Bearcats Shut Out By Mountaineers, 38-0

Nov. 9, 2005

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes

CINCINNATI - Steve Slaton rushed for four touchdowns and the West Virginia defense stymied Cincinnati for a 38-0 blanking of the Bearcats.

Slaton gained 129 yards on 25 carries as the Mountaineers ground out 297 rushing yards on UC. West Virginia's defense may have played the more dominant role in the outcome of the game. UC was held to just 269 yards of total offense, and a mere 62 yards on the ground.

Excluding the game-ending drive, when a Hail-Mary pass put Cincinnati on the WVU 5-yard line with time expired, the Mountaineers allowed UC to penetrate midfield only three times. The Bearcats reached the Mountaineer 37 on their first possession, but suffered a tackle for loss and eventually punted.

Slaton scored on a 4-yard run to cap a 9-play, 81-yard drive on West Virginia's first possession. The Mountaineers had scoring drives of 89 and 59 yards in the second quarter, both culminating in Slaten TD bursts. The redshirt freshman tallied from 33 yards out in the third quarter. Quarterback Pat White, who contributed 111 yards rushing, completed 7-of-12 passes for 100 yards and a 15-yard TD toss to Darius Reynaud.

While the Bearcats surrendered 406 yards in total offense, there were some individual performances of note. Sophomore safety Haruki Nakamura recorded 12 tackles for the third time this season and had a sack and a quarterback hurry. Freshman linebacker Corey Smith turned in eight tackles and a TFL. Chet Ervin punted eight times for a 40.5-yard average.