TicketsFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 23-ranked Cincinnati football team battled No. 19 Arkansas tough in front of the seventh-largest crowd in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium history before ultimately falling 31-24 on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Ben Bryant tossed for 325 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore running back Corey Kiner rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Senior running back Charles McClelland added 44 yards on five carries and 42 yards on four receptions. Tyler Scott led the receiving corps with five catches for 77 yards.
Senior linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr. led the Bearcats with 12 tackles and 3.5 TFLs (including a sack) in his Bearcats' debut. Ja'Quan Sheppard (nine stops), Jaheim Thomas (seven) and Bryon Threats (six) each followed with career-highs.
The Bearcats were driving at midfield down 24-17 with just over 10 minutes left in the game when Bryant was sacked on his blindside by Arkansas' Jordan Domineck and fumbled.
Arkansas recovered. Two plays later, Razorbacks' quarterback KJ Jefferson found Trey Knox for a 32-yard touchdown to put the home team in front, 31-17, with 9:26 left.
Jefferson finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score.
UC fought back with a nine-play, 75-yard drive over 3:37 in the fourth quarter. Bryant had completions of 18 and 23 yards after facing 3rd-and-8 shy of midfield, then capped off the drive with a 11-yard strike to Leonard Taylor over the middle for a touchdown.
Led by Jefferson's rushing, Arkansas was able to convert first downs over the final minutes to run out the clock for the victory.
Cincinnati trailed 14-0 at halftime but came out rolling on offense after the break, scoring on its first three drives of the third quarter.
UC marched 75 yards on 12 plays right after the half with Bryant completing 6-of-9 passes and adding a 5-yard rush on the drive to set up Kiner's 5-yard touchdown that made the score 14-7.
After Arkansas answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to Jadon Haselwood to extend its lead to 21-7, the Bearcats fired right back.
Bryant found Scott for a 30-yard catch along the sideline before lofting a perfect pass to a streaking Nick Mardner for a 35-yard touchdown to bring UC back within a score, 21-14, at the 6:50 mark in the third quarter. It marked the first catch in a Bearcats uniform for the 6-6 transfer receiver from Hawaii.
Arkansas fumbled a hand off to start its next possession and Cincinnati defensive end Eric Phillips recovered the ball three yards from the end zone. However, four penalties stymied UC's offense the Bearcats were forced to settle with a 21-yard field goal from senior kicker Ryan Coe that made the score 21-17.
Bryant passed for 177 yards in the third quarter.
Bryant completed his first five passes of the game, but his sixth attempt was picked off by Arkansas cornerback Dwight McGlothern, who returned the interception 51 yards. The turnover set up a 15-yard touchdown rush by Jefferson that gave Arkansas a 7-0 lead with 6:18 remaining in the first quarter.
After Coe missed a 48-yard field goal late in the second quarter, Jefferson's 5-yard touchdown pass to Trey Knox put the Razorbacks in front 14-0.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati welcomes Kennesaw State for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
// ABOUT CINCINNATI ATHLETICS
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 500 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 117 conference titles. The Cincinnati men's basketball team is among the 15 winningest programs all-time, while the football team became the first American Athletic Conference program to compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021. Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Jordan Thompson, NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Major League Baseball legend Sandy Koufax are among the several luminaries who have competed as Bearcats.
UC student-athletes collectively posted a 3.369 overall GPA in the spring of 2021 with 77 percent earning spots on the Honor Roll, while six student-athletes collected CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades.
Under the leadership of Director of Athletics John Cunningham, and supported by more than 150 full-time staff members, UC Athletics' mission is to connect our community, enhance our University and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field.
For more information visit gobearcats.com.
Senior quarterback Ben Bryant tossed for 325 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore running back Corey Kiner rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Senior running back Charles McClelland added 44 yards on five carries and 42 yards on four receptions. Tyler Scott led the receiving corps with five catches for 77 yards.
Senior linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr. led the Bearcats with 12 tackles and 3.5 TFLs (including a sack) in his Bearcats' debut. Ja'Quan Sheppard (nine stops), Jaheim Thomas (seven) and Bryon Threats (six) each followed with career-highs.
The Bearcats were driving at midfield down 24-17 with just over 10 minutes left in the game when Bryant was sacked on his blindside by Arkansas' Jordan Domineck and fumbled.
Arkansas recovered. Two plays later, Razorbacks' quarterback KJ Jefferson found Trey Knox for a 32-yard touchdown to put the home team in front, 31-17, with 9:26 left.
Jefferson finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score.
UC fought back with a nine-play, 75-yard drive over 3:37 in the fourth quarter. Bryant had completions of 18 and 23 yards after facing 3rd-and-8 shy of midfield, then capped off the drive with a 11-yard strike to Leonard Taylor over the middle for a touchdown.
Led by Jefferson's rushing, Arkansas was able to convert first downs over the final minutes to run out the clock for the victory.
Cincinnati trailed 14-0 at halftime but came out rolling on offense after the break, scoring on its first three drives of the third quarter.
UC marched 75 yards on 12 plays right after the half with Bryant completing 6-of-9 passes and adding a 5-yard rush on the drive to set up Kiner's 5-yard touchdown that made the score 14-7.
After Arkansas answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to Jadon Haselwood to extend its lead to 21-7, the Bearcats fired right back.
Bryant found Scott for a 30-yard catch along the sideline before lofting a perfect pass to a streaking Nick Mardner for a 35-yard touchdown to bring UC back within a score, 21-14, at the 6:50 mark in the third quarter. It marked the first catch in a Bearcats uniform for the 6-6 transfer receiver from Hawaii.
Arkansas fumbled a hand off to start its next possession and Cincinnati defensive end Eric Phillips recovered the ball three yards from the end zone. However, four penalties stymied UC's offense the Bearcats were forced to settle with a 21-yard field goal from senior kicker Ryan Coe that made the score 21-17.
Bryant passed for 177 yards in the third quarter.
Bryant completed his first five passes of the game, but his sixth attempt was picked off by Arkansas cornerback Dwight McGlothern, who returned the interception 51 yards. The turnover set up a 15-yard touchdown rush by Jefferson that gave Arkansas a 7-0 lead with 6:18 remaining in the first quarter.
After Coe missed a 48-yard field goal late in the second quarter, Jefferson's 5-yard touchdown pass to Trey Knox put the Razorbacks in front 14-0.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati welcomes Kennesaw State for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
// ABOUT CINCINNATI ATHLETICS
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 500 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 117 conference titles. The Cincinnati men's basketball team is among the 15 winningest programs all-time, while the football team became the first American Athletic Conference program to compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021. Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Jordan Thompson, NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Major League Baseball legend Sandy Koufax are among the several luminaries who have competed as Bearcats.
UC student-athletes collectively posted a 3.369 overall GPA in the spring of 2021 with 77 percent earning spots on the Honor Roll, while six student-athletes collected CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades.
Under the leadership of Director of Athletics John Cunningham, and supported by more than 150 full-time staff members, UC Athletics' mission is to connect our community, enhance our University and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field.
For more information visit gobearcats.com.