TicketsSept. 15, 2012
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| UC Gallery | President Ono at Delaware State Game
CINCINNATI -- Senior running back George Winn (Southfield, Mich./UD Jesuit) rushed for a career-high 147 yards and the University of Cincinnati football team defeated Delaware State University 23-7 Saturday evening at Nippert Stadium.
Winn is the third different Bearcat to run past the 100-yard mark in their last three games.
Making his first career start for Cincinnati was senior wide receiver Damon Julian (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Twp./Pierce CC), who produced a team-high 62 yards on four receptions, including his first career touchdown in the second quarter.
Cincinnati (2-0) outgained DSU 467-261, including a 259-101 rushing advantage, but managed just 23 points largely due to six turnovers.
Junior QB Munchie Legaux (New Orleans, La./Edna Karr) ended the game 20 of 27 passing for 207 yards and two touchdowns, but ended the night with two interceptions and two fumbles.
Defensively, UC linebacker Greg Blair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley/Lackawanna CC) led the Bearcats with seven total tackles, including one tackle for loss. Senior defensive tackle Brandon Mills (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) and senior defensive back Aaron Roberson (Maple Hts., Ohio/Chanel/Gannon) each produced one sack, while junior free safety Arryn Chenault (Cincinnati, Ohio/Fairfield) came up with the first pick of his career.
The UC offense continued its struggles with ball security in the second half as the Bearcats' first two possessions ended with red-zone turnovers. The first T.O. occurred on a forced pass in the end zone from Legaux that was picked off by Hornets junior free safety Davon Moore, while the second arrived via a muffed handoff exchange by Legaux at the DSU 11-yard line.
Delaware State (1-1) got on the board at the 11:41 mark of the fourth quarter when junior running back Malcolm Williams broke away for a 60-yard touchdown run that decreased UC's lead to 20-7.
The Hornets forced their sixth UC turnover of the game with 6:31 left when senior linebacker Olusegun Ayanbiola produced a sack-fumble of Legaux, which was recovered by junior nose tackle Shabasz Gordon at the DSU 41-yard line.
Cincinnati's defense forced a strip-sack of its own three plays later when Roberson removed the football from DSU senior QB Nick Elko, which was recovered by senior nose tackle John Williams (Miami, Fla./Central/Central Michigan) at the DSU 44-yard line.
Roberson's sack-forced fumble allowed the UC offense to drive to the one-yard line with less than 1 minute remaining in the game, setting up and 18-yard field goal from sophomore place kicker Tony Miliano (North Bend, Ohio/Elder) for a 23-7 Bearcats lead.
UC built a 20-point halftime lead after outgaining the Hornets 327-107 through the first 30 minutes. UC's lead potentially could have been larger had it not been for three turnovers - one interception and two fumbles.
Sophomore running back Jameel Poteat's (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) one-yard touchdown rush capped a 10-play, 65-yard opening drive for the Bearcats, lifting UC to an early 6-0 lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter. Poteat's score, the second of his career, was set up by Winn's four carries and 43 rushing yards, which included a 31-yard run on Cincinnati's second play from scrimmage.
The Bearcats went ahead 13-0 on the final play of the first quarter after junior receiver Anthony McClung (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) scored on an 8-yard wide receiver bubble screen that featured a solid block by Julian and a pair of hesitation moves, which caused two DSU missed tackles.
Cincinnati was on the verge of taking a 19-point lead 4 minutes into the second quarter when McClung took a pass from Legaux and ran 36 yards toward the end zone. However, Delaware State linebacker Joe Boyd collided with McClung just before crossing the goal line, forcing a fumble that rolled into the back of the end zone for a touchback.
Chenault produced his first career interception midway through the second quarter after he picked off Elko's floater down the left hashmark. The UC offense flipped Chenault's interception into points after Legaux found Julian for an 11-yard TD, capping a 12-play, 70-yard drive that put Cincinnati up 20-0 with 4:50 left in the first half.
The Bearcats are idle next weekend before traveling to Landover, Md. to play Virginia Tech on Sept. 29 at FedEx Field.