loss. Until a garbage-time touchdown by Quinten Joyner in the final minute, UC gave up four field goals and Morgan's pick-six, which seemed controversial. UC defensive coordinator Nate Woody won this over former coaching colleague and Red Raiders defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, but one week doesn't make a season.
Playing at home in the Big 12 is an advantage: Just as home field was insurmountable at Arizona and West Virginia, the 38,088 at Nippert Stadium made life difficult all day for quarterback Will Hammond and Texas Tech.
Grading the Bearcats
Overall: A- It wasn't a wipeout, but UC led the game for 37 of the 60 minutes. Once they seized momentum in the second quarter with 21 unanswered points, the crowd and team were locked in.
Offense: B French didn't have a 300-yard passing game, but he didn't need one. Going 19-for-30 for 172 yards was good enough for a personal-best four touchdown passes to Tabb, Malachi Henry, Lyviel Waters and Larenzo Fenner. Cole Tabb had a career-high 173 yards rushing with a touchdown catch and the first rushing touchdown allowed by Texas Tech this season.
Defense: A- Texas Tech scored 52 points on Arizona State in its previous game, and the Red Raiders' season-low was 28 at Colorado. J'Koby Williams had 165 yards rushing against Arizona State and was held to 81 by UC. MJ Cannon picked off Will Hammond and UC sacked him four times.
Special Teams: B Max Fletcher averaged 43.5 yards per kick and pinned the Red Raiders inside the 20-yard line once. Stephen Rusnak connected on his lone 47-yard field goal, but the Bearcats had no punt or kick returns due to fair catches or touchbacks.
Coaching: A- Give Scott Satterfield and Nate Woody credit as they took a lot of heat after losing a game late at West Virginia 45-42. Against Texas Tech, offense and defense contributed evenly. Also credit offensive line coach Nic Cardwell, who lost center Taran Tyo early in the game and replaced him with Grant Edgington, who didn't miss a beat.
Next Up: Utah Visits Nippert Stadium
Utah, ranked No. 10 this past week, has never played at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:45 p.m. A Halloween win would give the Bearcats a second straight Top 10 win and a bowl berth. The Utes beat Houston on Saturday.
Originally reported by yahoo.