TicketsNEW ORLEANS, La. – Cincinnati senior quarterback Desmond Ridder found junior tight end Josh Whyle for two touchdowns for the second consecutive game to lead the No. 2-ranked Bearcats to a 31-12 victory at Tulane on Saturday at Yulman Stadium.
Cincinnati led 14-12 at halftime, but shutout the hosts in the second half and scored the game's final 17 points.
"A win is a win," Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell said. "Obviously, the first half was difficult on us. They did a really good job of keeping the ball from our offense, methodically moving the ball, getting first downs and giving us a lot of different things that we hadn't seen. But I'm proud of our guys and how they went in at halftime. They didn't panic."
The victory moves Cincinnati to 8-0 for the second straight year and the fourth time ever. UC remains in control of the American Athletic Conference with a 4-0 league mark.
Ridder finished with 227 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with a season-high 47 rushing yards. Whyle had four catches for 79 yards.
"We're 8-0; that's all we care about," Ridder said. "No team's just going to lay over for us, no matter if we're No. 2 or No. 18. It doesn't matter, every team is going to give us their best."
Senior cornerback Coby Bryant and senior safety Ja'von Hicks each had interceptions to give Cincinnati 14 picks on the season, which is the second-most in the nation.
Senior middle linebacker Joel Dublanko had nine tackles, a half-sack and a forced fumble to pace a defense that held Tulane to only 93 yards passing. Defensive linemen Malik Vann, Jowon Briggs and Myjai Sanders each recorded sacks of Green Wave backup quarterback Kai Horton, who was making his first career start.
The Bearcats struck first with a 16-play, 99-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter where Ridder found Whyle for a 16-yard score.
The Green Wave used a safety and a 47-yard touchdown from running back Tyjae Sanders to take a 14-9 lead in the second quarter, but Cincinnati answered back when Ridder used his arm, on a 28-yard pass to Whyle, and his legs, on a season-long 37-yard run, to set up Jerome Ford's nation-leading 14th rushing touchdown that gave Cincinnati a 14-9 lead.
The Bearcats and Green Wave traded interceptions at the end of the half. Tulane's pick set up Green Wave kicker Merek Glover's 41-yard field goal.
Ridder's second touchdown pass to Whyle gave UC a 21-12 lead in the third quarter.
Freshman kicker Christian Lowery tacked on a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to extend UC's lead to 24-12. Ridder also found Ford for a 26-yard touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter, giving Ford his first receiving touchdown of the season.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati hosts Tulsa at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday (Nov. 6) for Homecoming at Nippert Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.